Well folks, the final 4000-point (KPR) Ironman race for 2013 has arrived. Ironman Mont Tremblant will host the 2013 North-American Ironman Championship this forthcoming Sunday and with it, two quality fields set to do battle. For many, this will be the final push for KPR points, after the initial slots were allocated at the end of July. Assuming all slots were accepted, there is room on the Kona pier for another ten professional men and seven professional women, respectively, at the final slot allocations on August 25th.
Many of the athletes who hit the waters of Lake Tremblant on Sunday morning are on the verge placing themselves in contention of a Kona slot, pending their placing. Consequently, the KPR will in the back of the pros’ minds and, in all likelihood, a key motivation behind moves on the race course.
In the men’s field, Frenchman Romain Guillaume, a favourite amongst the locals, is back in La belle province to defend his title. Guillaume won both the 70.3 and the Ironman here in 2012. In 2013 with the North American Championships in town, however, he will be dealing with an entirely new field as his wire-to-wire win last year demonstrated the effects of the KPR on low-point late-season races with a very small and shallow field.
Here to challenge Guillaume for the title, will be a number of quality racers. Ironman Australia Champion Luke Bell is currently sitting in 81st on the KPR rankings. A finish at the pointy end should see Bell through to Hawaii. Bell has been in fantastic form so far this year with five podiums from five finishes, including three wins.
Luke Bell celebrates his maiden Ironman win in Port Macquarie earlier this year
Fellow Australian Paul Ambrose will be wearing the number-6 bib on Sunday, and finds himself in a similar predicament. Not having an Ironman finish to his name so far this year, Ambrose currently sits just outside the top-100. A top finish should see him through, however. Ambrose is coming off a solid 4th place at Boulder 70.3, suggesting he is in good shape and once down from altitude, should be ready to rumble.
Cagey veteran Paul Amey collected his first Ironman title earlier this year in Texas on a very hot day. Currently 92nd on the KPR with those 2000-points in hand, Amey would need a very high placing on the weekend should he desire to have a crack in Hawaii, given he has few other points collected from 70.3 racing. Consequently, I suspect many pros will be looking over their shoulders for the Brit once out on the bike and run courses.
Add the likes of Matty Reed (who took the opportunity to train on the course earlier this year) who is still chasing a quality Ironman performance, Jozef Major, 10-time Ironman champion Viktor Zyemtsev and American Brandon Marsh and we will have a pretty good race on our hands.
The women’s race will see the defending Mont Tremblant champion Jessie Donovan from the USA take on a number of big names in Ironman racing. Mary-Beth Ellis is the reigning North American Ironman Champion* and to date, has won every Iron-distance race she has started, with the exception of Hawaii. In winning Ironman France (Nice) earlier this season, Ellis proved she likes the hills and should feel right at home on the +2000m of climbing on the Mont-Tremblant course.
Rebekah Keat running herself in to 2nd at the 2012 North American Ironman Championship
Aussie Rebekah Keat will be looking to have a good hit out after missing the start at Ironman Frankfurt in July due to a niggling injury. Keat is in 37th position at the moment, on the back of her 2012 Kona finish and her second-place in Bussleton in December. As a result, there isn’t a massive amount of pressure on her shoulders, but she will want a steady race nevertheless to get some racing in her legs ahead of Hawaii. As one of the fastest women in Ironman history, there’s no doubt she will be a marked racer.
Americans Sarah Piampiano, Jennie Hansen, Haley Chura, April Gellatly and Bree Wee all sit in the KPR Top-50 and, as a result, will be chasing a top finish here on Sunday. Chura has had a good rookie year so far, and will lead the race out of the drink and look to disappear on the rolling hills early in the bike leg. Hungarian Erika Csomor is in great form also, with wins at Challenge Rimini and Ironman Austria in another sub-9 hour performance, and will challenge for a podium spot, no doubt.
With the dynamics of the KPR at play this close to the Ironman World Championship, it will be interesting to see how both races unfold with many athletes pushing for points, but not wanting to go too deep ahead of the World Champships.
Mont Tremblant (‘Trembling Mountain’), situated in the Laurentides Mountains of Québec, just north of Montréal, has become a triathlon mecca in the last 18-months. Dominique Piché, the Race Director, has brought two WTC to town in a big way. Last year, in the races’ first year of running, Mont-Tremblant hosted a 70.3 and an Ironman race. Next year, the resort town will be hosting a the 70.3 in June, Ironman in August and the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in September. There are also rumors suggesting a local Olympic-distance triathlon held a few weeks prior to the 70.3, in early June, will become a licensed 5150 event.
The village and ski resort of Mont Tremblant, QC, Canada. Photo: Author
Pro Men:
BIB No:
NAME:
COUNTRY:
1
Romain Guillaume
FRA
2
Paul Amey
GBR
3
Viktor Zyemtsev UKR
5
Jozsef Major
HUN
6
Paul Ambrose
AUS
7
Bryan Rhodes
NZL
8
Luke Bell
AUS
9
Clemente Alonso-McKernan
ESP
10
Bert Jammaer
BEL
11
Matt Reed
USA
13
Alejandro Santamaria
ESP
15
Brandon Marsh
USA
16
Mike Schifferle
CHE
17
Dominik Berger
AUT
18
Jerome Bresson
CAN
19
Simon Cochrane
NZL
20
Trevor Delsaut
FRA
21
Logan Franks
USA
23
Adam Jones
CAN
24
Greg Kopecky
USA
25
Michael Louys
BEL
26
Arland Macasieb
PHL
27
Brendan Naef
CAN
28
Stefan Schmid
DEU
30
Nigel Gray
CAN
31
Swen Sundberg
DEU
33
Daniel Halksworth
GBR
34
Sean Bechtel
CAN
Pro Women:
BIB No:
NAME:
COUNTRY:
40
Jessie Donavan
USA
42
Mary-Beth Ellis
USA
43
Joanna Lawn
NZL
44
Rebekah Keat
AUS
45
Hillary Biscay
USA
46
Erika Csomor
HUN
47
Bree Wee
USA
49
Christine Anderson
USA
50
Morgan Chaffin
USA
51
Haley Chura
USA
54
Marie Danais
CAN
55
April Gellatly
USA
56
Annie Gervais
CAN
58
Amanda Kourtz
USA
59
Molly Roohi
USA
60
Kim Schwabenbauer
USA
61
Jessica Smith
USA
62
Jennie Hansen
USA
63
Nina Pekerman
ISR
64
Keiko Tanaka
JPN
65
Sarah Piampiano
USA
66
Olesya Prystayko
UKR
* the Championship was renamed the North American Championship this year when moved to Mont-Tremblant after the Ironman New York US Championship was not continued due to logistical challenges.
- Steve Crossman (@crosso_s)