Whyte top ten in Boise

New Zealand triathlete Jamie Whyte has finished in the top ten in a strong field at the Boise 70.3 Ironman in Idaho this morning.

Whyte has been a training partner to Cameron Brown since arriving in the States in mid-May. This though is the first actual race for Whyte this Northern summer.

The Boise 70.3 Ironman was an afternoon race with a unique 2pm start and featured a strong pro men’s field including current Ironman world champion, Craig Alexander and top American Chris Leito.

Whyte exited the water with fellow Kiwi Liam Scopes. The front swim pack had split so the men’s field was fairly strung out onto the bike. The bike course was very honest with lots of false flats and a couple of hills, strong winds and the occasional torrential downpour. Whyte entered transition two in 6th place.

“The run was stunning,” said Whyte. “Two laps up and down either side of the Boise river and finished in downtown Boise, with a huge crowd lining the streets despite the terrible weather. Dropping one place on the first lap of the run, I held on to 7th during the second lap through to the finish.

“I am happy with my first race over here but I know there is plenty more work to do to become competitive. Now the focus is on recovering well and stepping it up again in two weeks time for the Buffalo Springs 70.3, in Texas.”

Boise 70.3 Ironman

1.8km swim, 90km bike, 21km run

Elite Men

1 Craig Alexander AUS 3:51:46

2 Chris Lieto USA 3:51:48

3 Joe Gambles USA 3:56:24

Plus

7 Jamie Whyte NZL 4:02:58

17 Liam Scopes NZL 4:13:26