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Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf claimed a fifth Ironman 70.3 title in six years, beating Britain’s Holly Lawrence into second, with Lucy Charles-Barclay having to settle for fifth after receiving a 5min drafting penalty on the bike.
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Ryf, 32, who has also won the past four Ironman world titles in Hawaii, used the descent from the Maritime Alps’ Col de Vence in the second half of the bike leg to do the damage, opening a 2min gap on her rivals that she extended over the half-marathon for a comprehensive 3:58 victory margin.
Lawrence, the 2016 world champion in Mooloolaba who has recovered from a foot injury that plagued her throughout 2017 and 2018, looked strong throughout and pulled clear of Switzerland’s Imogen Simmonds at the start of the run to secure a runner-up berth.
“If you’d have told me this time last year that this would happen, when I was in the worst state of my life with a broken foot in a boot, and it really looked grim… I am just so happy,” she said.
“Daniela was class out there. Descending [on the bike] I was worried about and I lost time, but it was so much better than I thought it would be. The last three miles were so hard on the run. I was closing my eyes at times trying to relax. Next year I’ll definitely be back and who knows, maybe even Kona.”
Simmonds held on for third, with USA’s world championship debutant Chelsea Sodaro running through for fourth, ahead of Charles-Barclay. Emma Pallant, runner-up in 2017, ran up to ninth and India Lee held on for 11th, meaning four of the seven British women starters made the top 11.
In the 1.9km non-wetsuit swim off the Cote d’Azur, there was little surprise that Charles-Barclay, second in both the Ironman 70.3 and Ironman world championships last year, set the early pace.
Despite her minute lead being whittled away in T1, she still led for the opening 12km of the bike leg that weaved through the outskirts of Nice before embarking on the major climb, the Col de Vence.
It was Lawrence who then became the main aggressor, and with Ryf for company, surged to the front in the foothills of the ascent. London 2012 Olympians Paula Findlay and Lisa Norden were also still in contention, but it was New Zealand’s Amelia Watkinson — a six-time 70.3 champion — who next seized the initiative to punch her way to the lead and open almost a minute’s gap by the summit.
Approaching halfway on the 90km bike leg, there was a race-defining twist for Charles-Barclay, as she picked up a blue card and 5min penalty for drafting. Ryf then took charge on the descent and quickly reeled in Watkinson before using her superior bike-handling skills to open a gap.
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By the time Ryf reached T2 with a race-best bike split of 2:33:38, she was 2:35 ahead of Lawrence and Simmonds, with Watkinson 4:18 back, Norden 6:34 in arrears and Charles-Barclay fighting back to sixth but 7:11 behind the leader and out of contention for victory. The best of the other Brits was Bath-based Lee, who’d slipped to 8:36 behind in 10th.
Ryf always looked in control over the half-marathon that traversed the Promenade des Anglais, and while the gap narrowed by a few seconds as Lawrence struck out purposefully from transition, by halfway on the run it was widening once more.
The Swiss looked more comfortable the longer she went and used much of the final kilometre to high-five fans lining the course as she continued her stranglehold on women’s long course racing.
“I don’t think it matters how many titles you have, it’s races like today that matter,” she said. “I had a fantastic swim and came out with 10 other girls. Everyone was pushing hard and in the end I was happy to make a little gap on the downhill.
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“You needed a lot of skills today on the bike and on the run Holly was pushing hard. I was pushed to my maximum, but that’s what world championships are about.”
Norway’s Gustav Iden thwarted the dream of Britain’s Alistair Brownlee to win a first Ironman 70.3 world title in Nice.
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Yorkshire’s two-time Olympian, 31, had prioritised the race after finishing runner-up to Jan Frodeno last year in South Africa.
But while he was in the leading trio coming off the bike, he proved no match for the foot-speed of Iden in the half-marathon along the Promenade des Anglais, as the 23-year-old Norwegian displaced 2008 winner Terenzo Bozzone as the 70.3 distance’s youngest world champion.
Iden stopped the clock at 3:52:35 with Brownlee 2:43 behind in second, a further 86sec clear of local favourite Rudy von Berg, who grew up in the region but represents USA.
Last weekend’s World Triathlon Series Grand Final winner Kristian Blummenfelt was fourth, ahead of two-time 70.3 champion, Sebastian Kienle, Bart Aernouts and Spain’s multiple world champion Javier Gomez.
Britain’s George Goodwin, the Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 winner, also produced a noteworthy performance in only his second season as a professional, as he moved through the field on the bike to eventually finish 12th.
