Annett takes second at Ironman North American Championship Des Moines

Americans Matt Hanson and Skye Moench topped the podiums at the Ironman North American Championship Des Moines triathlon on the weekend, while Penticton’s Jen Annett nailed a Kona spot thanks to her runner-up finish.

The race was the fourth North American Championship for Hanson to go along with his three wins at Ironman Texas. The American took the win over Brazil’s Andre Lopes and Tim O’Donnell, who returned to racing after a heart attack suffered while competing at Clash Miami last year.

Moench dominated the race, finishing just over 20 minutes ahead of Annett. American Kelly Fillnow rounded out the podium.

Annett was thrilled with the result as it is the earliest she has been able to qualify for the Ironman world championship “so it really takes the stress off the rest of the summer,” she wrote on Instagram.

“I needed everything I got today … she said in another post. “A Kona slot, a good pay check and a podium. COVID was tough both mentally and financially and today proved to myself that I still have what it takes to be in the mix and get on the podium.”

Annett was out of the water six minutes behind Moench, but managed to ride through the field to come off the bike in second place.

“I knew there were some fast runners in the field, so I took a chance going out of my comfort zone in today’s temps (31 felt like 40 w/ humidity) and ran a little harder out of the gates than I normally would have. I knew they were close and wanted to make a statement … At one point I was less than a minute ahead of third, but I just kept going and keeping my head in the game and managed to execute a super solid run with the second fastest split of the day.”

 

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