It’s a venue like no other and a field unlike any we’ve seen at a triathlon event. Recapping the day through the eyes (and lens) of race photographer Tommy Zaferes.
Paula Findlay’s winning day was set up thanks to a dominating bike. She led the race for most of the first half of the 80 km ride. Lisa Norden went to the front for much of the second half. Photo: Tommy Zaferes
The competitive field struggled through the early parts of the ride to get themselves sorted out because everyone was riding so hard and fast.Ironman Asia-Pacific champion Amelia Watkinson pushes hard on the bike – she would eventually take fifth. Photo: Tommy ZaferesLauren Brandon is all smiles out on the Daytona International Speedway. Photo: Tommy ZaferesLaura Philipp was strong on both the bike and the run, rounding out the podium with a third-place finish after a back and forth duel with her countrywoman Anne Haug. Photo: Tommy ZaferesAll smiles for Paula Findlay and her $100,000 payday. Photo: Tommy ZaferesHaving a blast in her first long-distance race, Amelie Kretz would finish 33rd.Leading the men out of the water was 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Henri Schoeman. Photo: Tommy Zaferes
Heading into the race Alistair Brownlee seemed to be the man to beat, and that remained the same through the bike. Unfortunately after the first lap of the run the two-time Olympic gold medalist had to pull out with a pulled calf muscle. Photo: Tommy ZaferesA poor swim had Lionel Sanders playing even more of a game of catch up than normal. A gutsy bike/ run combination saw the Canadian star finish fourth. Photo: Tommy ZaferesA calf injury affected Sebastian Kienle once he got on the bike, so the 2014 Ironman world champ wasn’t ever a factor in the race and eventually was forced to pull out. Photo: Tommy ZaferesPieter Heemeryck hoped to duplicate his winning performance in Daytona from two years ago, but had to settle with an 18th-place finish in the stacked field. Photo: Tommy Zaferes10-time world champion Javier Gomez lost valuable time on the bike and wasn’t able to run himself into the top 10, finishing 11th. Photo: Tommy ZaferesMaking it look easy – Gustav Iden added another major title to his resume to go along with the 70.3 world title in Nice last year, running his way through the field early in the run and never looking back. Photo: Tommy ZaferesMatt Hanson ran his way to second thanks to an impressive 57:22 split for the 18 km run. Photo: Tommy ZaferesGeorge Goodwin was the surprise of the day, taking third thanks to a solid, all-around performance that signals he’s ready to make some waves at the sports biggest races. Photo: Tommy Zaferes
Photo by:
Tommy Zaferes
