photo by Kevin LeClaire/IRONMAN
The Scenic City and southeastern Tennessee and northern Georgia provided a stunning backdrop for the 2022 Sunbelt Bakery IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship Chattanooga presented by McKee A Family Bakery triathlon. With some of triathlon’s best on hand, Jason West (USA) won the men’s professional race with a finishing time of 3:37:14 while Jackie Hering (USA) topped the podium in the women’s professional race with a time of 4:02:34. The race was featured live on Outside TV, and was the second in a series of 11 IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon events from across the globe to broadcast exclusively on the platform.
Finishing on the men’s professional podium was Matt Hanson (USA) in second with a finishing time of 3:38:11 only two weeks after a 13th place at the 2021 IRONMAN World Championship, and Rodolphe Von Berg (USA) who posted a 3:39:52 finishing time that was good for third place.
On the women’s side, Paula Findlay (CAN) took second behind Hering with a time of 4:06:15, while Holly Lawrence (GBR) finished in third with a time of 4:09:22.
Top five professional men’s results:
SWIM
BIKE
RUN
FINISH
1. Jason West
USA
00:24:36
02:00:52
01:09:09
03:37:14
2. Matt Hanson
USA
00:25:00
02:00:36
01:09:59
03:38:11
3. Rodolphe Von Berg
USA
00:24:45
02:00:47
01:11:51
03:39:52
4. Jackson Laundry
CAN
00:24:52
02:00:29
01:12:09
03:40:20
5. Steven McKenna
AUS
00:24:46
02:00:41
01:14:29
03:42:58
Top five professional women’s results:
SWIM
BIKE
RUN
FINISH
1. Jackie Hering
USA
00:26:45
02:14:12
01:18:12
04:02:34
2. Paula Findlay
CAN
00:26:41
02:14:13
01:22:06
04:06:15
3. Holly Lawrence
GBR
00:25:27
02:16:33
01:24:22
04:09:22
4. Lesley Smith
USA
00:28:15
02:24:26
01:17:51
04:13:56
5. Mirinda Carfrae
AUS
00:29:24
02:19:40
01:22:56
04:15:07
The 2022 Sunbelt Bakery IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship Chattanooga presented by McKee A Family Bakery triathlon saw more than 2,500 athletes start the race ranging in age from 18-82 years old. Athletes kicked off their 70.3-mile journey with a 1.2-mile swim in the Tennessee River before athletes embarked on the 56-mile bike course through northern Georgia and historic Chickamauga. The 13.1-mile run course took athletes through scenic downtown Chattanooga before finishing at Ross’s Landing along the Tennessee River. The event offered a professional prize purse of $75,000. Additionally, 150 age-group qualifying slots were up for grabs to race at the 2022 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission in St. George, Utah taking place on Oct. 28 & 29, 2022.
Official results can be found at www.ironman.com/im703-chattanooga-results.