“The swim was good and out on the bike I was on my own early doors giving it everything,” Brownlee said. “I got caught by Rudy and Gustav a couple of Ks down the descent [on the bike] and I felt good [on the run] for three or four Ks, but by 5km that was it, I was ready to finish. I don’t know what happened, maybe I pushed it too hard on the bike, or the heat, or whatever. I’m a bit disappointed but held on for dear life.
“I knew Gustav would run well. I’d been running well in training and was in shape to run a really quick half-marathon, but didn’t have the legs. I’ve trained hard for this and will try and put it all into Kona now and see how it goes.”
Iden’s race-best 1:08:10 half-marathon against Brownlee’s 1:10:43 proved the difference, but while the Norwegian may not have enjoyed the highest profile in the lead-up to the event, his performance should raise few eyebrows.
He already holds the second fastest time ever over the distance (3:29:25), which he set in Bahrain in December in finishing runner-up to Blummenfelt in an all-Norwegian podium, and had already won a 70.3 title in Norway as a 20-year-old in 2016.
He has also enjoyed his best year summer of short course racing in 2019, coming fresh from a fourth place finish in Lausanne in the World Triathlon Series Grand Final that backed up the same result in the Tokyo Olympic test event a fortnight earlier. Iden also made the podium in the WTS Bermuda for a second consecutive year in April.
Despite the victory, which also stood out for Iden riding a road bike as opposed to the more popular time-trial alternative, the Norwegian stressed his immediate future lies very much over the shorter distance,
“It’s still the Olympics I’m going for,” he said. “It’s the ultimate thing you can do in sports. I’d love to do more long distance and a full Ironman, but now I have to go for what matters the most and that’s the Olympics. I would love to do Kona one day, though.”
Asked about his choice of bike which, despite the hilly course that wended into the Maritime Alps, bucked the trend of the rest of the field, he said: “I think a TT bike would be faster, but I don’t really have any sponsors for a suitable TT bike. Well, I have a TT bike, but it’s without brakes, so probably a good job I used a road bike.”
Australian Josh Amberger led out the 50-strong starting field in the 25.6 degree waters off the Cote d’Azur with Brownlee tucking into his slipstream and Blummenfelt, Gomez, Von Berg and Britain’s Adam Bowden all in close contention.
Amberger was back on the beach just 23:15 later, with the pace proving too hot for Ironman world champion Patrick Lange, who was 76sec adrift, and Kienle, at almost 4mins back.
From there Brownlee took control and burst quickly to the front of the 90km ride with American Ben Kanute for company as the duo whipped through the streets of Nice before commencing the assault on the Col de Vence.
Australian Sam Appleton, a 13-time 70.3 winner, pushed himself into the mix, but last year’s third-placed finisher and one of the pre-race favourites Gomez was among those struggling to live with Brownlee’s climbing prowess.
With a total vertical ascent of 1,367m the field was being splintered, but it was Iden, who looked to be showing no ill-effects from his previous weekend’s endeavours, who came past Kanute into second.
Brownlee passed the halfway mark and led over the top of the climb, but Von Berg swept past the two-time Olympic champion on the descent. As they headed back into Nice for the final 10km of the bike, Von Berg, Brownlee and Iden had opened a 3min gap on Kanute, with Blummefelt 4.22 behind and the big biking American Andrew Starykowicz muscling himself into sixth.
The first three all clocked 2:17 bike splits, and with the best of those chasing, Bart Aernouts and Sebastian Kienle, only mustering 2:19, the podium looked settled saving calamity for one of the leaders.
Brownlee took his time in T2, before starting the run at a high cadence and taking the lead, but as soon as Iden brushed past the gap opened, and the result didn’t look in doubt.
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Elliot Smales in 20th, finished one place ahead of Bowden, with Sam Pictor in 25th and Thomas Davis rounding out the Brits in 30th.
Representative age-group racing should be celebrated as a great triathlon success story – at its best when those new to the sport realise they have a talent for swim, bike and run and find a route to sporting achievement. With the categories topping out with the 85-89-year-old age-group in last year’s ITU world champs on Gold Coast, it clearly provides invigorating competition, irrespective of age.
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It should therefore retain athletes in triathlon for longer, and create camaraderie and a sense of pride in flying the nation’s flag.
Yet its governance is one of the sport’s most thorny issues, and while occasional gripes are unavoidable, sometimes decisions really raise hackles. Such was the case when British Triathlon decreed that age-group competitors wanting to represent in 2019 must buy the latest kit, going against a ruling from the ITU that previous years’ race uniforms would suffice.
