The move, declared by Ironman CEO Andrew Messick in an email to all registered Ironman athletes, makes them the only Ironman 70.3 (1.9km swim/90km bike/21km run) triathlons in the world to provide standard age-group qualification slots for Ironman’s flagship 3.8km/180km/42.2km event, held in Hawaii since 1978.

Ironman 70.3 Hefei takes place in an iconic capital city in the eastern China Anhui Province. Hefei boasts a local culture and history that dates back more than 2,000 years. Well known both at home and abroad as a historic site famous for the Three Kingdoms Period, it’s also the hometown of Lord Bao.

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Located between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River and beside the Chaohu Lake, the city boasts an impressive collection of botanical gardens, temples, and other historical sites to help make your visit truly memorable.

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At Ironman 70.3 Xiamen, located on the southeast coast of China, athletes will be treated to the picturesque Island Ring Road and coastal avenues on the mainland that reflect the seaside city. The city’s name means “Garden of the Sea,” and it is both a modern port city and a prestigious tourist destination.

How to qualify for Kona

Ironman UK – course tips and everything you need to know

Ironman UK is the original UK long-distance race, with colourful crowds and a famous finish line experience. But how do you conquer the logistics, lumpy bike and lapped run of Bolton?

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Our step-by-step pre-race, swim, bike and run guide is provided by 2015 finisher Janine Doggett (click here to visit Janine’s ‘Triathlove’ blog!) and you’ll find various useful titbits from other finishers, plus stats and a bike course profile too…

PRE-RACE

Lanzarote it isn’t, yet modest Bolton provides an incredible Ironman race. The locality and calm lake swim make it an ideal first-time choice, while the bike course will challenge the toughest of riders. We named Ironman UK 7th in our top 10 European iron-distance races suitable for first timers.

It’s a good idea to recce the course before, and Pennington Flash offers swimming every Saturday morning before the big day. On race day, getting to the start is easy, but leave time to find the nutrition and post-race bag drop area as this isn’t immediately obvious.

THE SWIM

The race kicks off at 6am with a two-lap swim and, despite the quiet nervousness of over 2,000 people in neoprene, the well-organised start pens help to calm you before setting off.

The Flash is a decent temp (19°C in 2015) and there’s plenty of space to find your rhythm, but the water can be choppy. The buoys are easy to spot and the Aussie exit between laps is great for mentally breaking down the swim.

Go to page two to continue reading our mega guide to Ironman UK 

THE BIKE

After a short run to T1, a two-lap course through beautiful Lancashire countryside awaits. With 1,641m of ascent, Sheep House Lane is a tough 3km star of the show. There’s a technical bit at the foot of the descent that can catch people out – it’s marked but stay on guard (and ideally on your bike!).

Some sections are spookily quiet, but there’s sensational sporadic support en route, with locals sporting some outrageous outfits! At the Macron Stadium and T2 (it’s a split transition) there’s no assistance in racking your bike so be ready to find your number. The T2 tent offers a slightly larger privacy screen than T1, so if you want fresh kit for the run you can strip off.

The Bolton Bike course – provided by Veloviewer

A graphic showing the route and elevation profile of the Ironman UK bike course. Click here to see the full breakdown on veloviewer.com

The Ironman UK 180km bike course starts with a 22km ride from Pennington Flash to Anderton, where the first of two bike laps begins. The route flows over Rivington Reservoir before the ‘fun’ starts with the Sheep House Lane climb at 30km, which rises to an elevation of 327m. From 35km there’s a long, mostly downhill section before a tricky ascent at High Moor at 78km before lap two starts at the 100km point. T2 is the Macron Stadium in Bolton.

Go to the last page to find out some invaluable Ironman UK run tips

THE RUN

There’s a 10km point-to-point route before the lapped 8km course, which makes it up to 42.2km. It’s mostly flat but the laps are mentally challenging and, as it’s in a built-up area, there aren’t many nice views. The aid stations every 4km offer bananas, sugary drinks and a bucket-load of cheers!

