Archive for Cameron Brown
Frankfurter Sparkasse Ironman European Championships
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Germany victorious
While younger brother Michael is making all the headlines with his results over the 70.3 distance, Andreas Raelert showed that he too can lead from the front with a devastating display of power biking to crush the field and take the Ironman European Championship.
Raelert made the most of a non-wetsuit swim to exit T1 in the lead and then set about destroying the field on a bike course that measured 185km’s, instead of the conventional 180km’s, due to a road works detour in the town of Bad Vilbel. With recent discussions around how fast one could really expect to go in an Ironman indicating that 4:15 was about as good as it would get, Raelert’s 4:20 showed that on the right course and under the right conditions we may one day see someone come in around the 4 hour mark. A straight line adjustment shows that he would have done a 4:13 for 180km’s and this is not even the fastest bike course out there.
Behind defending champion, Timo Bracht, was not about to give up his crown that easily but with a 10 minute deficit heading out onto the run, he would have his work cut out to catch Raelert. Despite posting the fastest run split of the day, a 2:47, it was not enough to catch Raelert who was merely controlling the gap and probably could have gone faster. Third place turned into an Antipodean battle between Chris McCormack and Cameron Brown, with McCormack producing a strong run to take the final podium spot.
Sandra Wallenhorst might have found herself 10 minutes behind early leader Katja Konschak after the swim but she didn’t let that deter her as she put together a solid bike and excellent run to take a well deserved, come from behind, victory.
For most the day, it was Caroline Steffen that looked the likely winner as behind her, Wallenhorst and Yvonne Van Vlerken raced side by side without making any significant inroads into Steffen’s lead. It was only in the later stages of the run that Wallenhorst found the extra gear to drop Van Vlerken and catch Steffen, thereby ensuring a clean sweep of both men’s and women’s titles by the home nation, Germany.
Women
- Sandra Wallenhorst (GER) 9:04:27
- Caroline Steffen (SWI) 9:06:42
- Yvonne Van Vlerken (NED) 9:10:21
Men
- Andreas Raelert (GER) 8:05:15
- Timo Bracht (GER) 8:10:22
- Chris Mccormack (AUS) 8:14:43
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→
Ironman Kona 2009 – Top 10 Men Picks
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With less than three weeks to go until the ‘Big Dance’ I have decided to stick my neck out and list my favourites for the men’s race.
Unlike the ladies race where Chrissie Wellington must surely start as favourite there are a couple of men who could take home the title. If recent form is anything to go by then Craig Alexander looks set for a repeat but I think it would be premature to write off previous world champs Chris McCormack and Normann Stadler.
Then there are the outsiders led by my favourite, although he may have to wait a year or two for a win, Terenzo Bozzone. Other’s include 2005 champion, Faris Al-Sultan, Ironman South Africa winner, Marino Vanhoenacker and Spaniard Eneko Llanos. So here goes my top 10:
Craig Alexander
The defending champion must surely be at the top of the list for a repeat victory. If his result in Muskoka, where he ran a 1:14 half-marathon, is anything to go by, he is in great shape. Recent talk has centred around Kona coming down to a foot race and if that’s the case there aren’t many who can beat him. I expect him to podium at least and if there was a sure bet in the men’s race then Craig Alexander is it.
Chris McCormack
The 2008 champion who has publicly stated that he wants to win again in Kona before retiring. Having taken 6 years to figure out Kona, he had a bad day last year and abandoned. He was however not alone and if Chris can reproduce the form that took him to victory, he will certainly challenge. Look for a thrilling duel between him and Alexander in the final stages of the run that might bring back memories of the great Ironwar.
Normann Stadler
Normann is as likely to win as he is to suffer another melt down in the lava fields of Kona. If the wind blows and he can get out front early on the bike, it could be the end for the rest of the field. It will require a good swim (his weak point) and a significant lead into T2 but under the right conditions this is a real possibility.
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