Alexander, Blatchford Victorious At 70.3 Geelong

Australians Craig Alexander and Liz Blatchford outran the competition at today’s Ironman 70.3 Geelong. Every second mattered on Sunday, with both victories coming with less than a minute margin over the runner-up spots.

Men’s Race
Three-time Ironman world champ Alexander grabbed his fourth victory in a row in Geelong thanks to a 21:55 swim, a 2:09:14 bike and a 1:12:25 run. He crossed the finish line at 3:46:26, just ahead of fellow Australian Sam Appleton who claimed second at 3:46:43. New Zealand’s Mark Bowstead edged out Canada’s Jeffrey Symonds for the third spot on the podium.

“It is nice to come back and win,” Alexander told Ironman.com. “I’ve got a great record here. Hats off to Sammy what he did today was world class, he pushed me all the way.”

Women’s Race
Blatchford put together a 23:45 swim, a 2:28:05 bike and a 1:24:25 half-marathon to earn the win at 4:19:34. Keat was in the mix with Blatchford all day, but ultimately had to settle for second in 4:20:03. Sarah Crowley (AUS) made it an all-Aussie podium for the women, crossing shortly after Keat at 4:20:52.

“It was slightly unexpected, because I had a limited preparation, but I ended up feeling pretty good out there,” Blatchford said in a press release about the win.

Ironman 70.3 Geelong
Geelong, Victoria, Australia – Feb. 8, 2015
1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men
1. Craig Alexander (AUS) 3:46:26
2. Sam Appleton (AUS) 3:46:43
3. Mark Bowstead (NZL) 3:51:14
4. Jeffrey Symonds (CAN) 3:52:21
5. Marko Albert (EST) 3:54:48

Women
1. Liz Blatchford (AUS) 4:19:34
2. Rebekah Keat (AUS) 4:20:03
3. Sarah Crowley (AUS)) 4:20:52
4. Gina Crawford (NZL) 4:22:12
5. Amanda Wilson (AUS) 4:24:27

Complete results.