Lucy Gossage, who stormed to victory in 2015, takes on the Bolton run course. Credit: Getty Images

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Having visited it three times already, the finisher funnel will feel like an old inflatable friend by the time you reach it. Ironman UK finishes at 11pm before it’s packed up fast, as if it were all just a beautiful dream of lactic acid, Lycra and ecstatic tears!

Ironman UK stats and figures

Average water temp: 16-19°C
Bike elevation: 1,641m
Run elevation: 290m
2015 DNF rate: 8%
2015 median finish time: 13:44:21

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Ironman UK kicks off on Sunday July 17th 2016, more information can be found on the Ironman UK website. A big thanks goes to Janine, Veloviewer and all our other contributors for helping 220 put this guide together. Do you have some need-to-know tips of your own, or anything else to add? Let us know in the comments!

Javier Gomez out of Rio 2016

The five-time ITU world champion Javier Gomez (ESP) has been forced to withdraw from competing in this year’s Olympic Games in Rio. In what must have been one of the hardest messages he’s ever had to, or will have to, write, the 33-year-old informed the world that due to a crash while bike training he had no choice but to pull out of the XXXI Olympiad

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“I’m really sorry to let you all know that yesterday, when I was just about to finish my bike training, I had one of those silly crashes, no faster than 15km/h. Immediately I felt pain in my elbow so we went to the hospital. Scans have confirmed a displaced fracture in the radial head of my left arm. Going into surgery today to fix it. 

“Unfortunately this has forced me to pull out of competing in Rio. I need to be realistic, there is no time to prepare and to be fit on the start line of the games. The most sensible thing is to open my spot and allow someone else the chance to race. 

“As you can imagine, this is a really tough time, it’s a goal I have been working for over many years. I will keep fighting, I still have many goals in this sport, I’m not done yet. I feel sad and disappointed to give you this news, thanks for the ongoing support.” 

A popular presence in multisport racing, the news comes as a blow to Gomez’s many fans both on and off the course. At time of writing, the Brownlees had yet to comment, but British Triathlon Performance Director Brendan Purcell had this to say to Tri247:

“That really is terrible news to hear. Javier is such a talented athlete, and you want the best athletes to be racing on the biggest stage. While Javier is perhaps the biggest threat and rival to Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee’s prospects, his presence would also be an asset. As such a strong all-round athlete, having Javier there increases the prospects of a small, breakaway group at the front of the race, making it much harder for some of the slightly weaker swimmers to get back into the race later. Sincere best wishes to Javier on his recovery.” 

Rio would have been Gomez’s third Games, having finished fourth in Beijing and second in London, with many predicting another podium finish for the former 70.3 and Xterra world champ. 

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We wish Javier Gomez all the best at this difficult time and wish him a speedy recovery.

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Classic Race: Challenge Roth 2011 revisited

Seven hours, 41 minutes and 33 seconds. While with five podiums he may forever be the bridesmaid at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, Germany’s Andreas Raelert remains the fastest man in long-distance triathlon history courtesy of a barely-believable finish time at Challenge Roth in Germany on 10 July 2011.

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“This was the performance of my life,” Raelert said post-race after perfect conditions, a partisan crowd and an athlete at the top of his game combined to produce an historic day. “I remember Chris McCormack said in an interview that the boys in the future will make 7:45 or sub-7:40hrs, and last week Marino Vanhoenacker [at Ironman Austria] opened this new chapter. It was just a question of time that the men would get to such times.”

A week after the Belgian Luc van Lierde’s 1997 long-distance benchmark of 7:50:27 was finally broken by Vanhoenacker at Ironman Austria, the 34-year-old Raelert took to the waters of Challenge Roth in Bavaria aiming to create a piece of history of his own. 

