Lieto, Carfrae race to victory at 20th Vineman 70.3

Some 2,000 of the world’s best athletes, including one of the
strongest pro fields ever assembled, took to the water at sunrise
in Guerneville on Sunday for the 20th running of the Vineman
Ironman 70.3-mile triathlon presented by Avia.
The results were predictably spectacular, as former Ironman 70.3
World Champion Miranda Carfrae, and former Vineman champ Chris
Lieto bested the star-studded field to grab the top prize of $6,000
for the top pro male and female athletes.
The course began with a 1.2-mile swim, continued with a 56-mile
bike ride and ended with a 13.1-mile run through the rolling hills
of La Crema Winery, finishing up at Windsor High School.
In all, 1,870 well-conditioned athletes finished the race,
including 1,259 males and 611 females.
Although a thick marine layer of fog blanketed the start of the
race at Guerneville’s Johnson’s Beach, warm conditions greeted the
competitors by the run segment in Windsor later in the morning.
Carfrae, a 29-year-old world-class athlete from Brisbane,
Australia, shattered the course record in a fast, 4:15:51 to win by
more than six minutes.
Rounding out the top 10 professional women were Leanda Cave
(4:22:03), Novato’s Tyler Stewart (4:25:11), Melanie McQuaid
(4:27:02), Angela Naeth (4:27:17), Dede Griesbauer (4:27:23),
Meredith Kessler (4:29:16), Michelle Bremer (4:35:47), Sierra
Snyder (4:36:38), and Rachel Challis (4:39:50).
The first-ever Vineman title for Carfrae proved to be a sweet
victory.
“I felt really good today and once I got to the front in the
first mile of the run I knew I had a chance,” said Carfrae, who
trains in the rich triathlon locale of Boulder, CO. “The course is
beautiful and very challenging, especially the run. I really had to
work the hills,” she added.
The Vineman Ironman 70.3 men’s win was equally impressive for
the American Lieto, as the 2002 champion and bike-course
record-holder cruised to a comfortable, six-minute margin of
victory.
The top ten pro men included New Zealand’s Kieran Doe (4:00:23),
James Cotter (4:02:39), Jamie Whyte (4:04:21), Paul Attard
(4:05:02), Nicholas Thompson (4:08:30), Graham O’Grady (4:09:02),
Chris Boudreaux (4:10:06), Kozub Philippe (4:12:50), and Tim
Sheeper (4:14:47).
Although the top professionals grabbed most of the headlines,
the majority of the field of 2,000 was made up by amateurs, who
flock to the event in huge numbers each year.
Highlighting the amateur race were age group winners and Vineman
veterans Cherie Gruenfeld (65-69), Harriet Anderson (75-79), and
Sister Madonna Buder (80-84).
Top West County finishers included Forestville’s Ron Shaw
(5:02:55), and Sebastopol’s Jay Silverstein (6:47:45).
The Vineman Ironman 70.3 was the first in the series of Vineman
events this month, which also include the Full Vineman, Barb’s
Race, and Aqua-Bike on July 31.
Complete Vineman race results are available at www.vineman.com.