It effectively strong-arms qualifiers into forking out upwards of £120 for a new tri-suit, on top of up to £320 for a standard-distance entry, plus a £20 international race fee and minimum £36 British Triathlon membership. That’s before travel and accommodation.
It’s not simply the extra cost, but the impression that a loyal and captivated audience is being exploited. The flames are further fanned because, unlike when taking part in Ironman, a private company known for its aggressive for-profit stance, athletes feel they’re being screwed over by their national governing body – the organisation that should have their backs.
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Discussing age-group racing is divisive. Past columns on this subject have been met with a backlash for decrying the achievements of triathletes who work hard to qualify. On the contrary, I salute any athlete who makes the start line, be it aquathlon, duathlon or triathlon. The supporting personnel for the GB age-group team also regularly receive glowing reviews.
But to whitewash the current structure as fit for purpose belies the feeling of many who enter in good faith but become disillusioned with the system. It doesn’t help that few nations put as much stock in age-group racing as Britain, which means events look lopsidedly stuffed with competitors wearing the Union Jack. Look up past world and European races and the individual achievement of securing a qualifying berth is undermined by an excess of British athletes on the start list.
Despite the high fees, British Triathlon says it makes little profit from this venture and admits it’s a problem that needs addressing. Perhaps the finances simply don’t add up and age-group racing relies on heavy British involvement to function, but it’s time to take stock.
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A representative team should reward high-achieving amateurs and make wearing the GB colours something to aspire to. There needs to be fewer racing and more financial support given. Or that mandatory tri-suit you’ve been forced to buy will be all sheen without substance.
Is it time for the World Triathlon Series to return to a one-off race for the world title? The question has been often posited since the International Triathlon Union first introduced the multi-race series in 2009 that demands triathletes accrue points throughout the season before lining up for an upweighted Grand Final.
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The sport’s luminaries have long lamented abandoning a single showdown format, among the questioning voices, Alistair Brownlee. The two-time Olympic champion has featured increasingly sparingly since winning a second world title in 2011, but in enjoying the Grand Final spoils four times, has underscored his appetite for one-day competition.
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The series concept is no failure. It gives prominence to regional races, is admirably global to widen triathlon’s outreach, and has established host venues that draw large crowds (Hamburg and Leeds) and loyal investment (Yokohama and Edmonton). It’s also climaxed in notable drama – the Jonny Brownlee versus Javier Gomez sprint finish in London, 2013, or Jonny’s implosion in Cozumel in 2016.
Yet it suffers, not because of its drawn-out format, but because virtually all stakeholders are beholden to major Games. Federations’ funding is majorly linked to Olympic performance, meaning jobs teeter perilously on results of a once-every-four-year contest. For those racing, a medal unlocks non-endemic sponsorship opportunities, which, given lowly prize money, few would begrudge. The net result is that the WTS’s lustre is stymied because the world’s best can never fully commit – and the talent drains as follows…
The year after the Olympics, triathletes, either frazzled by the qualification process, or realising they don’t have the top-end speed to still be competitive in four years, turn to other options, with many finding a niche – and more autonomy – in non-drafting events.
The following year, the Commonwealths take precedence for many leading nations. Take 2018. Both Flora Duffy and Henri Schoeman peaked for gold in Gold Coast in April, yet couldn’t sustain form and fitness to mount a WTS challenge. The shame being Duffy was favourite for a third straight title.
Attention then turns back to Olympic qualification, but the vagaries of nations’ selection criteria mean triathletes race selectively, tactically and often conservatively to secure an Olympic berth.
In Games’ year, the focus is all on the one race. As if to emphasise, no triathlete has won Olympic gold and the WTS in the same year.
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For the WTS to prosper, it needs all the best triathletes to be invested all of the time. In turn, that helps engage both public and sponsors, and lays a foundation for fans to care enough to follow the narrative of the season and understand the nuance of a Grand Final when the first across the line isn’t necessarily the world champion. Otherwise, a one-off showdown is the way to go.
Why has the PTO made the decision to try and buy Ironman?
Ever since Providence Capital Partners first saddled WTC with $200 million debt and prepared for their exit sale, the business has been starved of investment. When WSG acquired WTC it burdened the operation with additional debt, thus restricting any ability of the dedicated management to invest and promote the business.