ROSTOCK RACER

After exiting the 3.8km Main-Donau Canal swim in 46:11mins, just seconds behind swim legend Benjamin Sanson of France, Raelert tore out of transition to establish an early gap on the 180km bike. By the time of the famed climb up the Solarer Berg at 70km into the ride, the racer from Rostock had a gap of two minutes over the-then-rising German star (and future Ironman world champ) Sebastian Kienle.

“I just have to say thank you to Sebastian because he pushed me absolutely to the limit,” Raelert laughed at the post-race press conference. “On the bike, Sebastian was coming from behind. I had to push as hard as I can just to get in his mind, to destroy him.” And destroy Kienle he would, producing a then world record 180km bike split of 4:11:43 (America’s Andrew Starykowicz would produce a 4:04:39 time at Ironman Florida  in 2012), before exiting T2 with the record in his grasp.

“When I entered T2 I heard we were around five hours and I was thinking a little bit to get under the course record,” Raelert said. “Sometimes you start to think to yourself, maybe it’s this moment, don’t let it slip away and just try to give everything you have.” 

Taking in the advice of his younger brother, fellow world-beating triathlete Michael Raelert, Andreas maintained an even pace before a strong finish. With two Olympic Games appearances in 2000 and 2004, Raelert is no stranger to speed and the German produced a final flourish in front of the watching masses in Bavaria to record a 2:40hr marathon time and enter the history books as the fastest man over 226km of racing.

Over in the women’s race, Chrissie Wellington would also smash the women’s long-distance record on that now legendary day for Iron racing. Chrissie, in what would become her penultimate long-distance race, posted the day’s second fastest overall marathon time of 2:44:35 to set a still-standing time of 8:18:13, coming in fifth position overall and laying down a time that the Ryfs, Carfraes and Van Vlerkens of the Iron world will forever struggle to topple.

Stay tuned for updates from Roth over the weekend as Jan Frodeno targets Raelert’s record from 7:30am (UK time) Sunday morning.

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Image: Getty

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WTS Hamburg: Zaferes wins her first WTS event

There is nothing unusual about seeing a USA athlete on the top of the podium but this time it was Katie Zaferes taking the top spot instead of Gwen Jorgensen, who had to settle for third place. In a great performance Rachel Klamer from The Netherlands took second and her first podium finish.

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Jorgensen was always the favourite for WTS Hamburg, which was raced over the sprint distance, but both Zaferes and Klamer had a great swim leg exiting in the lead group behind Britain’s Lucy Hall, and from then on never lost their command of the race. 

They formed a lead group of eight on the bike leg which included Hall, Charlotte Bonin, Mari Rabie, and Caroline Routia and quickly managed to gain a lead of about 30 seconds on the first chase group which contained Gwen Jorgensen.  Initially Helen Jenkins and Jodie Stimpson were in the second chase group, but then the two groups merged and the pair came to the front to try and push the pace.

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To have any chance of making the podium Jenkins and Stimpson had to make a break on the bike but just could not dent Zaferes and Klamer’s advantage and they entered the run leg with a 45 second lead. Stimpson and Jenkins entered the run ahead of the running machine Jorgensen who had entered the run leg at the back of the pack, but could just not keep her at bay. 

However despite some some serious running from Jorgensen, which saw her complete the 5km in just 15:43 she just could not catch Zaferes and Klamer and in the final stages Zaferes proved she had more left in her legs and made a move away from Klamer to secure her first WTS victory with Klamer in second.

 “I am so excited! The first part, this beginning of the year was not what I wanted, said Zaferes. “I was not the Katie that I know I am, and today I just raced like me and I got the reward and it was awesome!”

“I just decided to keep it simple, I had been overthinking stuff at the beginning of the year and today I just was going to go as hard as I can in the swim, bike and run and that is what I did and I believed in myself. This is exactly what I needed just going into Rio, is just to see that I was the same person that I was last year.”

