Kirill Kotsegarov (EST) and Carrie Lester (AUS) fought off a competitive professional field as each claimed victories at the 2015 Little Debbie Ironman® Chattanooga triathlon presented by McKee a Family Bakery with times of 8:08:32 and 8:56:00, respectively.
Kotsegarov took the title after an exhilarating sprint to the finish line, winning by just two seconds while Lester out-biked and out-ran her competition for a well-deserved win.
Men’s Race
The men’s race at the 2015 Little Debbie Ironman Chattanooga triathlon presented by McKee Foods was a spectacular show of talent ending in a sprint to the finish among the top three professional athletes. The day began with a point-to-point swim in the Tennessee River with Balazs Csoke (HUN) first out of the water in 40:48. Eric Limkemann (USA), Matt Chrabot (USA) and Alberto Casadei (ITA) were next to hit the exit at Ross’s Landing, just seconds after the leader.
Once on the bike Limkemann, TJ Tollakson (USA) and Chrabot forged to the front early. Rider positions were shuffled nearing the end of the bike course with Limkemann dismounting his bike with a 90 second lead over Karl-Johan Danielsson (SWE) Stefan Schmid (DEU) Kirill Kotsegarov (EST), Tollakson and Chrabot. With the first six men off the bike all within 1:48 of each other, it was a forgone conclusion there were going to be fireworks in the men’s race.
Nearing the first half of the marathon, Chrabot caught Limkemann and eventually distanced himself from the early leader. Behind the pair, Kotsegarov and Schmid were running in third and fourth a minute and a half back. With three miles to go, Chrabot, Kotsegarov and Schmid were running shoulder to shoulder. Nearing the finish line, Kotsegarov and Schmid dropped Chrabot and the pair were left to sprint it out for the win within the finish line chute. Kotsegarov put in a final surge at the end to capture the win by less than two seconds over a diving Schmid. Chrabot was third, a mere eight seconds after Kotsegarov.
 Kirill Kotsegarov wins a sprint finish while Matt Chrabot quietly dies in the background(Photo: FinisherPix / Ironman; click to enlarge) |
Top five professional men’s results:
| Swim | Bike | Run | Finish | |||||
| 1. Kirill Kotsegarov (EST) | 0:44:51 | 4:27:37 | 2:50:53 | 8:08:32 | ||||
| 2. Matt Chrabot (USA) | 0:40:56 | 4:31:19 | 2:51:05 | 8:08:34 | ||||
| 3. Stefan Schmid (DEU) | 0:44:25 | 4:27:31 | 2:51:05 | 8:08:40 | ||||
| 4. Eric Limkemann (USA) | 0:40:52 | 4:29:51 | 2:57:41 | 8:12:59 | ||||
| 5. Esben Hovgaard (DNK) | 0:44:54 | 4:31:57 | 2:54:03 | 8:15:56 |
 Carrie Lester wins with a sub-9hr performance(Photo: FinisherPix / Ironman; click to enlarge) |
Women’s Race
The women’s race began with Anna Cleaver (USA) leading Christina Jackson (USA) out of the water by eight seconds. Over a minute and half back were Katy Blakemore (USA), Darbi Roberts (USA), Kathryn Thomas (USA) and Carrie Lester (AUS).
Lester proved to be the strongest on the bike and continued on to record the fastest bike split of the day in 5:01:16. She managed to carry advantages of over seven minutes on Bree Wee (USA) and Cleaver racing into T2.
Once out on the run Lester pulled away from the field, holding a 15 minute leading margin at one point in the race. Behind her, Lisa Roberts (USA) was laying down the fastest run time of the day and making her way through the field. Lester would claim the 2015 Little Debbie Ironman Chattanooga title with an 8:56:00 finish time and a 12:47 winning margin over Roberts, while Kim Schwabenbauer (USA) would finish third with a time of 9:14:11.
Top five professional women’s results:
| Swim | Bike | Run | Finish | |||||
| 1. Carrie Lester (AUS) | 0:44:35 | 5:01:16 | 3:05:05 | 8:56:00 | ||||
| 2. Lisa Roberts (USA) | 0:51:50 | 5:10:29 | 3:01:04 | 9:08:46 | ||||
| 3. Kim Schwabenbauer (USA) | 0:48:50 | 5:11:55 | 3:08:28 | 9:14:11 | ||||
| 4. Bianca Steurer (AUT) | 0:47:03 | 5:15:29 | 3:10:05 | 9:18:17 | ||||
| 5. Bree Wee (USA) | 0:45:45 | 5:07:01 | 3:20:04 | 9:19:41 |
One of more than 40 events in the global Ironman Series, the 2015 Little Debbie Ironman Chattanooga triathlon presented by McKee a Family Bakery led athletes along a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run throughout Chattanooga and its surrounding areas. The swim took place in the Tennessee River, while the two-loop bike course wound through North Georgia with scenic farmland and mountain views. Athletes then enjoyed a two-and-a-half-loop run course that showcased beautiful downtown Chattanooga, the South Side, Riverview and the North Shore. The event offered a total professional prize purse of $100,000 and 50 coveted age-group qualifying slots to the 2016 Ironman World Championship, taking place on October 8 in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i.
Full results for the Little Debbie Ironman Chattanooga triathlon presented by Mckee a Family Bakery can be found at www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/Ironman/chattanooga/results.aspx.
