Chris McDonald and Kate Bevilaqua win Ironman Louisville
Windsor's Brooke Brown finishes a close second in her pro debut.
Australian’s Chris McDonald and Kate Bevilaqua took home victories today at Ironman Louisville.
McDonald trailed after the swim (48:56 – 4th), then grabbed the lead with a 4:29:14 bike, and he ran 2:57:56 in the low 30 degree stifling heat to set a new course record and claim his third Ironman Louisville title in 8:21:34. It was also a personal best for him. American Patrick Evoe finished second in his title defence (8:34:16).
Canadian age grouper Pierre-Marc Doyon of Levis, Quebec, finished 8th overall (9:17:04) and won the Men18-24 category.
Top 10 Men
| MCDONALD, Chris | USA | 00:48:56 | 04:29:14 | 02:57:56 | 08:21:34 | 1 |
| EVOE, Patrick | USA | 00:51:57 | 04:36:29 | 03:00:48 | 08:34:16 | 2 |
| GERLACH, Thomas | USA | 00:51:52 | 04:36:28 | 03:07:12 | 08:41:11 | 3 |
| SHEARON, Jonathan | USA | 00:48:58 | 04:40:19 | 03:07:30 | 08:43:24 | 4 |
| BATES, Ryan | USA | 00:48:47 | 04:45:10 | 03:17:52 | 08:57:38 | 5 |
| HERMANSON, Mike | USA | 00:50:44 | 04:54:15 | 03:13:53 | 09:05:01 | 6 |
| PALMER, Devon | USA | 00:48:59 | 04:45:54 | 03:35:39 | 09:16:21 | 7 |
| DOYON, Pierre-Marc | CAN | 00:46:17 | 04:59:19 | 03:23:32 | 09:17:04 | 8 |
| BOTELHO, Raymond | USA | 00:51:36 | 04:50:23 | 03:29:54 | 09:19:34 | 9 |
| EMERY, Wil | USA | 00:56:36 | 00:00:00 | 03:21:07 | 09:26:46 | 10 |
Bevilaqua got her first Ironman win (9:29:02) since Western Australia in 2010 and Windsor’s Brooke Brown made sure she earned it.
Even after spotting Bevilaqua an over 10 minute lead after the swim, Brown made her way through the field but that progress was nullified by a flat tire. After losing an estimated 5 minutes, Brown continued the chase and ended up with a 5:13:15 ride – behind Bevilaqua’s 5:13:32, and American Whitney Garcia’s 5:08:09.
Making her professional debut, Brown threw down the top women’s marathon (3:15:39) to pass Garcia in the final mile to capture second (9:33:46) and notch a personal best.
Toronto’s Cindy Lewis maintained 9th position for most of the day and moved up one spot during the run to finish 8th (10:12:48).
Canadian age grouper Diane Hankee finished 11th overall (10:21:03) and won the women’s 35-39 age group.
Top 10 Women
| BEVILAQUA, Kate | AUS | 00:49:03 | 05:13:32 | 03:20:29 | 09:29:02 | 1 |
| BROWN, Brooke | CAN | 00:59:59 | 05:13:15 | 03:15:39 | 09:33:46 | 2 |
| GARCIA, Whitney | USA | 00:55:00 | 05:08:09 | 03:24:30 | 09:34:21 | 3 |
| KRAFT, Nina | DEU | 00:48:52 | 05:17:53 | 03:25:30 | 09:38:45 | 4 |
| GELLATLY, April | USA | 00:52:29 | 05:15:25 | 03:26:06 | 09:39:40 | 5 |
| JASTREBSKY, Rachel | USA | 00:55:16 | 05:23:39 | 03:31:56 | 09:56:24 | 6 |
| BLAZEVIC, Svetlana | SCG | 00:48:44 | 05:20:21 | 03:43:03 | 09:58:08 | 7 |
| LEWIS, Cindy | CAN | 00:58:37 | 05:34:34 | 03:33:20 | 10:12:48 | 8 |
| DEMENTIEV, Carolina | PAN | 00:55:14 | 05:27:11 | 03:44:25 | 10:14:30 | 9 |
| TINER, Chelsea | USA | 01:00:42 | 05:28:40 | 03:39:32 | 10:18:04 | 10 |