From the gentle waves of West Lake near Prince George to the saltwater currents of Offats Bayou, Texas, Angela Naeth has certainly come a long way.
The 29-year-old triathlete is off to a great start in her third season on the pro 70.3 Ironman circuit. Coming off a win last weekend at the Kemeh (Texas) Olympic distance triathlon she ventured a few kilometres south to Galveston for the 70.3 Ironman Texas race on Sunday and once again climbed the medal podium, finishing second in 4:09:40.
Catriona Morrison of England won the women's race in 4:06:43..
Naeth was 11th fastest in the swim, a 1.2 mile open water event that took her 27:29 to complete,but made up a lot of ground in the 56-mile cycling leg, which took her 2:17:02, the second-fastest bike split. Naeth finished the 13.1 mile run in 1:22:18, second only to Morrison's run time of 1:18:18.
Naeth, a graduate of Prince George secondary school in 2000, spent the winter training in Tucson, Ariz. She started the season with a fifth-place finish in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon, March 12 in the United Arab Emirates.
Naeth broke into the pro ranks in 2008 with three wins and six podium finishes in eight races. She suffered a stress fracture in her tibia while preparing for the 2009 season and did not compete that year, but bounced back in a big way in 2010 with eight second-place finishes in the 70.3 Ironman series.