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Our goal in acquiring the Ironman assets is free it from this excessive debt burden and we are in discussions with partners where a healthy portion of equity is injected into the business to reduce interest payments and increase investment in things like promotion, production, race standards and prize money, and maybe even a health insurance programme for professionals.
You must admit something is wrong when athletes like Matt Russell and Tim Don are reduced to GoFundMe pages and charitable sponsor donations to pay medical bills after bike accidents at a World Championship Event. It is actually heartbreaking to see, and to be honest, we are a bit surprised the community is not more upset by this.
How confident are you this will happen – has there been any signs from Wanda that they’re open to this?
While we have not had any overt signs from Wanda before our letter, our bankers, North Point Advisors, have analysed the WSG Financial Statements and the performance of the IPO, and have advised that this an opportune time to start discussions.Since we have now sent our letter and released it publicly, we will not be permitted to comment on any ongoing discussions.
You never know how these things work out. By acting through a collective body like the PTO, the professional are uniquely able to provide significant value to our partners and support and grow the sport we love. This is about athlete self-determination. Our sport is mature enough and economically large enough that, the PGA Golf Tour and the ATP Tennis, the PTO, with or with Ironman, will begin to take responsibility and control of the direction and economics of the sport, and continue to reinvest those economics so the sport has sustainable growth, instead of feeding a highly leveraged financial investor. The athlete self-determination of the sport is inevitable and is seemed to us the cooperative acquisition of Ironman at this time would be the least disruptive route, but it will happen with or without the acquisition.
Why have you decided to release this statement and not kept it under wraps?
Since WSG is a public company, and our proposal could constitute material information and be subject to leaked selective disclosure, our lawyers have advised us that it would be prudent to release the contents of our letter to the markets. We now will have no further comment on the status of our discussions.
Where will the funding for the purchase come from ?
We are in the process of talking to a number of partners and we will be quite selective as it is important for us to work with a group that shares our vision.
If successful, what will this mean for elites?
This is the first step in the logical path for self determination for the professional athletes in our sport but we believe this won’t just benefit elites – we believe we can raise the profile of triathlon for all stakeholders in our sport – sponsors, age-groupers, other event organisers. We believe Ironman is an incredible brand and business and we want to ensure its longevity and success far into the future.
Prize money is an important component here and can’t be ignored (as an example – Kona prize purse has seen zero growth in the past 8 years despite age group revenues rising 66%) – but the path to self-determination for the athletes goes far beyond that – from input into schedules, regulations, sponsor engagement, promotion – uniting to ensure our sports success.
And how will this impact age-grouper racing?
Our sport is unique in that professional and age-groupers both race the same course and share the same struggles, so we very much envision the age-groupers having a voice together with us as we celebrate the sport we all love so much.
How does this impact Challenge and your relationship with them? And is the Collins Cup still in the works?
Zibi and Felix and the whole Challenge family have been big supporters of the PTO and professionals from the start, and we will continue to be big supporters of them. We think the sport has not well served by the ‘rivalry’ between IM and Challenge, as we think that the organisations’ existing operations are quite compatible and we would seek to work with Challenge and they will be a big asset in helping the sport thrive.
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While we will have strategic financial partners, the PTO itself is a not-for-profit entity, that means we can allocate resources to other organisations in triathlon community who we feel are looking benefit the sport.
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Ironman CEO Andrew Messick is categorical: “The race course has to be safe for everybody, not just people who are young and strong.” Ironman has its critics on many issues, but Messick knows this stance cannot easily be challenged. Whether it’s rough seas, blue-green algae, cold water, hot weather, flooding, landslides, bush fires or sharks, you name it, we’ve had it in triathlon in the past few years.
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Nobody wants to see a sporting event end in tragedy, but neither do triathletes want to spend hundreds of pounds on a race and have part or all of it cancelled, as has been happening with increasing frequency. It can’t all be blamed on Mother Nature either. The climate might be changing, but so are attitudes to risk – predicated on an increasing blame culture – that means erring on the side of caution like never before. Competitors often sacrifice their entry fees due to hardline ‘no refund’ policies because organisers’ costs are already sunk, and everyone is left feeling compromised and underwhelmed.
There is a paradox here, though. Ironman is billed as the hardest one-day event on the planet, yet its owners preside over a finance-driven model which demands as many bodies on the start-line as possible, regardless of athletic competence.
The aspirational marketing that claims ‘Anything Is Possible’ for anyone has a flipside – it downplays the challenge. Not in the surface level hype or in the small print of the disclaimers, but in decisions on race day, where the novice who might rarely leave the pool, now encounters the swell of a sea swim, and the race director isn’t confident to proceed.
