Tyler Butterfield: Top 10 Finish at World Cup
Tyler Butterfield made a very strong showing at the 2010 Monterrey World Cup in Mexico yesterday, placing 8th in a field of over 50 competitors.
The event consisted of a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike, and a 10km bike. After a middle of the pack swim, and strong bike and run, Mr Butterfield placed 58 seconds behind the winner and 33 seconds behind second place. You can view the full results of the race here.
This is the first time Mr Butterfield says he has been in contention after the swim leg at this level of racing. He attributes his improved swimming abilities to now being back in the sport for 18 months [after the four years out he took to race as a professional cyclist] and enjoys being able to join in with the various swim squads at his base in Boulder , Colorado where there are up to four swim-squad options a day.
Mr Butterfield spent a significant amount of time on the front of the pack and in the wind on the bike leg.
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Mr Butterfield’s group got to within thirty seconds of the lead group of seven, which included the eventual podium finishers, and he made several attempts to jump across the gap to the front group.
Saying that retrospectively these efforts may have taxed his running ability, but Mr Butterfield says he is happy with the way he raced.
Onto to the run Mr Butterfield decided to let a small group go. With all the long distance training he has been doing in preparation for the Hawaii Ironman in October this year, the pace was just too fast for him at this point in his preparation. He said he was content to rely on his endurance training background, with the plan to pick off other competitors in the second half of the run leg.
He says his patience paid off, although he recognizes next year when he is racing this distance full-time, he will have to make sure he has the speed to go faster from the beginning and hold it.
Mr Butterfield has two Olympic distance races remaining for 2010: The Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon in June which is put on by one of his major sponsors Philadelphia Insurance Companies; and the Central American and Caribbean Games in July.
In addition Mr Butterfield has four Half-Ironman races (70.3s): The American National Championships in Texas next weekend; St Croix 70.3 in two weeks; Mooseman 70.3 in New Hampshire in early June; Boise 70.3 (Idaho) in June; and of course Hawaii Ironman in October.
Mr Butterfield will also race in the May 24th Marathon Derby and Tokio Triathlon while he is in Bermuda for the month of May.
The son of Debbie and Jim Butterfield, Tyler Butterfield follows in his parents footsteps. His father Jim Butterfield represented Bermuda in the 1972 Munich Olympics in rowing, and also participated in the 1981 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon finishing 7th. His mother Debbie is a former top distance runner in Bermuda, winning the May 24th marathon a record seven times.
The Olympic bound triathlete resides in Colorado with his Australian wife Nikki, a former professional cyclist.