“I am really happy, I can’t describe it,” said Klamer.  “The last couple of years I have made progress and this morning I was talking with Richard (Murray) and I was like ‘one day I want to be on that podium’, thought it probably would not be today, but maybe in a year from now. But when we were racing in the swim, which actually I was most worried about, I felt like I had a good position so just had to keep working on it. And then on the bike, the girls were working together, which was really good and then on the run when I looked back I thought, ‘well today must be that day’.”

This is the second time Jorgensen has been beaten this year after Jenkins beat her in Gold Coast

Despite being beaten by Jorgensen Stimpson had a great run leg to finish in 4th meaning she now lies second in the series behind current leader Flora Duffy, while  Helen Jenkins finished in 14th and Lucy Hall finished 20th.

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For full results of WTS Hamburg click here

Mario Mola wins WTS Hamburg

Without the Brownlees and Javier Gomez, who had broken his arm when training and is now out of the Olympics,  the Spaniard Mario Mola was always the favourite to win the sprint distance, and he did not disappoint with his fourth WTS win of the season. South Africa’s Richard Murray looked certain to take second until he displayed unsportsmanlike behaviour on hearing he had incurred a penalty led the officials to disqualify him from the race.

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Mola finished the swim in 13th place but not to far from the leaders and fellow training partner Murray, who was racing for first time after breaking his collarbone. However a mistake from Murray in transition when he threw his swim cap into the wrong box cost him a ten second penalty to take on the run.

Wet conditions gave tricky and slippery conditions for the bike leg and the pack of about 25 knew that if they had any chance of beating Mola and Murray they had to try and make a break and several were tried by USA athlete Ben Kanute and Andreas Schilling.  However these were unsuccessful and with transition in sight Mola and Murray hit the front and after a clean transition started the run in the lead and from then on a win for Mola was never in doubt.

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Murray didn’t realise he had a penalty until the final lap and when entering the penalty area could be seen asking the official furiously what he had done wrong.  He then sprinted out and  still managed to take second, thanks to a 17 second lead, with Jake Birtwhistle just taking 3rd from Fernando Alarza after the Spaniard sprinted for the line.

But the drama hadn’t finished as Murray’s fury was evident to all and he could be seen arguing with officials  who then made the decision to disqualify him for unsportsmanlike behaviour. This meant Birtwhistle finished in second and Alarza took third. 

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Mola has won WTS Abu Dhabi, Gold Coast, and Yokohama this year and is now the current leader in the series

Jan Frodeno smashes Iron record at Roth

Jan Frodeno has today smashed the iron-distance world record at Challenge Roth in Bavaria. The 2008 Olympic champ and reigning Ironman and 70.3 world champion shattered Andreas Raelert’s existing record by six minutes on a remarkable day of racing in front of 250,000 spectators. 

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Elsewhere, Joe Skipper became the first British Iron man to go sub-8hr after finishing in second and Daniela Ryf came within touching distance of Chrissie Wellington’s Iron record time (more of which later).

It’s been the talk of the region for weeks, but Sunday 17th of July finally arrived and with it Jan Frodeno’s attempt to break Andreas Raelert’s Iron-distance world record. Raelert’s time of 7:41:33 has stood since a classic day of racing in 2011 (when Chrissie Wellington also broke the Iron record), and with calm, dry and overcast conditions gracing the Bavarian skies, Frodeno may never have had a better chance to break his compatriot’s record.

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The 15th edition of Challenge Roth (the race has been held under various guises since 1984, including under the Ironman banner) kicked-off at 6:30am with a 3.8km swim leg in the Europakanal. As hot-air balloons lifted and 50,000 spectators graced the river banks, the reigning Ironman and 70.3 world champ, Frodeno, instantly stamped his authority on the race, opening up a 30m lead by the midway stage. 