Ironman is a very different beast to parkrun, for example, that happily celebrates its average times getting slower because it encourages mass participation. A 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run puts a severe load on anyone’s body, but the achievement of completing it has been normalised in recent years. It’s no longer the preserve of the quirky few with years of endurance sport experience and the resilience to cope with inclement conditions. Too many of us now turn up wide-eyed and underprepared. Even if organisers don’t encourage it, they have to cater for it, so when there’s a large show of hands at the start of an iron-distance race from those admitting it’s their first triathlon, there should be concern not applause.
Whether an example of society’s increasing need for quick gratification or not, we should question the impulse to go longer and harder at the earliest opportunity. Perceptions have become skewed. After all, a sprint triathlon is an oxymoron. It’s not a 100-yard dash but a solid test of aerobic capacity and a great way of racing more frequently, mastering skills and building an endurance base.
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And if more of us concentrate on strengthening these foundations, then when it comes to eventually going long, it will also help instil confidence in event organisers that their triathletes are conditioned to race in testing conditions. The
result? Everybody benefits.
With the UK being 11 hours ahead of Hawaii, it’s difficult for British tri fans to know what happens when at this year’s Ironman World Championship tomorrow. No worries – we’ve got you covered!
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Start timings for the pro and age-group waves are below, and if you are in the USA you can watch all the action on NBC Sports platform, and and on ironman.com and globally via IRONMAN NOW on www.facebookwatch.com/IRONMANnow.
You can also follow us on Twitter @220Triathlon from 5pm UK time for lots of insight and debate on what’s happening. You can also follow all the British athletes on Twitter via the hashtag #GBKona.
Saturday 12 October 2019 – race day
What
When
Where
Pro men swim start
5.25pm UK time (6.25am local time)
Kailua Pier
Pro women swim start
5.30pm UK time (6.30am local time)
Kailua Pier
Race Start – PC Open / Exhibition & HC
5.35pm UK time (6.35am local time)
Kailua Pier
Male 18-39
5.55pm UK time (6.55am local time
Kailua Pier
Male 40-44
6.00pm UK time (7.00am local time)
Kailua Pier
Male 45-49
6.05pm UK time (7.05am local time)
Kailua Pier
Male 50+
6.10pm UK time (7.10am local time)
Kailua Pier
Female 18-39
6.15pm UK time (7.15am local time
Kailua Pier
Female 40-54
6.20pm UK time (7.20am local time)
Kailua Pier
Female 55+
6.25pm UK time (7.25am local time)
Kailua Pier
If you haven’t already, check out our countdown of the men’s top ten contenders and women’s top ten contenders
For details on the course read our Kona course and tactics guide here
Who do you think will win this year’s race? Let us know in the comments below!
MORE ABOUT KONA
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Five famous Kona rivalries and clashes
32 Ironman Hawaii highlights
The top 15 Kona greats of all time
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Wanda, who own Ironman, have rejected the PTO’s (Professional Triathlon Organisation) offer to purchase Ironman and its assets. In a letter to PTO the CEO of WTC, Andrew Messick, said “I have discussed your letter with my Board. While we appreciate your interest, we are not prepared to engage in a discussion around a sale at this point.”
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On 20 September the PTO sent a letter to Wanda proposing “to enter into discussions for the acquisition by the PTO of all of the assets of the Wanda Sports Group Company Limited (‘WSG’) related to its worldwide triathlon and mass participation business (the ‘WTC Triathlon-MP Business’)”.
The PTO responded to this statement with a letter to Ironman, saying: “Please be advised that the PTO will continue to implement its strategy for self-determination successfully followed by professional athletes in other sports such as golf and tennis, and we plan on moving forward with acquiring and operating events in the space to celebrate the sport we are so passionate about. Rest assured that our plan is not mutually exclusive and our proposal to enter into discussions to acquire the WTC Triathlon-MP Business remains open. Together with North Point Advisors we are prepared to begin such discussions immediately should the WSG Board reassess its position.”
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You can read the PTO’s full response to Ironman here
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It’s 30 years since 220 Triathlon first hit the shelves and almost three decades since we witnessed the greatest Ironman race in history. The Iron War of 1989 has gone down in endurance sport folklore as an iconic tussle between two triathlon icons on triathlon’s iconic stage. Iconic? You betcha. Author Matt Fitzgerald’s even devoted an eponymously-titled book to it, and we named it the greatest Ironman world champ moment ever
Five famous Kona rivalries and clashes
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It also witnessed the changing of the guard at the Ironman World Championship. American Dave Scott, the six-time champion and resilient to the last, against his immeasurably talented yet seemingly flawed compatriot Mark Allen, whose previous attempts to crack the Big Island had only exposed his own fragility. Until Allen finally broke Scott’s resistance less than two miles from the finish, there was barely a gel wrapper between them the entire day.
