Mathews and Marsh win in Lubbock

Gaylia Lynn Osterlund recaps the 20th Anniversary Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake

On the 20th anniversary of the Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake, Mother Nature decided to switch things up. Known for its extreme heat and winds many athletes arrive in Lubbock to race on this course in preparation for the Ford Ironman World Championships. This year, however, rain, cool temperatures and wind greeted the competitors at the start line.

In honor of the celebration, race directors Mike and Marti Greer invited Mike Reilly, the voice or Ironman, to join them in Lubbock to announce the race. Part way through the day, Mike posted the following message on Facebook. “In the tower working Buffalo Springs 70.3 right now. Hard rain is now gone actually a cool day in Lubbock Tx.”

All in all, it was a tough day. It started with at least 10 to 15 mph winds and they got stronger as the day progressed. According to one official, many participants were pulled from the water because of the choppy conditions. Fortunately, the rain let up just as the men took to the run course.

The men’s race was a nail-biter right through the bike ride. Two small groups came out of the water and then in on the bike as well. Paul Mathews and Leon Griffin were within two minutes of each other right through T2, but Mathews had that extra gear on the run propelling him to the line in 4:01:26. Griffin was not far behind, finishing in 4:03:02. Third place went to Simon Thompson (4:05:54) who clocked a 1:16:12 half-marathon, the fastest of the professional men.

The women’s race pretty much belonged to Amy Marsh (4:33:36) from the get go. She was a few seconds back on the swim, but her bike run combination would secure her victory. Kelly Williamson (4:35:04) started the run nearly six minutes behind Marsh and used her impressive 1:26:17 run split to finish just 90 seconds back. Joanna Lawn finished third in a time of 4:36:37.

Top Ten Women

Amy Marsh 4:33:36

Kelly Williamson 4:35:04

Joanna Lawn 4:36:37

Carla Moreno 4:44:53

Charisa Wernick 4:45:24

Cathy Yndestad 4:46:42

Heather Gollnick 4:47:21

Erin Ohara 4:48:16

Anne Basso 4:49:03

Sydney Cornell 4:53:39

Top Ten Men   

Paul Mathews 4:01:26 

Leon Griffin 4:03:02

Simon Thompson 4:05:54

Brandon Marsh 4:06:53

Stephen Hackett 4:07:19

Ben Hoffman 4:09:22

Tim Hola 4:12:49

Cameron Brown 4:12:52

Patrick Evoe 4:15:49

Michael Cupitt 4:16:21

You may contact Gaylia at gaylialynn@ironman.com