Richardson roars to Miami victory

Bermuda’s Kent Richardson shows no sign of slowing down after another overseas triathlon triumph.

The Sandys athlete on Sunday won the 2013 Nautica South Beach Triathlon 50-54 age division in Miami in a time of two hours, 16 minutes and seven seconds, 12 seconds ahead of Florida’s Rob Kohnen.

It was an international distance event meaning the ocean swim was 1.5k, the bike course was 40k and a 10k run.

And it was the bike section that laid the foundation for Richardson, who after a solid swim of 27:05 blitzed the field on two wheels, leaving his rivals in his wake with a ride of 1:01:25.

The run was again impressive with the Bermudian and Kohnen a cut above the rest of the field. However, despite the American closing, Richardson held on to claim a superb win.

Richardson said despite the win he was hoping for a faster time — although he conceded the conditions were severe out at sea.

He told the Bermuda Sun: “The conditions were extremely challenging. The wind was up early and the sea was really, really rough and the waves were really strong.

“On the bike I was buzzing, I felt really strong. The swim was a struggle just to get out there to the first [marker] buoy — the sea was incredible.”

Richardson now plans to focus on local events in the immediate future and says his Miami victory was the perfect start to the year.

He said: “It’s always a good start to the year. 

“I was looking for something a bit faster but with the conditions it was difficult, with the season and the wind. Plus you never know with the layout how long the transition is going to be.”

The men’s professional event in Miami was won by American Ben Collins, with Olympian Richard Murray, from South Africa, in second.

The women’s pro race was won by Denmark’s Helle Frederiksen.