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Braden Currie of New Zealand combined his 2nd best bike split of 4:39:55 and 3rd best run split of 2:48:23 to win the 2017 Ironman New Zealand in Taupo.
Kiwi legend and 12-time Ironman New Zeland champion Cameron Brown posted the day’s best marathon split, a stunning 2:42:29 split at the age of 44. Currie was able to wrest the lead off early race leader Terenzo Bozzone 8km into the run. Bozzone had set the hard pace on the bike, stamping a race-best 4:37:45, but was followed by Currie going into T2. Currie was never threatened after taking the lead to finish in 8:20:59 with a 3:34 margin of victory over Brown and 4:45 over 3rd place finisher Cyril Viennot of France. Viennot came away with the 2nd best run split to complete podium.
American Jocelyn McCauley, on the strength of her women’s best 2:59:40 marathon, a split more than 10 minutes faster than any other women’s pro, dominated Ironman New Zealand. McCauley finished in 9:09:47, a 12:06 winning margin over Laura Sidall (GBR) and 17:32 over fellow American Meredith Kessler.
Kessler led from the start on the swim, posting the women’s best split going into T1. Working hard to extend her 5-win streak at Taupo, Kessler together with Aussie Annabel Luxford was able to extend their lead, halfway through the 180km ride. Sidall though was able to catch up after a race-best 5:05:00 bike split. McCauley was 25 seconds behind going into T2.
McCauley was able to ran side by side with Kesller at the first third of the marathon, and did so for 4 kilometers before breaking the string and gradually dominated her way for the women’s best marathon.
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