A tightly contested race saw South African’s Bradley Weiss and Matt Trautman take on some of Europe’s best professional triathletes in Dylan Magnien (FRA), Bart Aernouts (BEL), Jack Hutchens (GBR) and Denis Chevrot (FRA) to name but a few men who took to the start line at this year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-En-Provence. After a hard-fought battle, it was Dylan Magnien (FRA) who claimed victory in a time of 03:50:59. Bart Aernouts (BEL) just missed out, crossing the finish line 29 seconds after. The final podium spot was then tightly fought after by the South African pairing with Weiss getting one up on Trautman by finishing in third, with Trautman in fourth.
The professional women’s category saw Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR) edge Tamara Jewett (CAN) by 50 seconds to claim victory in an overall time of 04:17:30. Both women known for their extraordinary running prowess, this was a special race to witness with Jewett winning the run portion this time around, clocking in a run course time of 01:13:29. With Pallant-Browne clocking a run course time of 01:16:51. The last podium spot was picked up by Emilie Morier (FRA), finishing 8 minutes and 33 seconds behind the overall winner.
After crossing the finish line, Pallant-Browne shared, “I had a good swim; I was a bit cautious on the bike and had a solid run. It was great to come out here and compete against these super strong girls. It is actually my first IRONMAN 70.3 race of the season, the last one I did was over six months ago, so it’s been a while. Now I feel like my season has finally started and has kicked off in a good way.”
IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-En-Provence kicked off with a 1.9 km swim course at the Lake of Peyrolles, followed by a 90km bike course, which allowed athletes to experience the beautiful landscapes of Provence coupled with the technical and hilly roads of the Mountain Sainte-Victoire before heading back to Aix-en-Provence. The three-loop 21.1 km run course between the city centre and the natural Parc de la Torse concluded the day in front of hundreds of spectators at the fountain La Rotonde.
MALE PRO:
1 Dylan Magnien FRA 3:50:59
2 Bart Aernouts BEL +0:29
3 Bradley Weiss ZAF +2:23
4 Matt Trautman ZAF +3:22
5 Denis Chevrot FRA +4:16
FEMALE PRO:
1 Emma Pallant-Browne GBR 4:17:30
2 Tamara Jewett CAN +0:50
3 Emilie Morier FRA +8:33
4 Barbara Riveros CHL +9:53
5 Alexia Bailly FRA +10;43