Published July 26, 2009 04:11PM
The 2009 edition of the Nautica New York City Triathlon kicked off with a 25-minute rain and thunderstorm delay, but the minor inconvenience did little to slow Aussie Greg Bennett and American Rebeccah Wasner. After riding with the pack on the bike leg, both athletes took off just after exiting T2 to win handedly.
To the surprise of few, Andy Potts was the first to exit the swim in the Hudson River, doing so in just over 12 minutes (12:14), thanks in a large part to the river’s swift current. Bennett and American Matty Reed finished the fast swim mere seconds behind Potts.
The bike leg was dominated by Pennsylvanian up-and-comer Andrew Yoder, who completed the 40K leg in 56:37 and entered T2 with an almost two-minute lead on the rest of the field. Next into transition were Bennett, Potts, Reed and Brit Stuart Hayes.
Yoder’s gap from the bike leg disappeared quickly, as Bennett surged to the front and never looked back. The Aussie’s 31:12 run was good enough for his fourth consecutive title in New York. Potts finished second, 37 seconds behind Bennett. Reed took the final podium position, 16 seconds back of Potts.
In the women’s race, three athletes exited the swim at the front, led by short-course standout Becky Lavelle. Just a few seconds behind Lavelle were Wassner and fellow-American Mary Beth Ellis.
While Ellis battled mechanical issues on the bike, Lavelle and Wassner stayed at the front and Lavelle entered T2 with a half-minute advantage. That lead quickly diminished courtesy of Wassner’s 34:36 run. Wassner broke the tape in 1:58:25, with Lavelle finishing second in 2:00:17. American Margaret Shapiro finished third in 2:03:21.
Men
1. Greg Bennett (AUS) 12:34 58:37 31:12 1:45:50
2. Andy Potts (USA) 12:14 59:27 31:11 1:46:27
3. Matt Reed (USA) 12:35 59:44 31:55 1:47:43
4. Andrew Yoder (USA) 12:38 56:37 34:41 1:47:50
5. Stuart Hayes(GBR) 12:32 59:33 32:24 1:48:02
Women
1. Rebecca Wassner (USA) 13:40 1:06:01 34:36 1:58:25
2. Becky Lavelle (USA) 13:35 1:05:33 36:46 2:00:17
3. Margie Shapiro (USA) 14:14 1:07:06 37:54 2:03:21
4. Samantha Warriner (NZL)14:15 1:08:29 38:32 2:05:32
5. Mary Beth Ellis (USA) 13:37 1:12:46 37:31 2:08:28