Results from Ironman 70.3 Sri Lanka

Faris Al-Sultan (GER) and Lucie Zelenkova (CZE) won inaugural Ironman 70.3 Sri Lanka Triathlon titles in Colombo this morning.

New Zealand’s Bryan Rhodes led swim (25:19) and bike (2:05:24), and started the run with a slim lead (less than 90 seconds) over Al-Sultan. Al-Sultan then grabbed a firm hold on the race lead and win with the fastest 4-lap half marathon of the day (1:18:33) to take the overall victory in 3:51:39. Rhodes held on for second (3:59:14), and Italy’s Alessandro DeGasperi took third (4:00:54).

The women’s race featured a variety of lead changes. Zelenkova’s 28:01 swim put her three minutes ahead of the next female out of the water, but Australia’s Christie Sym reeled her in by the time the two reached T2. However, Sym seemed to pay a toll for that effort by falling off the pace badly during the run (1:42:13). Zelenkova ran 1:35:51 to claim the win (4:30:17), and Germany’s Katja Rabe used the best run of the day (1:34:28) to pass Sym for second.

AJ Anderson, an Australian living in Thailand, had the age group performance of the day. He finished fifth overall (4:10:31) and won the men 30-34 age category by over 30 minutes. He swam 32:01, biked 2:16:46, and ran 1:20:32.

Pro Men

1. Faris Al-Sultan (GER) 3:51:39

2. Bryan Rhodes (NZL) 3:59:14

3. Alessandro DeGasperi (ITA) 4:00:54

4. Fredrik Croneborg (SWE) 4:04:27

5. AJ Anderson (THA) 4:10:31

Pro Women

1. Lucie Zelenkova (CZE) 4:30:17

2. Katja Rabe (GER) 4:34:13

3. Christie Sym (AUS) 4:36:38

4. Claire Horner (RSA) 4:37:34

5. Dana Wagner (GER) 4:42:02

Visit Ironmanlive to view the coverage from race day.