Chilean triathlete Macarena Salazar won the women's elite category at the inaugural Itaú Ironman 70.3 in Puerto Varas, clocking 4 hours, 7 minutes and 10 seconds. The event drew over 1,400 athletes in Chile's Los Lagos Region on Sunday.
The race started at 09:00 on the shore of Llanquihue Lake. Due to weather conditions, the swim was shortened to 750 meters, while the 90 km bike and 21.1 km run remained unchanged.
Salazar led from the swim, breaking away on the bike and running steadily. "I'm so happy. I didn't expect it because there were very good athletes at the start. I aimed for a top five and I won," the winner said. Argentina's Romina Biagioli finished second in 4:13:05, with Laura Mathews third in 4:14:21.
In the men's race, Germany's Marcel Bolbat won in 3:25:30, ahead of Argentina's Luciano Taccone (3:35:29) and Chile's Martín Baeza (3:35:53). "It was an incredible day... The bike was very tough because of the intense wind," Bolbat noted, praising the welcome in Puerto Varas.
The event marks Puerto Varas's debut as a host for Ironman 70.3 in Chile, with awards also for other divisions.