Americans Jesse Thomas and Meredith Kessler take home the honors in the third edition of Subaru IRONMAN 70.3 Mont-Tremblant

MONT-TREMBLANT, QC, June 22, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - In this third edition of Subaru IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Mont-Tremblant, Jesse Thomas and Meredith Kessler, both from the United States, were the first to cross the finish line. The event offered a total professional prize purse of $25,000 and 100 coveted slots to the 2014 Subaru IRONMAN^® 70.3^® World Championship which will take place on September 7, 2014 in Mont-Tremblant.

One of nearly 70 events in the global IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Series, the Subaru IRONMAN 70.3 Mont-Tremblant triathlon led athletes along a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run on a course that utilized a variety of Québec's natural beauty. The swim took place in Tremblant Lake and the one-loop bike course took athletes through Mont-Tremblant's forests and mountains. The 13.1 mile run course concluded in the city's pedestrian village.

"Mont-Tremblant has become a true IRONMAN destination with no less than four events in 2014 alone, including the 5150 Mont-Tremblant (June 8, 2014), Subaru IRONMAN 70.3 Mont Tremblant (June 22), Subaru IRONMAN North American Championship (August 17) and the Subaru IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship (September 7, 2014) triathlons," said the producer-delegate of IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant, Dominique Piché. "The region has clearly positioned itself as a high-calibre North-American training hub for triathletes and the local community is very happy to welcome the followers of this sport of endurance. The success of today's event is largely due to the mobilization of the community and the perseverance demonstrated by all these top athletes."

Professional men's results
1. Jesse Thomas, USA		3:52:31
2. Trevor Wurtele, CAN		3:55:17
3. Leon Griffin, AUS		4:05:20
4. David Kahn, USA		4:06:42
5. Andrew Fast, USA		4:22:43
6. Ed Cyr, CAN		4:27:25
7. Sean Sullivan, USA		4:36:49
8. Simon Malo, CAN		4:44:05
Professional women's results
1. Meredith Kessler, USA		4:13:23
2. Julie Dibens, GBR		4:20:53
3. Laura Siddall, GBR		4:23:48
4. Magali Tisseyre, CAN		4:31:15
5. Suzanne Zelazo, CAN		4:50:32
6. Caroline St-Pierre, CAN		4:52:32
7. Jennifer Lentzke, CAN		4:56:58
8. Ayesha Rollinson, CAN		5:22:39

Of the more than 2,900 registered athletes, more than 75 percent were Canadian, of which 55 percent were Quebecois. Athletes from eight different countries were registered, with the largest number coming from Canada, followed by the United States. The most represented age group was between 35 and 44 years-old. Nearly 20 professional athletes took part in this event. The event also included 102 teams of two or three people who completed the course as a relay.

The next IRONMAN rendez-vous in Mont-Tremblant
The third edition of the Subaru IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant triathlon will be held on August 17, 2014. Québec triathlete Pierre Lavoie, cofounder of the Pierre Lavoie Challenge, will act once more as honorary presidency of the event. For the second consecutive year, the IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant triathlon is designated as the IRONMAN North American Championship. Given this classification, IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant will be a P-4000 race featuring a $125,000 USD professional prize purse and 75 coveted age group qualifying slots to the IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro that will take place this coming October 11, in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i.

Additionally, Mont-Tremblant will host the 2014 Subaru IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship that will take place on September 7, 2014. This highly anticipated event will reunite an elite field of international athletes as it moves outside the United States for the first time. Since 2011, the championship had been held in Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada.

About IRONMAN
The iconic IRONMAN^® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN^® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines at the world's most challenging endurance races. Recognized for excellence through distinguished events, world-class athletes and quality products, IRONMAN has grown from a single race to a global sensation with more than 190 events across five unique brands: IRONMAN^®, IRONMAN 70.3^®, 5150™ Triathlon Series, Iron Girl^® and IRONKIDS^®. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

SOURCE: IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant

Source: Subaru IRONMAN 70.3 Mont-Tremblant, www.ironman.com / www.ironman.com/monttremblant70.3; Information: Josée Massicotte, 514 388-0169 or 514 915-0511, [email protected]