Colorado's Keith Jackson wins 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 NC in Wilmington Saturday

Thousands of athletes took on the Ironman 70.3 North Carolina course in Wilmington on Saturday, the 15th edition of the race.

Out of a field of 2,679 athletes, Keith Jackson earned the race's fastest finish, completing the more than a 70-mile course in 3 hours, 59 minutes, and 33 seconds. The Fort Collins, Colorado, native had the fastest bike of the day, finishing the 56-mile ride in 2:08.12.

Jackson, who overtook France's Joachim Philipps in the race's final miles, finished 23 seconds faster than Boden Gentile, whose time of 3:59.56 was good enough for second place overall. The Great Falls, Virginia, resident also surpassed the Philipps, who finished third with a time of 4:02.19.

Emma Alitz of Washington won the women's race, finishing with a time of 4:31.02. She beat out Caroline Moyer of Pennsylvania (Second place, 4:31.42)) and Julia Flower of Charlotte (Third place, 4:33.44).

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The swim-bike-run course that sent athletes from Wrightsville Beach across Wilmington and into parts of Pender County started in 2008 and has occurred every year since except for 2018 (Hurricane Florence) and 2020 (COVID-19). This year's race was the 15th edition of the event and included a revamped run course to reflect its roots.

"Being the 15th year, we thought we'd pay a little bit of homage and respect to Beach2Battleship," local race director Sami Winter told the StarNews. "We're back at the original finish line, and the athletes are gonna finish with an incredible view of the battleship."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Colorado's Keith Jackson wins 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 NC in Wilmington Saturday