Will Clarke stormed to the win in the Outlaw half distance triathlon in Nottingham (UK). After and outstanding performance the BMC-Vifit athlete crossed the finish line in a staggering new course record of 3:51:44. For Will Clarke the race was part of his final build up to Ironman Brazil in a weeks time.
Afterwards Will Clarke reflected on his performance: "I had a great morning at the Outlaw Half an managed to break the course record. It was an amazing moment to be able to cross the finish line with my boy. I think I had the race I was meant to have in Texas. I felt super strong on the bike and rode 2h07 for 91K and ran a very solid 1h15 in the closing half marathon. 10K of it hard and 11K thinking about Ironman Brazil next weekend. Now, full bore recovery and getting ready to fly to Rio Monday morning.
Another podium finish for Pablo Dapena Gonzalez as he takes 2nd at Challenge Lisboa
Pablo Dapena Gonzalez (3:51:39) crossed the finish line in 2nd place in Challenge Lisboa. The BMC-Vifit athlete raced in front of the race all day long, being in contention for the win from the very first moment. Ruedi Wild (SUI; 3:50:10) won the race with Sam Wade (GBR; 3:53:40) joining him on the podium in third place.
Not fully recovered from ITU Worlds
After two 2nd places in Challenge Salou and ITU Long Distance World Championships, Pablo Dapena toed the line in Challenge Lisboa with ambition.
Pablo showed that ambition right from the start as he exited the water in first place, closely followed by Thomas Davis. On the bike, the duo matched each other’s pace. Both men managed to open up a gap of 1’30 after 60k. They were able to maintain that lead coming into T2. From that point onwards it was clear the run would decide who would come out victorious. Dapena and Davis started the closing half marathon shoulder to shoulder, but in the early kilometres the BMC-Vifit athlete pushed the pace and started to break away. After 8k, Pablo had an advantage of 38” over Davis in second. With less than 8k to go, the Spaniard was still leading the race, but Ruedi Wild was on a hard charge as he closed down Dapenas lead to 18”. Pablo kept pushing hard to bring home the win, but had to settle for 2nd in the final kilometres. Dapena gave his all until the end to cross the finish line in 2nd place in a time of 3:51:39.
Afterwards Pablo Dapena knew the reason for his 2nd place finish: “I knew today would be hard only 2 weeks after the ITU Long Distance World Championships in Pontevedra. The swim and bike were good today, but after the first lap on the run, I couldn’t keep my pace at the same high level anymore. I felt I hadn’t much left in the tank. At the end I was fighting more against myself than Wild actually. My running split isn’t a normal time for me, but that’s racing. Now it is time to rest and fight back for the win in the up and coming races”.
