Carfrae Wins Iron Girl Atlanta

Australian Mirinda Carfrae won her third race in four weeks at the Irongirl Atlanta sprint triathlon. She beat out a competitive field, with fellow Australians Pip Taylor, Michellie Jones and Kate Major, and Canadian Samantha McGlone all racing.

Mirinda Carfrae, 28, AUS, won the Aflac Iron Girl Atlanta Triathlon on Sunday, June 28, 2009.  The event took place at Lake Lanier Islands Resort, outside Atlanta, Ga., and featured a 1/3-mile swim, 18-mile bike and 3-mile run. The event had nearly 1,000 finishers ranging in age from 16 to 68 years old and in fitness level from beginner to elite.

The all-women’s triathlon had a competitive field of professional athletes, which included the following top finishers:
1st-place-finisher,  Mirinda Carfrae, 28, AUS, (1:13:55): Carfrae is a multiple Ironman 70.3 champion, as well as the winner of the 2007  Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3.   In 2008, Carfrae won the inaugural Aflac Iron Girl Las Vegas  Triathlon.
2nd-place-finisher,  Pip Taylor, 29, AUS, (1:14:56): With  a swimming background, Taylor has earned top placements at well-known events  such as the Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon, Eagleman Ironman 70.3 and the Aflac  Iron Girl Las Vegas Triathlon.
3rd-place-finisher,  Michellie Jones, 39, AUS, (1:18:06): An Olympic silver medalist, Jones has mastered a  variety of distances.  Boasting  top Ironman and 70.3 finishes, she placed second in her debut at the Ford  Ironman World Championship in 2005 and returned the following year to win the  title.  In 2007, Jones won the  title at the inaugural Iron Girl Atlanta  Triathlon.
4th-place-finisher,  Samantha McGlone, 29, CAN, (1:20:11): The 2006 Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 titleholder, McGlone has earned  multiple Ironman 70.3 victories, as well as a second place finish at the  world’s most challenging endurance event, the Ford Ironman World  Championship.
5th-place-finisher,  Kate Major, 31, AUS, (1:21:41): Major’s talent at both the Ironman and 70.3  disciplines, coupled with her natural athletic ability, make her a formidable  opponent. With multiple titles, and three Ironman World Championship podium  finishes on her race resume, Major is often deemed part of “triathlon’s next  generation.”
The top five age-group finishers are listed below:
1. Kristine Kester, 44, of Duluth, Ga. (1:24:50)
2. Rebecca Villers, 37, of Nashville, Tenn. (1:25:04)
3. Katherine Tindol, 41, of Suwanee, Ga. (1:25:41)
4. Katie June, 16, of Roswell, Ga. (1:27:09)
5. Marni Rakes, 27, of Jacksonville, Fla. (1:27:32)

The NBC broadcast of the Aflac Iron Girl Atlanta Triathlon will premier on Sunday, August 2, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET.  Viewers will watch stories of athletes who have overcome adversity, as well as gain inspiration from women who have adopted healthy, active lifestyles, survived debilitating conditions and more. The broadcast will also feature participants racing in support of pediatric cancer research, the Aflac Iron Girl National Event Series charitable cause for 2009.

The Aflac Iron Girl event experience provides women with a competitive platform and amenities such as: a post-race Breakfast Café, performance shirts sized for women, professional timing, personalized race bibs, custom finisher medals and awards, post-race giveaways and reusable athlete goodie bags, part of Iron Girl’s “Green” initiative.  All participants in the 2009 series also receive a commemorative Aflac Iron Girl plush duck.

Donations from Aflac Iron Girl event participants and a percentage of proceeds from online merchandise sales on IronGirl.com will go to designated hospitals within the Children’s Oncology Group.  The Children’s Oncology Group is the world’s largest pediatric cancer research network consisting of more than 5,000 members located in leading children’s hospitals, university hospitals and cancer centers across the nation.

Irongirl Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
June 28, 2009
1/3-mile swim, 18-mile bike, 3-mile run

1. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) 1:13:55
2. Pip Taylor (AUS) 1:14:56
3. Michellie Jones (AUS) 1:18:06
4. Sam McGlone (CAN) 1:20:11
5. Kate Major (AUS) 1:21:41

For complete results click here.