That’d increased to over a minute over defending Roth champ Nils Frommhold by T1, where Frodo boarded his Canyon Speedmax after a 45:22 swim split, nearly a minute faster than Raelert’s 2011 effort. The lead chasing pack  – including Tyler Bufferfield – were 5mins down on Frodeno (and three on Frommhold) by the time of the Solarberg.

ENTER SOLARBERG

Located in Hilpoltstein town, the Solarberg is surely triathlon’s most iconic climb, with five-deep crowds numbering over 50,000 producing a cacophony of rattles, cowbells and singing (‘Seven Nation Army’ mostly). Frodeno surged up the hill in front of the raucous crowds, followed by Fromhold and Butterfield before Britain’s Joe Skipper – clearly loving the experience and grinning his way up the hill – had broken free from the lead pack. Top Brit Ironman Skipper himself was hoping to break records today, beating Paul Amey’s British Iron record time of 8:01:29 and becoming the first British man to go sub-8hr on the 226km circuit. 

Cut to 100km on the bike and Frodeno had over a seven minute lead over the chasers, and that had extended to 12:30mins by the time of T2 when Frodeno rocked up with a 4:08:07 bike course record, smashing Andrew Starykowicz’s 2015 record by over a minute (and 3mins faster than Raelert’s 2011 time). Next up was the Iron record, but with the temperatures rising in Roth and plenty of solitary stretches on the canal-side run, the German wouldn’t have it easy.

Skipper was also on course for his British record breaking, exiting T2 in sixth after storming back into contention with a 4:21:12 bike split. That position would become fourth by 12km on the run as Skipper moved past Tyler Butterfield and Cyril Viennott.

But all eyes both locally and internationally were now on Frodeno, with a 2:45hr marathon (or faster) run the target. Frodeno never seemingly struggled throughout the 42.2km run, and he’d re-enter Roth to an ecstatic stadium to cross the line in 7:35:39, beating Raelert’s five-year record by a stunning 5:56mins.

Following Frodeno home was expected to be defending champ Frommhold, but Skipper had edged past him with less than a kilometre to go to enter the packed stadium to incredible scenes. Seconds later, Skipper became the first British man to break the magical eight hour barrier in 7:56:23 after the day’s best run of 2:38:52, a time that’s eluded such UK greats as Spencer Smith and Tim Don. And, Skipper’s dad tell us, it could’ve been even faster were it not for an extended toilet stop in the woods early on the run…

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Stay tuned for more reaction from Roth and the pro press conference. Image: Challenge/Getty

Daniela Ryf wins Challenge Roth

After Jan Frodeno’s heroics in the men’s event, Daniela Ryf came within touching distance of the women’s Iron record at the 2016 edition of Challenge Roth, with her 8:22:04 finish time just four minutes slower than Chrissie Wellington’s 2011 epic time.

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The women’s race, like the men’s, was similarly dominated by a reigning Ironman world champ from the gun in Bavaria. In front of 50,000 spectators, Ironman and 70.3 world champ Daniela Ryf exited the 3.8km swim in 48:48mins and never looked like losing her grip on the race, sitting within the top 10 men throughout.

A late entry into the race after feeling ill at Ironman Frankfurt a fortnight before Roth, Ryf was told by coach Brett Sutton to take it easy after 150km on the bike but that advice was evidently disregarded as she destroyed a women’s field including longtime Roth favourite Yvonne Van Vlerken. 

Onto the run and Ryf’s only rivals were the clock and the pro men, with the Swiss athlete sitting in eight overall by 12km. In the build-up Ryf, unlike Frodeno, had downplayed any record attempt on Chrissie Wellington’s 8:18:13 Roth record. But by halfway through the marathon it was clearly on, with Ryf looking strong and in control.

Her margin over the women’s lead chasers was 18mins by 35km on the run, but Chrissie’s record remained just out of reach as the Swiss danced across the line in 8:22:04 to post the third fastest female Iron time in history. Waiting at the finish was Chrissie herself, who has the top two spots in the Iron speed hall of fame after her exploits in Roth.

