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Ben Kanute and Ashleigh Gentle repeat at Escape from Alcatraz

Kanute and Gentle repeat last year's performance at Escape from Alcatraz

On June 9, nearly 2,000 age group and professional athletes jumped into the 15 degrees Celsius water to compete in the 39th Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Over 50 countries were represented in this year’s race, with several physically challenged athletes from Challenged Athletes Foundation participating in the triathlon.

Ben Kanute and Ashleigh Gentle took first place honours in the men and women’s pro division. Featuring a 2.5K swim from Alcatraz Island to the shore, a 28K bike ride and a 13K run through San Francisco, this race is considered one of the most celebrated triathlons in North America.

Top 3 Professional Finishers

  1. Ben Kanute 1:59:22 & Ashleigh Gentle 2:13:29
  2. Joe Maloy 2:00:17 &  Lauren Goss 2:14:29
  3. Josh Amberger 2:02:15 & Sarah Haskins 2:17:59

Kanute was second out of the water behind Australia’s Josh Amberger. He caught Amberger on the bike and had to hold off Joe Maloy on the run to secure his win.“We could see from the boat how strong the current was today, which added to the already challenging swim,” said Kanute. “Everyone had their own plan about how they were going to tackle the swim. The weather was perfect today. I love this race, there is a lot of history here and every year it gets a strong field of professionals.” It was Kanute’s third straight win at Escape from Alcatraz.

Gentle was fifth out of the water and worked hard on the bike to get back in the race and then maintain the lead in front of Lauren Goss to finish strong. “Since I was fifth out of the water, I knew I had to be patient, ride strong and pace myself to get back into the race,” said Gentle. “The Sand Ladder and the beach run were so tough. I am so excited to have been able to win here a second time. I really enjoyed the crowds cheering along the course and at the finish line.” Her 2019 Escape from Alcatraz win was the second of her career. The Aussie also won last year’s (2018) edition in a similar fashion.