Butterfield Revises Schedule With Eye On Kona
Following a 3rd place finish at an unusually modified Ironman 70.3 Boise, triathlete Nikki Butterfield announced a slight change to her competition schedule in the coming weeks. The Australian born athlete is the wife of Bermuda’s Tyler Butterfield, who is set to represent the island at the upcoming Olympic Games.
Although originally planning to join husband Tyler Butterfield in racing the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon on June 24th, the title sponsor of which is one of Butterfield Racing’s key supporters, Mrs Butterfield has instead decided to defend her 2011 title at Ironman 70.3 Syracuse on the same day.
After careful analysis of the Kona Points Ranking (KPR), the system used to determine professional athlete qualification for the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-‐Kona, Hawaii, Butterfield feels it would be strategically wise to race another Ironman 70.3 event prior to her start at the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt, Germany on July 8th.
“Getting to Kona is my main focus this year, and I’m hopeful that with strong races in both Syracuse and Frankfurt I’ll earn enough KPR points to qualify in the first round, allowing me to focus properly on Kona preparation for the remainder of the season,” said Mrs Butterfield. “Also, given the shortened bike course in Boise, I’d like one more long-‐distance race-‐pace ride before heading to Frankfurt.”
While the usual 56-‐mile Ironman 70.3 bike leg format was reduced to 15 miles in Boise due to severe weather, Butterfield, widely known for her cycling prowess, turned in an impressive 1:22:14 half marathon, the fastest female run split of the day by a nearly two minute margin.
“With the change in format, I looked to the positives,” said Butterfield. “It was a chance to test my swim and run, gain valuable Kona points and still leave my legs fresh enough to have a crack at Syracuse.”
Mrs Butterfield will still travel to Philadelphia en route to Syracuse, however, where she’ll speak at both the Philadelphia Insurance corporate office and the race’s VIP function on Friday, prior to continuing on to race in New York on Sunday morning.
The whirlwind weekend suits this multi-‐tasking mom, yet also marks the first time she’ll separate from 18-‐month old daughter Savana overnight. Savana will remain with her father and grandparents to cheer for Tyler Butterfield in Philadelphia, while Nikki Butterfield will reunite with the family late Sunday following her own race.
