Syracuse, NY -- Near perfect weather and a challenging course were the highlights of the inaugural 70.3 Half Ironman triathlon in Syracuse on Sunday morning. “The course was excellent,” said Eric Will, 32, of Syracuse. “The weather conditions were perfect. It was nice and cool with very little wind.” About 1,700 athletes of the 2,250 who registered took to...
Paul Matthews crosses the finish line at Syracuse's Inner Harbor Sunday as he wins the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Syracuse triathlon in a time of 3:49:49. 2,250 athletes from 50 states and 17 foreign counties participated. The event included a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike course, and a 13.1 mile run. Syracuse, NY -- Near perfect weather and a challenging course were the highlights of
the inaugural 70.3 Half Ironman triathlon in Syracuse on Sunday morning.
“The course was excellent,” said Eric Will, 32, of Syracuse. “The weather conditions were perfect. It was nice and cool with very little wind.”
About 1,700 athletes of the 2,250 who registered took to the waters of Jamesville Reservoir. The participants represented all 50 states and 17 foreign countries, said Bill Burke, race director. Burke said the number of participants was amazing. It’s the fourth largest turnout for the inaugural year of an Ironman 70.3 in the world, he said.
“This venue is perfect for Ironman 70.3 and the location is ideal,” said Burke who worked to bring Ironman 70.3 to Syracuse. “The weather is perfect, the water is nice and the bike course is challenging.”
Burke said Ironman will be bringing the event back next year and local athletes are excited.
“I would do it again,” said Randy Hadzor, 24, of LaFayette. “It was a lot of fun.”
Athletes swam 1.2 miles in the Jamesville Reservoir and then headed to their bikes for a grueling 56 miles. Burke said the bike course is challenging because the first seven miles are all up hill, in fact most of the 56 miles are steady uphill. The overall climb is 2,700 feet.
After the swim, bikers headed out of Jamesville beach and through Pompey and around Highland Forest, through DeRuyter and into Truxton before heading back north to Jamesville. When the triathletes finished the bike, they took to the streets by foot. Participants ran a half marathon of 13.1 miles from Jamesville beach to the Inner Harbor in Syracuse.
Paul Matthews of Australia came in first place with a time of 3 hours and 49 minutes. Matthews, a professional triathlete, said the course was fun and challenging.
“It was a great course,” said Matthews, 27. “The run was tough. It seemed longer and the last few miles were rough.”
Local participants were excited to not have to travel for the triathlon.
“It was great to have the race so close to home,” said Andy Powell, 37, of Marcellus. “It’s great not to worry about going a long distance away and the hassle of traveling. The race was great and Syracuse did a good job.”
--Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298.