The 2012 ITU Triathlon Cancun World Cup might have been the end of the ITU World Cup season, but it was a day of firsts in the Women’s competition. Katie Hewison added to her already successful Duathlon season with her first win in an ITU World Cup when she pounded out an ultra-speedy run to finish with a time of 1:00:19. Kaitlin Shiver also recorded her first World Cup podium when she crossed over in second clocking 1:00:54, while Lisa Perterer took her second Bronze in an ITU race as an elite recording a time of 1:00:56.
Flora Duffy clocked a time of 1:01:57 finishing 9th overall.
Duffy and Claudia Rivas wasted no time getting themselves into prime position right from the start. Duffy came out with a blazing lead on the one-lap 750m swim, followed by Rivas. While the pair got a head start on the Bike, a group of 16 athletes joined them on the first of three bike laps to form a large lead group. A small pack of six followed nearly a minute back on the 20km course.
The flat road proved ineffective for a breakaway, forcing the lead group, which included Rebecca Robisch, Kathy Tremblay, Elizabeth Bravo, Shiver, and Hewison, to tackle the course together.
While the group slowed significantly under the already-intense sun, they managed to maintain their distance from the chase pack on the second lap, which Shiver headed. Tremblay took her turn at the top when she bolted out to the front on the run course, followed by Shiver and Duffy. However, Hewison was too powerful and quickly overtook the leaders.
By the end of the first lap, she had gained an unbeatable advantage. Shiver and Tremblay followed Hewison, while Duffy fell behind in the tropical weather. Perterer prevailed under the equator temperatures, pulling even with Tremblay after the first of two run laps.
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