Results from the inaugural TriStar111 Madrid

José Almagro and Esther Leal beat the odds and won the inaugural TriStar111 Madrid on a warm and fun day at the Casa de Campo. Almagro had a hard-fought victory in the triathlon consisting of a 1 km swim in the lake, a 100 km cycle leg with drafting permitted and a 10 km run. A young Cristian Moya was the first out of the water in the swim, with a large group of triathletes lead by Jaime Menéndez de Luarca and Almagro himself forming after the first two laps on the cycling course.
After completing six of the 10 laps around the Cerro Garabitas, Almagro and Menéndez de Luarca remained strong at the head of the race. Almagro eventually struck in the seventh lap and took the lead of the race with plenty of power, going into the last transition by himself, with more than a minutes lead on the chasing pack. His goal to forget a break endorsed his spectacular season with a finish time of 3:52:34. The combative Menéndez de Luarca came in second at three minutes and Alvaro Velasquez, who reappeared after a hip operation, managed to place third with a time of 3:56:17.

“The race was much harder than it looked. I had to put in a big effort to catch the leading pack during the bike leg. With four back I decided to attack to avoid pressure on the run with worked well. I really enjoyed it. It’s been a fantastic triathlon. I finally achieved my first victory in a triathlon, and in my home country,” said José Almagro after crossing the finish line.

The women’s event also produced an exciting competition with a solo victory going to an overjoyed Esther Leal. Leal took the lead from the swim and led the test to the finish line without opposition. “The race was tough and it was impossible to group. I also performed well in the run. I’m very happy with the competition format and the organization, ” said Leal, the current runner-up in Spain’s long distance. Leal finished the course in a time of 4:50:35, five minutes in front of second placed Fátima Blázquez. Dutch triathlete Galesloot Marlies rounded out the podium with a time of 5:08:26.

In the relay category, a team led by former professional athlete Berlanas Luis Miguel Martín impressively accompanied by Javier García Arenal achieved the victory with a final time of 3:50:46.

The Madrid TriStar111 supports the Spanish Association Against Cancer, through LIVESTRONG, which is raised funds throughout the weekend aimed at helping children with cancer and their families.

The TriStar label is owned by Star Production SARL, a Monaco based company specialized in organizing high quality sports events that are focused on fun, social responsibility and environmental protection.

The TriStar Series has grown to 17 races in these 11 destinations in less than two years. TriStar has introduced new distances to the sport of triathlon (A/N: 111km and 222km), as well as a new Team Racing Concept (A/N: in Madrid). More Info: www.tristar111.com

Top 5 Men

1. JOSE ALMAGRO VALERO  3:52:34

2. JAIME MENENDEZ DE LUARCA  3:55:35

3. ALVARO VELAZQUEZ  3:56:17

4. RAFAEL LAO FERNANDEZ  3:58:39 *M30-34

5. CÉSAR PEREIRA DEL PINO  4:01:54

Top 5 Women

1. ESTHER LEAL  4:50:35

2. FATIMA BLAZQUEZ LOZANO  5:00:16 *W35-39

3. MARLIES GALESLOOT  5:08:26 *W30-34

4. BLANCA MARTIN GOSALVEZ  5:33:05 *W35-39

5. BEATRIZ SUAREZ  5:43:57 *W40-44