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It’s the elite race that has arguably done more than any other to market Ironman to future generations, and as the years pass its stock only rises. Allen’s winning time was a course record by 19mins and it took until 2016 for Germany’s Patrick Lange to finally beat his 2:40:04 marathon.
But another Iron War is long overdue. Yes, in the intervening years we’ve had epic races. Monstrous leads have been hunted down, such as Allen reeling in Thomas Hellriegel in 1995 or Mirinda Carfrae catching Daniela Ryf in 2014. There have been front-runners hanging on, meltdowns just shy of the finish, and utter domination by Chrissie Wellington and, more latterly, Ryf.
But the closest we’ve had to a mano a mano contest was Chris McCormack versus Andreas Raelert in 2010, where the Australian outfoxed his opponent for a second triumph.
Could 2019 be the year? The German showdown of Jan Frodeno v Patrick Lange – scuppered last year after Frodeno’s injury – could be on. While Frodeno was the dominant force in Ironman Frankfurt in June, history tells us that it’s only in Hawaii that Lange really hits his stride. Could Alistair Brownlee play a role? Trying to read much into Brownlee’s win in Ironman Ireland in June is folly. Everything, including fitness levels, will be different come October. History also dictates that you have to pay your dues in Hawaii – no male has won there on debut since 1996.
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Perhaps for our next Iron War, we should instead turn attention to a rivalry that could blossom to be as exalted as Scott v Allen. Switzerland’s reigning Kona champ Daniela Ryf has won the past four titles – only Allen has won five consecutively. But Lucy Charles-Barclay has been runner-up for the last two and is improving year-on-year. The two tend to avoid each other outside of world championships. As Ryf won in Ironman Austria in July, Charles-Barclay was taking the tape in Challenge Roth. Both remain unbeaten at Ironman distance in 2019. The race dynamic in Hawaii has seen Charles-Barclay overtaken later on the bike leg each time. If they arrive in T2 together then coupled with Charles increasing leg speed then three decades on from 220 reporting on the original Iron War, we could be reflecting on the sequel.
It feels like a recurring theme, but once again this year’s men’s field in the Ironman World Championship is arguably the strongest ever assembled. Despite the change in the qualification system for Kona the big name contenders are all present for what promises to be another fascinating eight-hour war of attrition.
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Germany’s Patrick Lange is looking for a third successive title. Jan Frodeno – the 2015 and 2016 winner who missed last year’s race through injury – returns undefeated since Hawaii 2017. Their compatriot, the 2014 champion Sebastian Kienle looks back to his best, and the popular 2017 runner-up, Canadian Lionel Sanders, is also in the mix after clinching a late berth in Mont-Tremblant.
Then there are the Brits led by David McNamee, who finished third here in the past two years, and the much-heralded debut by two-time Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee. While many eyes will be on the Yorkshireman, Norfolk’s Joe Skipper is also back having finished seventh in 2018, and 2008 Olympian Will Clarke has a point to prove after two disappointing appearances on the Big Island to date.
Predicting the top 10 has never been more difficult, but in true 220 style we’ve crunched the form guide and looked at who has the experience, talent and mindset to succeed in triathlon’s hottest arena. This means that, as always, a few big names aren’t included. There’s no place for Sanders, having spent much of the year injured, nor is there for his fellow speedy Canadian, Cody Beals, who is unproven in the humidity of Hawaii. The experienced Terenzo Bozzone, James Cunnama, Tim O’Donnell and Michael Weiss also miss out, as does the fleet-footed Swede Patrik Nilsson, despite winning Ironman Texas in a rapid 7:50:55.
So just who does make our top 10. Scroll through to find out…
10. Boris Stein, 34, Germany
Yes, another German. And this one shot to attention by winning Ironman Sweden in August with a 4:03hrs 180km bike split and a finish time of 7:49:14, both, unsurprisingly, course records. Given Stein was over 5mins faster than any challengers on the bike leg, it could be easy to dismiss the 34-year-old as just a power-biking bully who will be shown up leaving T2. But he has also shown he can deliver a marathon to back up his prowess on two wheels. It was a 2:53:37 in Kalmar, against his Ironman-best of 2:44:20 in France in 2014. Experience also often proves critical in Hawaii and this will be Stein’s fifth visit as a professional. He seems to have a liking for the Big Island having finished in the top 10 in his last three appearances, and he’ll return fresh and in-form having missed out last year due to injury.
