Defending champion Trevor Wurtele came within five seconds of defending his Ironman New Orleans 70.3 last weekend in Louisiana.
After posting the fastest bike split of the day, Wurtele, formerly of Vernon, caught world record holder Andreas Raelert of Germany and the pair ran neck and neck to the finish where Raelert outsprinted Wurtele for first place.
The German finished the 113-kilometre event (1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21.1-km run) in three hours, 46 minutes and 54 seconds. In third was Santiago Ascenco of Brazil (3:50:38).
Wurtele’s wife Heather also started the Ironman season with impressive finishes, winning Ironman 70.3 Panama, taking fourth in the International Abu Dhabi Triathlon and, most recently, earning runner-up at Ironman 70.3 California.
The Wurteles currently reside in Kelowna, but spend much of their time training base in Utah. Their next event will be Ironman 70.3 St. George in Utah, which doubles as the U.S. Pro Championships.
