Ironman China and Miami International Triathlon
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Marsh and McKenzie triumph over the full distance …
It’s not unusual to find more than one distance to choose from at a triathlon these days. Olympic and Sprint distances are often held over the same course a couple of hours apart or even at the same time but its extremely rare (I am not aware of any other occurrence) to find a full Ironman and 70.3 run simultaneously.That’s just one of the features that makes Ironman China so unique and a race that I simply have to do.
After being forced to abandon in Malaysia, Luke McKenzie arrived as a man on a mission which was evident as he led from start to finish to win in a new record time. It must however be noted that Rasmus Henning’s maiden, and only, Ironman win came in 45 degree heat. It was too much for runner up Jozsef Major who exited the water 12 minutes behind McKenzie and must be wondering what might have been if only he could swim better. It’s a case of the old adage ringing true - ‘You can’t win an Ironman on the swim but you can lose it’.
For Marsh it was all about the bike as she crushed the women’s field to enter T2 with a massive 32 minute lead before cruising home with an easy 3:42 marathon to beat Nicole Leder by just over 10 minutes. Marsh however wasn’t able to take advantage of the better weather conditions to improve upon Charlotte Paul’s phenomenal performance of last year that saw her finish 4th overall.
Women
- Amy Marsh (USA) 9:52:45
- Nicole Leder (GER) 10:02:58
- Heidi Jesberger (GER 10:08:52
Men
- Luke McKenzie (AUS) 8:41:15
- Jozsef Major (HUN) 8:52:29
- Jens Groenbek (DEN) 9:17:06
… while Granger and Croneborg take the half
While the youngsters were slugging it out on the long course it was the ‘more experienced’ stars in Chris McDonald and Belinda Granger that chose to test themselves over the 70.3 distance.
For Granger it was an emphatic victory as she led defending champion Amanda Balding home by almost 45 minutes. The rest of the top 10 was filled with age-groupers which must raise questions about the ability to attract a full field for both distances when they are held simultaneously.
Last years winner McDonald however wasn’t as lucky and had to back seat to new pro Fredrik Croneborg of Sweden.
Women
- Belinda Granger (AUS) 4:42:58
- Amanda Balding (AUS) 5:27:35
- Nicole Roddie (AUS) 5:29:40 (Age-Group 35-39)
Men
- Fredrik Croneborg (SWE) 4:15:40
- Chris McDonald (AUS) 4:21:39
- Raimo Raudsepp (EST) 4:25:24
It’s all USA in Miami
With the ITU season about to get underway it was the turn of the Americans to get in a warm up with the Miami International Triathlon and with around four weeks to the World Championship Series opener Team USA is looking very strong.
On the men’s side Chrabot was too good for Reed and Ironman specialist Chris Lieto while on the women’s side it was the consistent Sarah Haskins who strung together a solid swim, bike and run to outlast Jillian Petersen who is returning from a shoulder injury that put paid to most of last year.
Women
- Sarah Haskins (USA) 1:58:16
- Jillian Petersen (USA) 2:00:00
- Sara McLarty (USA) 2:02:13
Men
- Matt Chrabot (USA) 1:46:29
- Chris Lieto (USA) 1:48:00
- Matt Reed (USA) 1:48:14
Abu Dhabi Triathlon and New Zealand Champs
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Photo by Lizel Crawford
On a day when it was expected that the bikers would reign supreme it was the two Xterra World Champions that took victory against probably the best field outside of Kona.
While Dibens’ victory was somewhat expected, after starting as the favourite, it was Llanos that delivered the surprise after holding onto the main group during the 200km bike leg, which saw a spirited attack from Raynard Tissink, and then blitzing the field with his run speed over the 20km.
Proving that it was more of a foot race than anyone expected, Dirk Bockel and Rasmus Henning held onto second and third respectively, while swim leader Fraser Cartmell finished fourth.
Photo by Lizel Crawford
Women
- Julie Dibens (GBR) 7:08:25
- Leanda Cave (GBR) 7:12:23
- Virginia Berasategui (ESP) 7:18:23
Men
- Eneko Llanos (ESP) 6:34:37
- Dirk Bockel (LUX) 6:35:30
- Rasmus Henning (DEN) 6:36:07
Gemmell and Hewitt crowned New Zealand & Oceania Champs
Christchurch couple Andrea Hewitt and Laurent Vidal won the Contact Triathlon in Wellington which also served as the New Zealand and Oceania championships but because Vidal is technically still French, it was Kris Gemmell that was awarded the men’s titles despite finishing second.
For Hewitt, who finished third in the 2009 ITU World Championship Series, it was a first national title after making the racing on the bike leg with an unusual breakaway with Debbie Tanner and Nicky Samuels that saw them into T2 with a 52 second lead over the field.
From there it was the more conventional 10km dash with Hewitt getting an early gap on Tanner and holding the lead to the finish. Spare a thought for Samuels though who suffered cut to her foot and removed her shoe, only to be penalised under ITU rules that prohibit an athlete from competing barefoot during the run leg, but still hung onto third place.
Women
- Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 2:06:34
- Debbie Tanner (NZL) 2:07:22
- Nicky Samuels (NZL) 2:08:48
Men
- Laurent Vidal (FRA) 1:53:09
- Kris Gemmell (NZL) 1:53:21
- Ben Pattle (NZL) 1:53:46
Ironman New Zealand
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Photo by Hannah Johnston/Getty Images AsiaPac
In a sport where simply finishing is considered an achievement, victory is seen as a super-human effort. When you win more than one Ironman you are considered great, so what superlative do you use when someone wins the same race 9 times in 10 years?
Were it not for the cancelling of the swim in 2006, the year Ain-Alar Juhansson won, Cameron Brown would now have accomplished the unimaginable with full 10 out of 10.
This year it was the old battle of youth versus experience as we saw a repeat of last years race where Brown faced off against the rising start and future Ironman champion, Terenzo Bozzone. At the end of the day the result was the same but not before Bozzone raced off to what appeared to be an effortless 7 minute lead halfway into the bike. Reading Terenzo’s blog reveals that it was anything but effortless and, by his own admission, he let his excitement get the better of him. He was made to pay for it on the run as the wily old fox, Brown, responded with a blistering 2:47 marathon to cap a fantastic day and amazing record that might not be complete yet as he plans to return next year to make it 10 wins. Read More→