9. Andy Potts, 42, USA
Having represented the USA in the 2004 Olympic Games triathlon in Athens, where he was first out of the water and eventually finished 22nd, the eight-time Ironman champion shows no sign of slowing down yet. These days he’ll happily concede the Kona swim king honours to Australian Josh Amberger and instead settle for a measured effort across all three disciplines – and it appears to be working. Qualification was clinched with victory at Ironman Brazil in May – his first full distance win for three years – and he also produced his fastest iron-distance bike time of 4:17:43 on his way to seventh in Challenge Roth. But while these results might still not strike fear into too many opponents, his enduring consistency on the Big Island means that, even aged 42, you write off Potts from the top 10 at your peril. Six times has placed in the money since his Kona debut in 2008, and last year was his fastest time yet.
8. Braden Currie, 33, New Zealand
The Kiwi should claim some credit for Spaniard Javier Gomez’s quick return to short-course racing after he beat him in a titanic tussle in Cairns last year and then again in Hawaii as Currie ran his way to a career-defining fifth. This year, without Gomez in opposition, he could afford to run 5mins slower to defend his title in Cairns – although that still meant a standout 2:44:33 marathon. From there Currie headed to Germany for an aborted crack at Challenge Roth, where he pulled out on the run citing nutrition issues. Having started the year with victory in the middle-distance Challenge Wanaka in February, it’s been a long season, but he’s shown he’s still in decent nick with a 70.3 win on Australia’s Sunshine Coast on the same weekend as the Ironman 70.3 worlds in Nice. Eschewing that second European trip should place him in good stead to try for another payday here.
7. Cameron Wurf, 36, Australia
Expect another step up the top 10 for Australia’s former professional cyclist Cam Wurf as his unique style of triathlon education continues and he becomes ever more of a threat. First off the bike in the past two years in Hawaii and a training partner of Team INEOS’s Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome, Wurf’s ability in the saddle is unquestioned. Having finished an astonishing 19 iron-distance races since his debut in Cairns in 2016, his marathon time has also dropped from 4:03:38 to twice posting 2:50 splits in 2019. Both runs gave him podium finishes, the first a victory at Ironman Australia in May and the second a creditable third place at Challenge Roth in July. Wurf faded to 17th on his Big Island debut and to ninth last year after posting a 4:09:06 bike course record and holding out for 15km on the marathon before a concessionary fist bump as champion-elect Patrick Lange breezed past. Expect him to hold out for a little longer this time around, especially if it’s windy.
6. Alistair Brownlee, 31, Great Britain
Anyone in triathlon who doesn’t know that Alistair Brownlee is lining up in the Ironman World Championship must have been living under a big chunk of volcanic rock. The two-time Olympic champion, and now two-time Ironman 70.3 World Championship runner-up, has never been to the Big Island before and has played down his chances on debut. That’s with some justification. The last male debutant to win here was Luc van Lierde in 1996 and you have to go back over two decades to Canadian Peter Reid to find a male winner who hadn’t first stepped on to the podium. Brownlee has enjoyed a more fruitful 2019 to last year – which he spent the majority of recovering from surgery or injured – and if not at his very best, the 31-year-old still looked strong in finishing second to Norway’s Gustav Iden at the 70.3 worlds in Nice.
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But unlike some rivals, such as Javier Gomez, who was travelling from the World Triathlon Series Grand Final, or Patrick Lange, who appeared to be using it as a tune-up race for Kona, Nice was a key target race for Brownlee. Kona, he admits, will be more of an experiment, and he doesn’t even have a three-discipline Ironman to draw on for experience, with his qualification in Ironman Ireland shortened to a duathlon after the swim was cancelled. Yet while there are many reasons to write off his chances, including coping with the heat and humidity, his talent and ability to dig deep are unsurpassed, and, as his former coach and long-time mentor Malcolm Brown says: “I have been surprised many times by Alistair, and would hope to be so again.”
