Boecherer, Blatchford Victorious At 70.3 Cozumel

Several pros turned out to Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico for the first-ever Ironman 70.3 Cozumel. The points earned at this race are applied to the 2013 qualifying year, and several pros seemed eager to bank points toward Vegas/Kona qualifying as the off-season nears.

Germany’s Andi Boecherer stayed out front the majority of the race, combining a 23:45 swim, 2:07:12 bike and a 1:20:20 half marathon to take the 3:53:45 victory. Italy’s Daniel Fontana also had a strong day across the three disciplines. His race-leading 1:18:56 half marathon gave him the second spot at the finish line. Australia’s Paul Ambrose had one of the stronger bike splits of the day, giving him the final podium spot. The top-five men all posted finish times under four hours on the fast course.

For the women it was Great Britain’s Liz Blatchford once again making up for the disappoint of being left off of Great Britain’s Olympic team. Her 23:41 swim, 2:24:17 bike and 1:23:56 half marathon combined to give her the 4:14:31 victory. Just two weeks removed from competing at the Ironman World Championship 70.3, Australia’s Melissa Hauschildt finished second. The Netherlands’ Yvonne Van Vlerken claimed third.

Ironman 70.3 Cozumel
Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico – Sept. 23, 2012
1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men
1. Andi Boecherer (GER) 3:53:45
2. Daniel Fontana (ITA) 3:56:20
3. Paul Ambrose (AUS) 3:57:22
4. Luke McKenzie (AUS) 3:58:03
5. James Hadley (GBR) 3:59:17

Women
1. Liz Blatchford (GBR) 4:14:31
2. Melissa Hauschildt (AUS) 4:18:36
3. Yvonne Van Vlerken (NED) 4:22:10
4. Bree Wee (USA) 4:25:22
5. Emma-Kate Lidbury (GBR) 4:26:35

Complete results.