Two Santa Cruz area triathletes place in top 25 of Ironman 70.3 Vineman

Santa Cruz resident Paul Matthews was one of two county residents to place in the top 25 of the Ironman 70.3 Vineman triathlon in Sonoma County on July 15, coming in third overall.

Matthews completed the race in 3 hours, 47 minutes, 55 seconds to finish behind winner Greg Bennet of Boulder, Colo., [3:45:39] and runner-up Joe Gambles, also of Boulder [3:46:14].

Matthews, 29, finished the 1.2-mile swim in 21:54, the 56-mile bike in 2:07:09, and the 13.1-mile run in 1:15:54.

Fellow Santa Cruz resident and pro triathlete Eric Clarkson placed 23rd [4:13:27]. He finished the swim in 23:35, the bike in 2:20:41 and the run in 1:25:25.

The event was a qualifier for the Ironman World Championships, which will be held in Las Vegas in September.

Results included in this report are from RaceResults360.com.

Jacques-Maynes brothers finish in top 15 of Cascade Cycling Classic stage race

Andy and Ben Jacques-Maynes, twin brothers from Watsonville and pro cyclists, placed in the top 15 of the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend, Ore., over the weekend.

Andy Jacques-Maynes finished 14th overall with his best finish of the stage race coming in the criterium Friday, when he placed fourth in the same time as winner Carlos Alzate Escobar [1 hour, 13 minutes, 49 seconds]. Escobar rides for Team Exergy, and Andy Jacques-Maynes rides for Kenda/5-Hour Energy.

Andy Jacques-Maynes, who now lives in Corralitos, had three top-10 finishes over six events.

Ben Jacques-Maynes placed 15th overall with his best finish of the stage race coming in the time trial Tuesday, when he placed 10th in 5:09.84. Winner Chad Haga of Fort Collins, Colo., finished in 5:02.64. Haga rides for Optum, and Ben Jacques-Maynes rides for Bissell Pro Cycling.

The overall stage race winner was Francisco Mancebo from Watkinsville, Georgia.

Results in this report are from USACycling.com.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets

Two-time Olympic medalist Bevan Docherty takes 3rd in Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

Aptos’ Becky Lavelle finishes as the sixth fastest woman; Santa Cruz’s Eric Clarkson breaks into the top 20

Santa Cruz resident and native New Zealander Bevan Docherty, a two-time Olympic medalist, placed third in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco over the weekend.

Docherty, who will again represent New Zealand in the London Games, crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 32 seconds. Colorado’s Andy Potts won the race in 2:03:17 and Australia’s Courtney Atkinson placed second [2:03:53].

Docherty completed the 1.5-mile swim in 27:37, the 18-mile bike in 46:14 and the 8-mile run in 46:06. He finished the sand ladder in 1:51.

England’s Leanda Cave was the first finisher among women, coming in 17th overall [2:18:17].

Santa Cruz had one other triathlete in the top 20: Eric Clarkson placed 16th in 2:16:03.

The top female finisher from Santa Cruz County was Aptos’ Becky Lavelle, 38, who was sixth among women and 37th overall [2:27:09]. Lavelle finished the swim in 30:04, the bike in 54:24 and the run in 56:58. She did the sand ladder in 2:33.

Results in this report are from the Escape from Alcatraz website.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets