Puerto Lopez, Ecuador—It was a silver medal Sunday celebration for Canada’s Alexis Lepage at the CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup race in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador.
Coming off back-to-back top-15 finishes on the World Cup over the last two weekends, the Gatineau, Que. native rocked a second-place result with a time of 53:12 in the sprint race distance.
“It was a great race and I’m really happy with this result in a strong field for Continental Cup racing,” said the 24-year-old Lepage. “It was great to have the fastest running time of the day, and proved that I’m in good running shape. I’m really happy to be on the podium.”
Following a relatively easy 750-metre swim and 20-kilometre bike ride, it was clear the medals were going to be decided by a large pack of athletes who charged out onto the five-kilomere run course. The group dwindled down to 10 near the midway point before a lead pack of five cranked up the pace for the final 500 metres home.
“It was a very strategic race. We were able to drop a group of competitors who struggled with the pace,” said Lepage. “We were a group of five coming to the end and the German (Valentin Wernz) had a greater surge than me.”
Wernz edged out Lepage for the gold medal with a time of 53:10. Austin Hindman, of the United States, locked up the final spot on the men’s podium at 53:13.
Hamilton’s Taylor Forbes was also mixing it up with the top international athletes on the line from start to finish. Forbes was in the final group of five pounding the pavement to the finishing tape, but couldn’t respond to the surge to the finish. Forbes settled for a solid fourth-place finish with a time of 53:15.
John Rasmussen, of Guelph, Ont., placed 17th at 54:01. Ontario’s Patrick Smith was the final Canuck to cross the line in the field of 67 athletes, finishing in 22nd at 54:26.
Meanwhile, Elisabeth Boutin was the lone Canadian in the women’s race and did not disappoint.
Boutin was solid throughout the swim, bike and run en route to a fifth-place finish with a time of 1:00:12.
Austria’s Lisa Perterer won the women’s event with a time of 59:15 in a photofinish over Ecuador’s Elizabeth Bravo.
Argentina’s Romina Biagioli clocked a bronze-medal winning time of 59:46.
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