Warriner wins 70.3 in Wisconsin
19 July 2010
Kiwi Sam Warriner proved she is in world class form winning her 3rd 70.3 Half Ironman of 2010 in Racine, Wisconsin. The move to the half ironman distance is the right one having now finished on the podium in her last 5 races in the United States and is fast becoming a 'marked women' as she steam rolls her way toward the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in November.
Starting on the shore of Lake Michigan Sam lead the 1.9km swim from start to finish, exiting 15 seconds ahead of Kate Major of Australia, with Magali Tisseyre of Canada in 3rd.
"It was a tricky swim because of the shallow depth you had to wade in until about 50m but then it got shallower again. I led a small group out of the water, I was pleased to lead but frustrated because they swam on my feet the whole way and I wanted to distance myself early from them. I rode very hard out of transition and within the first 10km I had put 30 seconds into the other girls and kept extending it throughout the bike". Commented Warriner.
Just last week in the Rhode Island 70.3 Kate Major had run a 1 minute lead out of a sick Sam Warriner to deny her the victory in sight of the finish line.
"I rode out front all the way gradually extending my lead. It was a great fast bike course and I felt really strong on the bike to be honest. My cycling just seems to improve every time I race now. I'm becoming known as a strong cyclist where as when I raced ITU I was always the strong runner!"
This week Sam was adamant she wouldn't be caught by Kate Major again on the run, spending the week resting and making sure the cold she picked up before Rhode Island had cleared. Out onto the bike Sam set out to carve a lead of 2 mins 30 seconds at the end of the 90km's.
An ultra quick transition from bike to run saw Sam extend her lead to 3 minutes going onto the half marathon run.
"I got into the second transition with a 3 minute lead. I knew I had to dig in hard as Kate Major is really running quick at the moment and won last weeks Rhode Island 70.3 - I knew she'd be chasing me down again! I had a strong first lap and only gave up 2 seconds, however on the second
lap the effects of being ill all this week started to show and I did fade a little toward the finish". Said Warriner after the race.
"With a km to go Kate got within 20 metres of me but I surged and put my head down, with 400m to go I was sprinting and just giving it everything to hold off Kate. She never came back and I crossed the line in first. I was stoked to come back from being ill."
Warriner held on to the finish in hot and humid conditions and won the inaugural Ironman Racine 70.3 by just ten seconds from Kate Major in 2nd place.
Sam now returns to camp in Los Angeles to build up to her first attempt at a full Ironman distance race on September 12th.
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