Did you race Ironman 70.3 St. George? Keep an eye out for your FinisherPix photos here.
The sun rises over Sand Hallow Reservoir. The course is one of the most beautiful on the 70.3 circuit.
The pro men line up for the 7 a.m. start. Though the water at the reservoir is sometimes frigid, it was a mild 61 degrees for race day.
The pro women dive in for 1.2 miles of swimming. Daniela Ryf chose to travel to the United States for a couple of races in the early swimmer.
The race featured one of the biggest fields since racing returned from the pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ryf was third out of the water with a 24:45 split. She quickly took over the top spot out on the bike.
Canada’s Lionel Sanders came out of the water in 37th with a split of 25:01, leaving some work to do to catch the main field.
Sam Long came out of the water in 25:24, also with some time to make up on the front of the field.
Ryf rides through Snow Canyon State Park, the most picturesque (and difficult) part of the bike course.
USA’s Skye Moench rides through Snow Canyon. She went on to finish fifth.
Athletes grind up the tough hill in Snow Canyon. Following Snow Canyon is a long, steady descent back into town.
Magnus Ditlev’s 2:01:26 bike split was the fastest of the day.
Defending champion Rudy Von Berg finished fourth.
The pro men’s race was neck-to-neck from start to finish.
Athletes take on the tough, hilly run course. Temperatures got into the 90s on race day, which made for tough conditions on the exposed course.
Sanders propels through the finish chute. It was close between him and Long through the final miles, but Sanders got the edge.
Both Sanders and Long collapsed at the finish line.
The two competitors embraced after they were able to get off the ground. The athletes have a friendly rivalry.
Sanders, Long, and Ditlev made up the podium.
Ryf was strong across swim, bike, and run, taking the victory in a convincing 4:05:47.
Ryf, Jeanni Metzler, and Emma Pallant made up the women’s podium.
Nearly every portion of the St. George course is up or down.
2,800 athletes competed in Saturday.
St. George will host the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championships on Sep 17 and 18.