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Canadian 70.3 triathletes earn top five finishes in Los Cabos and Buenos Aires

The Wurtele's come third and fifth, while Naeth and Laundry take fourth

November 5, 2018
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Ironman 70.3 Los Cabos – Los Cabos, Mexico

The Wurtele’s in Los Cabos, Mexico. Photo: @teamwurtele

On November 4th, Heather and Trevor Wurtele, Angela Naeth and Paula Findlay, all competed at Ironman 70.3 Los Cabos.

In the men’s race, Trevor finished fifth and was just two and a half minutes off the podium. Trevor came out of the water nearly four minutes behind the Sam Appleton (race winner). In the 90K bike, Trevor made up some ground on the lead pack, but it was on the run where he posted the third fastest half marathon split to move into the top five.

Men’s Podium

  1. Sam Appleton (AUS) 3:48:43
  2. Mauricio Mendez Cruz (MEX) 3:53:29
  3. Joe Gambles (AUS) 3:57:42

In the women’s race, Heather finished third behind Ellie Salthouse (AUS) and Carrie Lester (AUS). Wurtele was shortly followed by Naeth in fourth. This was Naeth’s first race following her eighth-place finish in the Ironman World Championship. Unfortunately, Findlay withdrew herself from the race 4K into the half marathon due to a calf injury.

Related: Angela Naeth: From barely being able to walk to eight at Kona

Women’s Podium

  1. Ellie Salthouse (AUS) 4:17:36
  2. Carrie Lester (AUS) 4:22:01
  3. Heather Wurtele (CAN) 4:24:42

Ironman 70.3 South American Championship – Buenos Aires, Argentina 

On November 4th, Jackson Laundry of Guelph, Ontario, competed in his last triathlon of the 2018 season. Laundry came into the South American Championship hoping for another big performance.

Related: Jackson Laundry Heads into 70.3 South American Championship with loads of confidence 

Jackson Laundry racing to the win at Barrelman Niagara Falls 2018. Photo by Brad Reiter.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. “The swim didn’t start well. Most of the pros started swimming a few seconds before the cannon went,” says Laundry.

On the bike, Laundry was eager to make amends for the poor start, but a few missed turn cost him valuable minutes. “A few turns weren’t well marked and had no volunteers to direct traffic. I assume the front group didn’t have any issues because the lead motorcycle would have shown them the way,” says Laundry.

Despite the frustration, Laundry managed to pull himself into fifth and ran well enough to jump into fourth. “I ran well, but came up just short of the podium (28 seconds behind third). It’s very frustrating when unfair circumstances may change the final result, but there’s nothing I can do to change that and I know I performed the best I could,” says Laundry.

Podium

  1. Rudy Von Berg (USA) 3:46:16
  2. Reinaldo Colucci (BRA) 3:50:35
  3. Santiago Ascenco (BRA) 3:51:46

A day following the race, Laundry is doing his best to reflect on the positives and move forward to 2019. “Now it’s time for some off-season relaxation and fun. I’ve had a great year and can’t wait to continue to improve next year.”