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Australia’s Carrie Lester was second, while regular Roth favourite and Dutch star Yvonne Van Vlerken came home in third. Brit pro Laura Siddall would post a PB to finish fourth in 8:51.

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Challenge Roth podium interviews

JAN FRODENO (CHAMPION)

On… being the Iron record holder

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I’m feeling sore and it’s hard coming down from the high of finishing. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and it was hard not to overpace actually on Solarberg. I’m glad my ears are still intact from the crowd noise and I’ve done this bucket list race. To break a world record you need to race big or go home.

On… battles

My inner voice told me to slow down and I think I actually went too slow on the first lap. I even crashed on the second lap but still did it faster than the first. Although I’m not sure now if I can have a second child! I played with my limits a few times especially on the marathon, and I had a few darker moments but I kept my poker face on.

On… pain

Man, I was in pain but this being my fastest marathon by a long time meant I was in even more pain. There was so much relief to finally stop and when I read the time i was so happy for it. It’s a mixture of disbelief and being content. 

On… the speed of Roth

On the first lap I was upset that I actually touched my brakes once. It’s been said a lot but the atmosphere here is so unique and how Roth lives and breathes this race is why the age-groupers and elite athletes count it as a favourite. You can’t buy history like this.

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On… retirement

I wouldn’t know how else I’d make a living. I’m not sure if I’d come back next year or when I’ve officially retired so I can enjoy it more.

JOE SKIPPER (2ND MALE)

On… breaking the British Iron record

That was my goal to come here and do that. And to get on the podium is a dream with the field we had here so I’m over the moon. I had a tough swim and I felt like someone was trying to drown me! I did 52mins when I wanted 50mins. I also wanted 4:15hrs on the bike but was again a little slow. 

On… hitting second

There’s a big of work to do on the swim, but I didn’t think I’d run that quick. I realised I might make the podium until someone told me Nils was just ahead. I thought Nils would tag onto me and it’d come down to a sprint finish so I just went for it. 

On… being young for an Iron pro

I don’t think about that, but I’ll hopefully be the bride one day at racing because I keep being the bridesmaid. I’d love to come back next year to race. 

DANIELA RYF (CHAMPION)

On… racing to win

I didn’t care about winning today but I just wanted to swim, bike and run out there. It wasn’t fun not finishing the race at Ironman Frankfurt, and I miss just doing a race and enjoying it. And I really did enjoy it and the spectators are great, and the bike course is the nicest I’ve ever done. I’ve heard so much about it and I’m glad I’ve done it. I swam with the boys and given my time it must have helped. It’s not often in a long-distance race that you get to enjoy it. 

On… the Roth course

I heard that it’s fast but it’s definitely a great course, with uphills and then fast downhills to rest your legs.

On… Chrissie’s record

Of course it’s a motivation for me; she’s a legend and I admire how strong she was. A big respect for Jan to say he’d break the record and actually do it. Today was perfect conditions, so who knows for next time?

CARRIE LESTER (2ND FEMALE)

I had an interesting day when none of my equipment worked. I thought I charged everything but obviously hadn’t. So everything today was by feel and I didn’t know my time until the finish time. And it was a lot faster than last year. I went by instinct and picked Yvonne up at 25km and we ran together until near the end. I’ve finished third and second at Roth, so next year don’t come back Daniela! Winning Roth would be a dream.

YVONNE VAN VLERKEN (3RD FEMALE)

On… another sub-9hr finish and puking

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It was my eleventh sub-9hr finish. I should be happy with a third but… I’m a little fish rather than a big fish like the other girls. I was putting out numbers better than I ever have on the bike and I really wanted to run a 2:54hr marathon. I puked over my toes so I asked the camera man to go away! I don’t know what went wrong and felt good until I started puking! After 5mins of that I had nothing left. The conditions were the best I’ve ever had here. I’m really happy for Carrie to finish second as she’s such a sweet girl. 

