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Recapping the 2019 Ironman 70.3 Calgary

Last Sunday's age-group only race featured a number of Calgary locals on the podium

Sunday, August 11 was the 11th Ironman 70.3 Calgary race, and this was the second year as an exclusively age-grouper race. The half-distance race was hosted by the community of Auburn Bay in South Calgary with transitions at Auburn Bay Park.

(Credit: ironman.com)

Race-day weather was rainy and chilly for August with a high of only 17C. The 1.9K two-loop swim in the man-made Auburn Bay Lake. Fastest male non-relay swimmer on the day was Calgary’s Bo Simpson in a time of 25:33 (1:20/100m pace). The fastest female swimmer was Calgary’s Jenny Rowe with a 28:13 (1:29/100m pace). The bike course was a single loop that took the athletes east towards Carseland on Highway 22X before returning west to transition. The fastest male bike time on Sunday was race winner Ryan Brown of St. John’s, NL with a time of 2:03:04 (44 km/h). The fastest female on the bike was race winner Brianna Noelle Boehmer of Boulder, CO with a bike split of 2:15:23.(40 km/h). The run course was mostly flat with the exception of the enormous hill out of Fish Creek Provincial Park with 5K to go. The fastest male run on the day was 1:20:08 (3:47-per-kilometre pace) by Michael Boehmer of Boulder, CO. Women’s race winner Brianna Noelle Boehmer also had the fastest female run with 1:26:34 (4:06-per-kilometer pace).

The men’s race was won by Ryan Brown of St. John’s, NL in a time of 4:00:46 with swim-bike-run splits of 28:12, 2:03:04, and 1:24:47, respectively. Second place was Michael Boehmer of Boulder, CO with a time of 4:04:32. Rounding out the podium was third place finisher and last year’s men’s champ Dave Van Reeuwyk of Camrose, AB with a time of 4:05:53.

Briana Noelle Boehmer of Boulder, CO won the women’s race with a time of 4:21:29. With a swim of 35:15, bike of 2:15:23, and run of 1:26:34, she finished 3:49 ahead of second place and 4:25:18 finisher Janine Willis of Calgary. Sharon Styles of Carstairs, AB was third with a 4:28:56 finishing time.