James Cotter led out of the swim held at Roger Wheeler State Beach, while Lovato followed approximately two minutes behind. Cunningham and Brown took turns leading on the bike leg, although Lovato exited the bike-to-run transition ahead. Lovato and Cunningham stayed close by each other during the challenging half-marathon through the streets of Providence, and the top three men showcased a close finish in front of the State House in downtown.

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Following the race Lovato explained how much of a nail biter the race truly was. “Due to the mild but very humid conditions in Rhode Island, I knew nutrition was going to be the key factor in determining the victory. I was in the lead from 50 miles of the bike to 8.5 miles of the run.  Then I gave up the lead to Richie due to hammy cramps–one really bad one, actually.”  With the top three Professional Male finishers coming to the finish within 15 seconds of each other, any small detail could have meant the race.  Lovato did make one key mistake by not hydrating enough, but in the end he was able to rebound and still come home the winner.  “My hamstring cramp was not due to fuel or electrolytes… just not enough fluid! I did not take in enough liquid on the bike (leaving one full bottle of EFS untouched), and it came back to haunt me a bit on the run. Fortunately, I managed to rebound via one full flask of EFS Liquid Shot, chased by as many cups of water as I could find.  I pounded some water, at the next aid station, and polished off the EFS shot, and went in for the kill.   In the end, my closest rival had a major bonk at mile 11, and I retook the lead for good.   I’m just glad Richie (2nd place) was not carrying a flask of Liquid Shot as well!

Top three professional men’s results are as follows:

1st Michael Lovato  3:54:39

2nd Richie Cunningham 3:54:50

3rd Cameron Brown 3:54:53