On Saturday March 2, 2013 Ironman New Zealand played host to the world. Every year it's normal for almost half the entry's in this WTC Ironman event to arrive from outside of New Zealand.
However it was New Zealander Bevan Docherty who most of the spectators would be cheering for. The two-time Olympian was one of the favorites going into the race, despite the fact that New Zealand 2013 was his first full Ironman event.
Fellow New Zealander's Cameron Brown and Trenzo Bozzone were also highly-rated.
Female pro star Meredith Kessler of the United States was favored to defend the title she won in 2012. Kessler went into the race with 11 podium finishes in her 14 Ironman starts as a professional.
Bevan Docherty put his stamp on the race after the half-way point of the 180km bike course. He pulled away from Marko Albert who was in second and never looked back.
Ten-time Ironman New Zealand winner, Cameron Brown was over ten minutes back as he began the run.
Docherty remained strong in the run and could not be caught and is the 2013 Ironman New Zealand champion in his very first try at the full Ironman distance.
With this decisive victory, Docherty has served notice that he will be a force to reckoned with in future races. This victory could well be the beginning of his journey to the Ironman Hawaii World Championships in the Fall of 2013.
There were 2000 valuable Kona Ranking Points and a $50,000 prize pool available to be won in the New Zealand Ironman.
For a look at how the race unfolded and the finish times of all the top pros, and also to see if Meredith Kessler has successfully defended her Ironman New Zealand title, visit IronStruck.com.
Comments