Andy Potts, Holly Lawrence conquer field of pros in Ironman 70.3 Vineman race

Andy Potts held on to win a tightly contested men’s professional race in the Ironman 70.3 Vineman on Sunday, crossing the finish line at Windsor High School less than a second ahead of Australian Tim Reed with fellow Australian Craig Alexander in third only half a second behind Reed.

Potts, a native of Hershey, Pa., who attended the University of Michigan, took the lead from Terenzo Bozzone of New Zealand in the eighth mile of the 13.1-mile half marathon, the third leg of the swimming-biking-running test of endurance. He finished the race in 3 hours, 49 minutes and 9 seconds.

In the women’s race, Holly Lawrence, a native of Great Britain who trains in Los Angeles, had a far clearer path to her championship. She took the lead from Lauren Brandon in the bicycling leg and raced to a winning margin of more than eight minutes. Lawrence’s time was 4:09:40, with Caroline Steffen of Switzerland (4:17:48) and Brandon (4:22:57).