5. Bart Aernouts, 35, Belgium
The Belgian had been a consistent top 10 performer since making his Kona debut in 2012 until last year, where he stepped up a level, running a 2:45:41 marathon off a 4:12:25 bike split to clinch an unlikely runners-up spot and follow Patrick Lange in becoming only the second triathlete to duck under 8hrs on the Big Island. A former duathlete and now coached by two-time Kona winner Luc van Lierde, Aernouts marathon splits have always been of high calibre, but it’s the bike that has really improved. Last year he posted a 4:00:50 split in Ironman Hamburg, albeit on an exceptionally fast day, with a cancelled swim replaced by an initial 6km run, but he also backed it up with 4:17:57 at Challenge Roth in July. With the swim Aernouts weakest discipline, don’t expect to see him until later in the day, but as he showed in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice with a competitive 2:19:46 bike split and 1:10:36 half-marathon for sixth place, he’s peaking perfectly for the Big Island once more.
4. David McNamee, 31, Great Britain
The Scot has made the top three twice in Hawaii in the past two years and has the third fastest time ever on the Big Island, marking him out as Britain’s finest male Ironman triathlete. Yet it’s still a big jump to the top step of the podium and he knows that leap has to come from an improved bike leg. While it has become top priority, it also hasn’t come to fruition so far in 2019. McNamee split 4:52:13 on a self-confessed ‘bad day’ at Ironman South Africa and 4:31:39 on a traditionally fast course at Roth, although he did puncture on the way. It leaves his best effort as the 4:21:18 he posted in Hawaii last year on a day where the Big Island was at its most benign. In contrast, his run form looks better than ever with 2:41 marathons in both iron-distance races this year, as he ran back through the field. Few are as shrewd as McNamee on the Big Island, and none, bar Lange, have shown they can maximise their ability here as much as the Scot. It’s why you cannot write him off for another perfectly pitched race, and a similar performance – if not finishing position – to the past two years.
3. Sebastian Kienle, 35, Germany
There’s a renewed vigour about Kienle in 2019 that suggests five years on from lifting the Kona title, the German could be in the shape to deliver another masterclass. Britain’s David McNamee was quick to pick the 35-year-old out in 220’s Hawaii previews (Issue 369) and he showed with his race-best 4:17:36 bike leg in Ironman Germany, where he pedalled the 180km with a piece of glass picked up in transition stuck in his foot, and a 1:09:31 half-marathon in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, that he’s in shape to threaten the podium once more. Kienle’s swim remains a concern, he lost over 3min over 1.9km to the leaders in Nice and has to go double the distance, again without a wetsuit, in Hawaii. But there’s more time to make inroads on the bike over the full distance, and he won’t be short of time-trial aces for company with the likes of Cameron Wurf, Bart Aernouts, Joe Skipper and Andrew Starykowicz also likely to be in the chasing groups. We’ve seen in previous years how the Queen K course suits Kienle to a tee, particularly putting the hammer down on the descent from Hawi, and having dropped out of last year’s race, he has extra incentive to perform.
2. Jan Frodeno, 38, Germany
The 2008 Olympic champion and 2015 and 2016 Ironman world champion, undefeated since Hawaii 2017, will be many observers’ pre-race favourite after another stellar year and opting not to defend his Ironman 70.3 world title to keep full focus on Kona. There’s every reason it might pay off. Frodeno looked serene in defeating Sebastian Kienle to win Ironman Germany for a third time in June, and his biggest fear might be injury after a back issue forced him to jog through the marathon in Hawaii in 2017, and a stress fracture of the hip kept him out of the race altogether last year. If on form, Frodeno will be to the fore in the swim and bike, but may have to run faster than the 2:45:34 marathon he produced to win in 2016 to be successful for a third time. Aged 38, that would be no mean feat and make him just a few months younger than the oldest Kona winner, Craig Alexander, in 2011.
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1. Patrick Lange, 33, Germany
The 2017 and 2018 winner has a trump card that no other triathlete looks capable of playing in Hawaii – a 2:40 marathon at will. Lange, largely anonymous for the rest of the year, has produced it on all three occasions he has raced on the Big Island, and it’s not just the speed, but the knowledge that no-one has come close to matching it, giving him a buffer of around 5mins to his main rivals and 10-15mins over the rest of the field. Aged 33, Lange is softly spoken, small in stature, and far from the best swimmer or cyclist in the sport, and he can expect to be attacked more on the bike this year than ever before. But he remains unfazed by 2019 defeats at Ironman Germany (11th place and 52mins behind winner Frodeno) and the Ironman 70.3 World Championship (22nd), knowing he has the two fastest winning times ever in Hawaii and the confidence that he can run down anybody on the Big Island.
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