Luke Bell And Mary Beth Ellis Dominate At The Subaru Ironman North American Championship Mont-tremblant

MONT-TREMBLANT, QC, Aug. 18, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Playing host to the IRONMAN North American Championship, Subaru IRONMAN^® Mont-Tremblant reunited some 2,237 triathletes, crowning Luke Bell from Australia and Mary Beth from the United States as champions.

One of more than 30 events in the global IRONMAN Series, the Subaru IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant triathlon led athletes through a 2.4-mile (3.8 km) swim, 112-mile (180 km) bike course and 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run on a course that showcased a variety of Québec's natural beauty. The swim took place in Tremblant Lake and the two-loop bike course went through Mont-Tremblant's forests and low lying mountains, offering challenging elevations. The two-loop run course took full advantage of the famous Le P'tit Train du Nord, a former railway bed and now home to the longest linear park in Canada. It then took runners past a waterfall alongside Tremblant Lake and into the heart of the pedestrian village of Tremblant Resort. The event offered a total professional prize purse of $125,000 and 75 coveted slots to the 2013 IRONMAN World Championship, taking place on Oct. 12 at Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i.

Despite having to stop numerous times because of cramps during the marathon, Luke Bell ran his way to his second IRONMAN title, while Mary Beth Ellis continued her incredible string of wins, taking her eighth title. On the men's side, Brandon Marsh had a great run which moved him just 33 seconds ahead of Bert Jammaer. Daniel Halksworth followed his UK finish two weeks ago with an impressive fourth, while Romain Guillaume, the defending champion, rounded out the top 5. Mary Beth Ellis has won every full-distance race she's entered other than the IRONMAN World Championship, where she finished fifth last year and 15th in 2011. After taking three IRONMAN titles in 2011 and 2012, Mary Beth Ellis has been working at a slightly easier schedule in 2013 - she took the win in Nice in June before arriving in Mont-Tremblant as the prohibitive favorite in the women's race. It looked like Anja Beranek was going to be the woman to beat on the bike, but early on in the second lap of the two-loop course Ellis made her move and pulled away from the rest of the women. In the end it was Rebekah Keat who would cross the line in the runner-up position, just 31 seconds ahead of Beranek.

"With the success of last year's first edition of IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant, we were excited to be designated as the location for the IRONMAN North American Championship for 2013 and 2014," commented Dominique Piché, the producer-delegate of Subaru IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant. "This is a direct testimonial to the popularity of this destination for both professional and amateur triathletes. We are also honored to welcome a new partner, Subaru Canada which now holds title sponsorship of all IRONMAN events in Canada. The entire community of Mont-Tremblant is dedicated to ensuring the success of our events and is strongly committed to live up to its new status as a first-class North American training destination."

Professional men's overall results

1	Luke Bell, AUS	08:26:06
2	Brandon Marsh, USA	08:31:01
3	Bert Jammaer, BEL	08:31:35
4	Daniel Halksworth, GBR	08:34:58
5	Romain Guillaume, FRA	08:35:59
6	Stefan Schmid, GER	08:36:32
7	Paul Ambrose, AUS	08:43:47
8	Dominik Berger, AUT	08:44:24
9	Bryan Rhodes, NZL	08:46:13
10	Sean Bechtel, CAN	08:47:24

Professional women's overall results

1	Mary Beth Ellis, USA	09:07:56
2	Rebekah Keat, AUS	09:16:55
3	Anja Beranek, DEU	09:17:26
4	Liz Blatchford, GBR	09:17:44
5	Kim Schwabenbauer, USA	09:23:02
6	Jennie Hansen, USA	09:24:46
7	Erika Csomor, HUN	09:27:51
8	Haley Chura, USA	09:30:06
9	Jackie Arendt, USA	09:38:09
10	Sarah Piampiano, USA	09:41:58

Of the more than 2,600 athletes registered, 44 percent were Canadian, of which close to 36 percent were Quebecois. Athletes from 48 different countries were registered, with the largest number coming from the United States, followed by Canada and Puerto Rico. The most represented age group was between 40 and 44 years-old. The oldest participant is 72 years-old and is from Vermont, USA while the three youngest triathletes are 19 and come from Longueuil and Blainville, Québec and New Jersey, USA. More than 4,000 volunteers were on site to ensure the success of this prestigious event.

The next IRONMAN rendez-vous in Mont-Tremblant

The year 2014 will be a very busy one for triathletes in Mont-Tremblant which will be hosting four different events:

June 7	5150 Triathlon Mont-Tremblant
June 22	Subaru IRONMAN 70.3 Mont-Tremblant
August 17	Subaru IRONMAN North American Championship Mont-Tremblant
September 7	IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship

Registrations are currently underway for Subaru IRONMAN 70.3 Mont-Tremblant. Registrations for Subaru IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant will be open as of tomorrow, August 19, for the registered athletes and volunteers of 2013 and as of August 21 for the other triathletes interested. For more information, visit www.ironmanmonttremblant.com

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, owner and operator of the IRONMAN^® Series, has grown from owner of a single race to a global sensation with nearly 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 Mont-Tremblant
www.ironman.com  / www.ironmanmonttremblant.com

MEDIA CONTACT:
Josée Massicotte
514 388-0169 or 514 915-0511 / [email protected]