Triathlon: Phillips turns screws in abridged half ironman

Mike Phillips has won the 2017 Ironman 70.3 Taupo. Photo / IRONMAN/Tim Bardsley-Smith

New Zealanders Mike Phillips and Amelia Watkinson have stamped their class on the Taupo half ironman, winning an abridged race in near perfect conditions.

The race was minus the usual 1.8km swim due to the potentially toxic algae found in Lake Taupo on Thursday.

Athletes instead took on a 3km run, 90km cycle and 21km run, with Phillips controlling the race from start to finish.

He won in 3h 36m 02s, two minutes clear of Braden Currie, with third-placed Callum Millward making it an all-New Zealand men's podium.

"I was second here last year so it is great to get the win," Phillips said.

"Duathlon is not my strength, I am more a swim-biker, so I took the opportunity to get a lead on the return leg bike and that ended up being just enough to get the win."

Phillips is now eyeing the New Zealand Ironman in March.

Currie's day was tougher than intended, the defending champion riding the 90km cycle in one gear due to a mechanical glitch.

Thailand-based Watkinson stamped her mark on the race with a 3h 59m 42s win, breaking the field on the bike back from Reporoa into Taupo and the transition to the run.

"That wasn't an easy one out there," she said. "I wore a few layers to make sure I didn't get too cold, and I managed to hold on to the lead after making a break on the bike, but that run was tough."

Second place went to US athlete Jocelyn McCauley, coming off her off-season, who clocked 4h 01m 00s, while unheralded 22-year-old Australian Laura Dennis was third in 4h 02m 23s.

- NZN