Carfrae, Alexander win St. Croix By Barry Siff Triathlete correspondent May 7, 2006 -- Under cloud-covered skies and some of the best weather conditions ever for this the 18th edition of the epic St. Croix Triathlon, according to race director Tom Guthrie, the day was an Aussie sweep. Mirinda Carfrae, just 25 years old and in her sixth 70.3-distance race, took control of the women's event around 35 miles into the bike then ran away from the field to set a new women's course record of 4:30:13. The previous record was 4:37:01. On the men's side, Craig Alexander just missed the course record with a time of 4:07:33. While slapping everyone's hand in sight and stopping to pick up his one year-old daughter to accompany him across the finish line, Alexander was just eight seconds shy of toppling the record. However, his day was a bit tighter than Carfrae's. New Zealand's Cameron Brown, one of the sport's top -- and most consistent -- stars, took the lead early on the bike and was the first up the Beast, the legendary climb roughly 20 miles into the bike. Brown was shadowed by Burt Jammaer of Belgium throughout the bike leg. A pack of seven riders seemed to be either strategically waiting for the run, or just couldn't catch this duo and hovered three minutes back. Brown, a member of the Tri-Dubai triathlon squad, headed onto the run with a lead of roughly 3:13 on Alexander; however, the Aussie passed Brown near mile seven. Brown hung tough, though, and, when the Aussie came to a stop at mile 10 with a leg cramp, Brown took a 20-meter lead. Alexander re-grouped and came back to take the lead for good with about a mile and a half to go to win the race for the second time (he won in 2003 and was second in 2004). Shane Reed, also of Australia and last year's champion, finished third. Carfrae on fire But the big story of the day was Carfrae. "Mirinda made the rest of us girls look silly out there," said the great Karen Smyers, a five-time St. Croix champion, minutes after securing her fourth-place finish. As expected, Joanna Zeiger, a four-time St. Croix champion led out of the water, with Carfrae 2:36 back in second, followed by Smyers, Wendy Ingraham and Ironman Australia champion Lisa Bentley nearly five minutes back. Carfrae, like Alexander, spends the late spring and summer months training in the altitude of Boulder, Colo., and credited some of her success to the altitude training and her coach, former short-course world champion Siri Lindley. "I felt fantastic all day," said Carfrae minutes after winning the biggest race of her life thus far. The 2006 St. Croix Ironman 70.3 Triathlon attracted pros and age-group athletes from some 20 countries and several of the neighboring Virgin Islands. This is one of five triathlons held on this small, beautiful island throughout the year. Age-group athletes were vying for 30 spots in the 2006 Ford Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, in October. Lars Finanger, also of Boulder, was the top age-group athlete in a stunning time of 4:28:06, placing him among the top pro finishers. Back to Articles Page

Site by Zone 5 Design