American Kirsten Kasper made a stunning transition from short-course racing to win the IRONMAN 70.3 La Quinta in her very first attempt at the distance, while Bermuda Olympian Erica Hawley delivered an impressive top-ten finish in her 70.3 debut.
With zero prior experience on a time-trial bike and no appearances over the 70.3 distance, Kirsten Kasper stunned the elite field by winning IRONMAN 70.3 La Quinta on her first outing. The American, making the leap from short-course racing, was a commanding presence from the opening meters of the race and sealed the victory decisively during the run leg.
The women’s race may have been impacted before the start, with ProTriNews reporting that an overnight incident saw a golf cart roll into the transition area, resulting in damage to some of the professional bikes, including those belonging to Jackie Hering (USA) and Steph Clutterbuck (GBR).
Bermuda Olympian Erica Hawley, also competing in her first 70.3 Ironman, delivered an excellent performance to secure a top-ten placement in the Women's Elite race.
Hawley finished with an overall time of 4 hours, 17 minutes, and 32 seconds. This time placed her 8th in the Women's Elite race out of 26 competitors. Her performance also saw her finish as the 8th female finisher out of 576 female competitors overall, and the 64th person to cross the line out of 2,269 total participants.
Her split times were:
Swim (1.2 Miles): 26 minutes and 2 seconds.
Bike (56.3 Miles): 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 26 seconds.
Run (13 Miles): 1 hour, 24 minutes, and 59 seconds.
Hawley's debut at the 70.3 distance marks a successful step into long-course triathlon, securing a result among the world's best athletes.
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