Jan Frodeno made a triumphant return to racing at the inaugural Challenge Miami, outpacing a world class field to win the 1.6-kilometer swim, 62.7-kilometer bike ride, and 16.9-kilometer run in 2:37:57.
The three-time Ironman world champion cleaned off the rust with a 20:19 swim and led for the first half of the bike leg until uber-cyclists Andrew Starykowicz and Magnus Ditlev came past and pushed the pace. Undaunted, he got off the bike with the leaders in 1:21:46 and snatched the front position with a fast bike-to-run transition. Once there, he consolidated the lead with the day’s second fastest run split of 53:48.
“I had my numbers to stick to and the one thing I was nervous about was the bike. I hadn’t done the real work that I need and I overcooked it there a little bit. Hats off to those boys, they rode really well,” Frodeno said post-race. “It was awesome to really push yourself and go for the limit and keep the gas on… You really want to keep the pressure on, and then in the end you’re racing shadows.”
