(Reuters) – Britain’s India Lee and Denmark’s Magnus Ditlev emerged as the champions of the first-ever T100 long distance triathlon held in Miami. This event featured a highly competitive field of top triathletes from around the world.
The T100 race, part of a newly launched series, took place at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The course included a 2-kilometer swim in a man-made lake, an 80-kilometer bike ride on the road course, and an 18-kilometer run on the racetrack’s oval.
In the women’s race, Lee finished with a time of 3 hours, 27 minutes, and 12 seconds, narrowly beating reigning Ironman world champion Lucy Charles-Barclay, who led the swim and bike segments but faltered during the run. Holly Lawrence claimed the third spot on the podium.
Reflecting on her victory, Lee stated, “I had confidence in my abilities, and it was just about being consistent and sensible during the swim and bike. Today, I finally ran a race that I am proud of.”
Ditlev, 26, was victorious in the men’s race, crossing the finish line with a time of 3 hours, 9 minutes, and 8 seconds. American Sam Long secured second place, while Frenchman Mathis Margirier finished third.
Expressing his joy at winning, Ditlev remarked, “It’s a fantastic start to the season, and I’m thrilled to secure my first T100 triumph.” He also mentioned feeling more comfortable towards the end of the race and pushing himself to perform better, surpassing top competitor Alistair Brownlee.
Both winners received a prize of $25,000 from the total race fund of $250,000. The T100 series offers a significant overall prize fund exceeding $7 million, along with sponsorship deals.
Launched jointly by the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon, the T100 presents races of shorter distances compared to Ironman events, with some legs longer than standard Olympic distances.
Forty of the world’s leading long-distance triathletes have committed to participating in a minimum of five T100 races and the Grand Final. The upcoming event in the series will be held in Singapore on April 13 and 14.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina, Rohith Nair and Mitch Phillips; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