Gossage wins Ironman UK for third time

Britain’s, and 220’s columnist, Lucy Gossage has successfully defended her Ironman UK title in Bolton at the weekend, while in the men’s pro race Kirill Kotsegarov was the victor.

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 Fresh from the Ironman European championship in Frankfurt just 2 weeks ago, Katja Konschak, was first out of the water but was quickly wheeled in by the charging Tine Deckers (BEL) and Lucy Gossage (GBR). The pair traded the lead for the first 60 miles, after which Gossage made her move, gaining about 4 minutes as she headed out of T2. Gossage then went on to finish in a time of 09:26:05. 

 Tine Decker pushed hard on the run, to produce a brilliant second place finishing in 09:45:21, ahead of Katja Konschak completing the podium in 10:13:18.

This is Gossage’s third victory here, winning in 2013 and 2015. “I only entered last minute as I just couldn’t bear to miss out on racing at Ironman UK,” she said. “It is such a special race to me. The UK crowds and support can’t beat any other race. 

 “Tine is a world class athlete and I knew I had to be on form – you never know what’s going to happen out there but I’m really pleased with my performance. Tine had an amazing race but my course knowledge and home crowd support definitely helped me push through so I could even enjoy the run once I had built enough of a lead.””

In the men’s Romain Guillaume (FRA) Markus Thomschke (GER) Krill Kotsegarov (EST) Karl-Johan Danielson (SWE ) Andrej Vistica (CRO) and Harry Wiltshire (BBR) quickly established themselves as the contenders with Guillaume the early leader after making a break on the bike and gaining a lead of over 9 minutes.

However the chasing pack were pushing hard and by the time Romain got to T2, having lost 7 minutes, it was apparent that he wasn’t feeling well. Despite a considerable lead and enthusiastic crowds leading him out of T2, Romain was overhauled by Thomschke and Kotsegarov as the leading duo, with Danielson looking like a firm bronze contender, as Guillaume quickly withdrew from the race.

The leading pair tussled together to the half way point, when Kotsegarov made his move on a tiring Thomschke, to win in 08:41.13 and claiming his 3rd Ironman win. Thomschke held onto 2nd place finishing in 8:50:03.  

But the drama wasn’t over as Andrej Vistica (CRO), who had exited T2 over 17 minutes behind the leader, made a surprise surge and the race was on for the final podium spot. Producing a blistering 02:53:00 marathon run, Vistica his way up the field, overtaking Danielson at the 33km marker to take a worthy bronze in 08:58:50. 

GB’s Harry Wiltshire came 5th in a time of 09:05:35

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 “It was fantastic to improve on my 3rd place performance in 2014,” said Kotsegarov. “That was a very tough bike but I was able run well. The crowds were amazing and a huge help to have their support.”  

Women

1.

Gossage, Lucy

GBR

00:56:13

05:15:04

03:08:20

09:26:05

2.

Deckers, Tine

BEL

00:55:19

05:20:00

03:22:28

09:45:21

3.

Konschak, Katja

GER

00:54:02

05:53:44

03:14:44

10:13:18

4.

Godesky, Alyssa

USA

00:58:45

05:57:12

03:18:44

10:23:42

5.

Gill, Vicky

GBR

01:07:21

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06:04:39

04:55:14

12:16:25

Men

1.

Kotsegarov, Kirill

EST

00:51:19

04:52:35

02:50:09

08:41:13

2.

Thomschke, Markus

GER

00:51:21

04:52:38

02:59:13

08:50:03

3.

Vistica, Andrej

CRO

00:53:25

05:04:50

02:53:36

08:58:50

4.

Danielsson, Karl-Johan

SWE

00:51:14

04:56:46

03:05:32

08:59:48

5.

Wiltshire, Harry

GBR

00:45:35

05:11:19

03:03:05

09:05:35