Ironman Hawaii Results 2013: Men's and Women's Top Finishers

It was an Aussie sweep in Kohala Coast, HI, on Saturday.

Craig "Crowie" Alexander carried a huge lead off the bike to victory at Ironman Hawaii on Saturday. The three-time World Ironman champion held off stars like Damon Barnett, Paul Matthews and Luke Bell to claim victory.

Belinda Granger's furious comeback during the run erased a 7:41 lead Bree Wee held after the bike portion of the race.

The old adage in triathlons is the first off the bike has the advantage. That didn't prove true for Wee, but it did for Alexander. Crowie's insurmountable lead was largely created in the second stage. 

Triathletas DeVzla tweeted this image of Alexander in action on the bike. In English the text says: "Here we have a picture of Craig Alexander in Cycling." It is simple but Alexander's performance spoke louder than words:

Paul Matthews' twitter account catches Alexander crossing the finish line as the winner in this tweet:

Granger saved her best for last as she surpassed Wee at the 10th mile. Granger is generally known for her strength on the bike, but she has recently improved her performance as a runner. That was evident in the way she finished on Saturday.

At 40-years-old, Granger continues to prove she is an absolute machine. This image from Hawaii Sport Magazine on Facebook captures Granger's victorious moment.

Here is a look at the top-10 finishers on the men's and women's side, per Ironman.com.

Top-10 Men

Place

Athlete's Name

Country

Total Time

1	Craig Alexander	AUS	04:05:43
2	Paul Matthews	USA	04:12:13
3	Damon Barnett	USA	04:14:14
4	Luke Bell	USA	04:15:44
5	David Condon	USA	04:20:09
6	Jose Jeuland	FRA	04:21:00
7	Rob Lea	USA	04:21:06
8	Benjamin Williams	USA	04:22:31
9	Jose Augusto D.A.A Filho	BRA	04:23:47
10	John Newsom	NZL	04:25:49

Top-10 Women

Place

Athlete's Name

Country

Total Time

1	Belinda Granger	AUS	04:44:36
2	Laura Siddall	GBR	04:45:56
3	Julia Grant	NZL	04:46:46
4	Bree Wee	USA	04:51:05
5	Michelle Andres	USA	04:53:08
6	Adrienne Hengels	USA	04:56:59
7	Brooke Brown	CAN	05:01:33
8	Sarah Pearce-Gieck	CAN	05:04:48
9	Nell Christine Stephenson	USA	05:06:05
10	Alessandra Battig	USA	05:07:53

What This Means in the Overall Ironman Picture

Full Ironman events carry more weight in the points system, much like Grand Slam events in tennis. The further from the lead each athlete finishes, the more their points drop from the event. Each event has a floor—a participation point value—that each athlete is guaranteed.

Half Ironman event winners earn 3,500 points while Full Ironman events accrue a maximum of 5,000 points. Non-winners will lose points in 12 point-per-minute increments.

For example, Matthews earned 3,488 points for his second-place finish while Alexander earned the full 3,500.

Only the top-50 male and top-35 female athletes qualify for a 70.3 World Championship slot. Ironman.com thoroughly explains the points system, here.

Alexander's 3,500 points gives him 5,500 on the year and this is only his second event. With decent performances the rest of the way, he should be a shoo-in and major factor at the championship.

Wee didn't have as healthy of a total coming in, but the 3,500 points were still huge. She now has 4,025 on the season and she's in good shape in terms of qualifying.

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