Preparations for Kona on track as O'Donnell sets course record in Georgia
Timothy O’Donnell broke the course record in IM 70.3 Augusta, winning the half Ironman event by almost three minutes.
The Augusta half Ironman consisted of a 1.2-mile swim in the Savannah River, followed by a 56-mile cycling loop and a 13.1-mile run through downtown.
O’Donnell exited the swim 17 seconds behind first place, and with a second-fastest bike split (2:04:36) – 56 seconds slower than Jackson Laundry of Canada – he entered the run with Laundry and swim leader American Hunter Lussi.
Photo: ©TALBOTCOX
O’Donnell opened it up on the run and quickly distanced the two others and never looked back, crossing the line in 3:42:07, a new course record.
Laundry held on for second place (+2’43”), and Ivan Tutukin of Russia rounded out the podium (+3’55”).
Photo: ©TALBOTCOX
Photo: ©TALBOTCOX
The day started off with a strong swim that got me away from the front pack, and from there I didn’t look back. Along with two other athletes, we built a four-minute lead on the field during the bike. While that is a nice buffer, I knew two of the sport’s faster runners were in the chase, so I hit the run course hard! I quickly opened up a gap in the first few miles of the run and was able to maintain for a strong finish. I’m really excited to see the Kona preparations taking shape and looking forward to carrying the momentum into October.
- O'Donnell
Making the weekend even more special for O’Donnell was the victory by his wife Mirinda Carfrae in the women’s pro division.
“Rinny and I managed to pull off the elusive double win! This is only the third time we’ve done the double since we started dating in 2009 and we are so happy to have the chance to share the top of the podium again,” said O’Donnell.
Photo: ©TALBOTCOX
