When QT2 Systems athletes put the Ironman 70.3 Mooseman on their racing calendar, months ago, we're pretty sure they didn't have expectations for a rainy and raw weekend, for June in New Hampshire.

A chilly morning with overcast skies led to a raw day for athletes racing the Ironman 70.3 Mooseman. Fast becoming one of the most difficult courses on the circuit, the 53-degree early morning temperature did nothing to ease a day that would ultimately prove to once again be very successful for those QT2 athletes racing.

QT2 athlete Erick Anderson had the fastest QT2 time of the day, finishing in 4:18:21 good enough for 5th overall, in his professional debut. Right on his heels was fellow first-time Pro Tim Tapply, in 6th place, just 1:52 back. On the professional women's side, both Jessie Donavan and Jennie Hansen, finished in 5th and 7th places overall. Age-grouper, Jason Frank stole the show winning his division in 4:29:23, earning himself a slot in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship this Fall in Las Vegas. Rich Burke ran his way through much of the M45-49 division to propel himself into 2nd, and despite a broken chain, Vinny Johnson took 3rd in the M35-39 division, finishing in 4:47:13.

Nine of the fifteen QT2 athletes racing finished in the top 10 of their respective age divisions. Six were in the top five! Awesome!

There were five tickets punched to the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas, this fall; Jason Frank, Rich Burke, Vinny Johnson, Kathy Laska, and Dave Wilson.

As always, thank you to all of our sponsors who continue to help us succeed in all aspects of the sport. Our newest sponsor, NormaTec gets a special shout out for sponsoring Saturday's pre-race dinner, as well as donating one of their new NormaTec MVP compression units as a raffle prize. QT2 athlete Sam Farnsworth was the lucky winner of this amazing gift. Also, our thanks go out to Pearl Izumi, Kestrel, Blue Seventy, Powerbar, Fast Splits Multisport, Native Eyewear, Nuun, AllstarHealth.com, Saltstick.com, Dr.SearsZone, and Be Well Boston!

It seems like battling tough weather conditions are becoming the norm for QT2 athletes this season. Unlike Texas, where the sun and humidity made it feel like it was in the 90's, New Hampshire's cold and raw conditions saw temps in the 50's and low 60's. Who knows what we'll see at our next focus race. Next Stop: Ironman Lake Placid on July 22nd, 2012. See you then!

QT2 Results - Ironman 70.3 Mooseman
Erik Anderson - 4:18:21, 5th Pro Male
Tim Tapply - 4:20:13, 6th Pro Male
Jason Frank - 4:29:23, 1st M30-34*

Rich Burke - 4:37:02, 2nd M45-49*
Logan Franks - 4:44:00
Vinny Johnson - 4:47:13, 3rd M35-39*
Jessie Donavan - 4:47:28, 5th Pro Female
Jennie Hansen - 4:51:09, 7th Pro Female
Stephen Gruchot - 5:15:47
David Miles - 5:18:54
Kate Weiler - 5:31:29, 5th F330-34
Adam Bensle - 5:34:17
Russet Morrow- 5:36:16, 6th F35-39
Sam Farnsworth - 5:48:11

Kathy Laska - 5:55:55, 9th F35-39*
Mark DeMello - 6:05:44
Ben Clark - 6:07:07
Dave Wilson - 6:28:18, 2nd M65-69*
Barbara Tardiff - 7:44:24, 4th F55-59

*Denotes Vegas slot

And while the weather was cold and raw in New Hampshire, it was sunny and beautiful, albeit a bit warm, down in Connecticut the same day for the Rev3Quassy Half Ironman. 15 QT2 athletes dove into the water at 7:00 a.m. including Pro athletes Jacqui Gordon and Doug MacLean.

If you haven't yet raced this course you might want to consider it in 2013. A great swim course with a challenging bike run profile that will keep you out of the aero bars for much of the day.

At the end of the day 5 out of the 15 athletes who raced finished in the top 5 of their respective age-groups including a 2nd place finish for Clydesdale Steve Soba! Congratulations!