Formerly known as Challenge North America, Clash Endurance arrived on the scene last December with Clash Daytona, an event with a storied past that had included high-quality video coverage provided by Nascar Productions.
The second official Clash event took place this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and also included live video coverage produced by Nascar Productions, which will be aired on television later this month.
This weekend’s racing saw Sam Long and Ashleigh Gentle power away to impressive wins, beating both the field and the challenging windy and hot conditions. (Photo above: American Lisa Becharas stops to see if Great Britain’s Emma Pallant-Browne is OK after she collapses on the run.) Eric Wynn was on hand to capture the action in photos:
Sam Long puts on his game face before the start of the race. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric WynnThey’re off. The water temperature was 77 degrees Fahrenheit, so the pros weren’t allowed to wear wetsuits. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric WynnGerman Olympian Jonas Schomburg led the men out of the water after the 1,600 m swim with two more Olympians, Aussie Aaron Royle and American Ben Kanute close behind. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric WynnChelsea Sodaro, who gave birth to baby Skye last May, appeared on track to a big day, coming off the bike in second, but would eventually drop out of the race. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric WynnLisa Becharas powers through the bike on the technical Homestead-Miami course. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric WynnAshleigh Gentle was solid in all three disciplines, leading off the bike. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric WynnKanute would fly through the early stages of the bike, holding on to the lead until the last few laps. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric WynnGentle opened up more time on the women chasing behind during the 16.5 km run. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric WynnFormer golf pro Maja Stage Nielsen ran her way to a third-place finish. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric WynnCanadian Olympian Matt Sharpe made his long-distance debut with a 10th-place finish. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric WynnAshleigh Gentle takes an impressive win, hitting the finish line over eight minutes ahead of runner up Pamella Oliveira. Photo: Clash Endurance/ Eric WynnSam Long wins. Photo: Clash-Endurance/ Eric Wynn