Race Conditions
Even though they were not too many Pro finishers this year, conditions seemed to be pretty normal for Wanaka: A cold swim (probably the cause for a lot of the DNFs), followed by a scenic bike ride (also pretty slow) and an average run. There were hardly any changes in the course rating, now at -2:39 (making Wanaka one of the slower races on the calendar).
Male Race Results
Dylan McNeice successfully defended his title, again posting a very strong result. My pre-race favorite, Richard Ussher, was never really challenging him. Richard ran a sub-3h marathon, but was still bettered by Dylan’s 2:56. The last podium spot went to Iron-rookie Dougal Allan, who overcame his slow 1:03 swim with the fastest bike (4:45):
| Rank | Name | Nation | Swim | Bike | Run | Time | Diff to expected |
| 1 | Dylan McNeice | NZL | 00:46:25 | 04:51:26 | 02:56:58 | 08:38:48 | -23:08 |
| 2 | Richard Ussher | NZL | 00:53:16 | 04:53:18 | 02:58:57 | 08:49:49 | 12:04 |
| 3 | Dougal Allan | NZL | 01:03:42 | 04:45:22 | 03:01:03 | 08:54:37 | n/a |
| 4 | Carl Read | NZL | 00:53:17 | 05:06:07 | 03:02:49 | 09:06:08 | 00:31 |
| 5 | Matt Burgess | NZL | 00:50:56 | 04:52:23 | 03:24:02 | 09:12:10 | n/a |
| 6 | Jaroslav Kovacic | SLO | 00:51:03 | 05:07:55 | 03:19:25 | 09:24:45 | n/a |
| 7 | Courtney Ogden | AUS | 00:53:35 | DNF | |||
| 8 | Scott Defilippis | USA | 01:00:20 | DNF | |||
| 9 | Simon Cochrane | NZL | 00:55:59 | DNF | |||
| 10 | Keegan Williams | NZL | 00:53:21 | DNF | |||
| 11 | Bryan Rhodes | NZL | 00:50:52 | 05:18:59 | DNF | ||
| 12 | Matty White | AUS | 00:53:18 | DNF | |||
| 13 | Ben Logan | NZL | 00:50:52 | DNF |
Female Race Results
As for the men, my pre-race favorite (Gina Crawford) struggled a bit, finished „only“ in second place, and was beaten by an athlete having a great day. Candice Hammond took out the win, while Simone Maier and Tamsyn Hayes were the remaining female finishers.
(Female finishers in order, starting with winner Candice Hammond on the left.)
| Rank | Name | Nation | Swim | Bike | Run | Time | Diff to expected |
| 1 | Candice Hammond | NZL | 01:03:50 | 05:09:56 | 03:15:38 | 09:33:54 | -14:14 |
| 2 | Gina Crawford | NZL | 00:53:20 | 05:20:18 | 03:21:51 | 09:41:08 | 08:34 |
| 3 | Simone Maier | GER | 01:05:43 | 05:21:40 | 03:15:32 | 09:48:50 | -17:14 |
| 4 | Tamsyn Hayes | NZL | 01:00:43 | 05:23:59 | 03:41:52 | 10:11:56 | -08:22 |
| 5 | Carrie Lester | AUS | 00:57:16 | DNF |
Photo Credit: Challenge Wanaka