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There’s a sense of deja vu about the women’s Ironman World Championship this year, with a red-hot favourite, a rising adversary and an improving supporting cast trying to figure out a way to upset the odds. If it’s the same script as 2018, it’s clear it’s going to take more than a jellyfish sting to stop the all-conquering Daniela Ryf taking centre stage as she looks for a fifth straight Kona title.
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Behind her, Lucy Charles-Barclay, second twice in the past two years, leads the quest to try, but it’s not just a two-woman race. The likes of three-time champion Mirinda Carfrae, German duo Anne Haug and Laura Philipp, USA’s Sarah True, who has come through more than enough drama already in qualifying, and experienced podium-chasers Sarah Crowley, Kaisa Sali and Heather Jackson, will all hope to feature prominently. Five other Brits also line up alongside Charles-Barclay, with the return of 2018 ninth-place finisher Corinne Abraham, Nikki Bartlett, Susie Cheetham and Laura Siddall, and a first start for Kimberley Morrison.
Who will make the top 10? As we do every year, 220 has researched the form and fitness of the main contenders to reveal our predictions…
10. Kaisa Sali, 38, Finland
The Finn has visited Hawaii in the past three years and sliced 10mins off her finishing time on successive visits. It was good enough for two fifth-places and then seventh last year and with another sub-9hr performance at Ironman Cairns in June, there is little reason to think she won’t again be contending for prize money. Sali has raced sparingly this year, but did return for the recent Ironman 70.3 World Championship where she placed a commendable 12th. Yet it’s the longer distance where she excels, with a race built around a strong bike leg and a consistent marathon around the 3hr mark. As if to illustrate, her 10 iron-distance marathon times are separated by less than 10mins, ranging from 3:08 down to 2:59.
9. Laura Philipp, 32, Germany
You could be forgiven for not being overly familiar with the name Laura Philipp because the German triathlete has just one Ironman race to her name and that was in Barcelona in October last year. However, not only did she win to qualify and give herself over 12 months to prepare for her Hawaii debut, but in finishing in 8:34:57 with a 2:52:00 marathon she became the fastest female debutant ever in one of the fastest women’s times ever. For good measure, Philipp added another five 70.3 titles in an undefeated season and looked set to take 2019 by storm. That hasn’t happened. After winning in Marbella in April, an injury forced her to quit Challenge Heilbronn in Germany on the run in June. Under the guidance of coach and husband Philipp Seipp, who has also been coaching an improved Sebastian Kienle for the past year, Philipp has rehabilitated and is ready to give Kona a crack. If she can find anything like the form she had pre-injury, then she’ll be worth keeping an eye on.
8. Heather Jackson, 35, USA
After three top five finishes in Hawaii, Jackson had a rare off-day last year, where she slipped back on the run to 14th place. The 35-year-old put any demons to bed over that result by delivering a stellar 8:39:18 performance to win Ironman Arizona the following month in a new best time over the distance. Jackson, a former track cyclist who grew up playing ice hockey and football, has also enjoyed victory in 2019 on a rare excursion to Europe for the inaugural Ironman-branded Vitoria-Gasteiz in northern Spain, and 70.3 success on more familiar territory, for a fourth straight year at Chattanooga and a second time at Coeur d’Alene. Suited to the heat and with a strong back-half of the race, a top 10 will be the least she expects.
7. Jocelyn McCauley, 31, USA
If McCauley can piece together her perfect race then she has the ability to be a force in Hawaii. Last year the American looked set to improve on a creditable 10th place on debut in 2017 before she blew out on the marathon and eventually toiled down Ali’i Drive in 30th. But this year she has stepped up a level. Two of her declared ‘outcome goals’ were to win an Ironman and finish under 9hrs. She achieved both in New Zealand in March with a new course record of 8:53:10, and then went even faster in Texas the following month with 8:39:41. Both races were pegged on sub-3hr marathons, which puts the 31-year-old from Idaho in with a shout of achieving her final outcome goal for the season – placing in the top five in the Ironman World Championship.
6. Sarah True, 37, USA
It’s been a dramatic season for Sarah True, defined by the final throes of her two Ironmans – of which she has little recall. A former World Triathlon Series race winner and fourth-placed finished in the London Olympics, after transitioning from short-course racing and finishing second in Ironman Germany in 2018, she backed it up with fourth place in Hawaii. But although it was an impressive debut on the Big Island, being placed outside the top three meant that there was no automatic qualification to Kona by just completing an Ironman in 2019. She’d have to earn her spot outright. That led True to Cairns and a DNF 17km into the run where she said she “blacked out and it was super scary”. If that was worrying, in her next attempt, on an unseasonably hot summer day back in Frankfurt in June, she was 700m from the finish with an otherwise unassailable lead when she fell victim to heatstroke. True eventually cemented qualification in August in Mont Tremblant by finishing runner-up to Australia’s Carrie Lester who had already bagged her Kona spot in France. Whether she had any energy left for the Big Island or can handle the heat remains to be seen, but if she races to her potential then another top five finish is within her capabilities.
5. Mirinda Carfrae, 38, Australia
The three-time champion in 2010, 2013 and 2014 is the only woman to have beaten Daniela Ryf on the Big Island, and although she may not be the force she once was, Carfrae is still capable of producing a performance that threatens the podium. Having last won five years ago, she took time out after finishing runner-up in 2016 to start a family with triathlete husband Tim O’Donnell. Last year’s return saw the Australian finish fifth when calm conditions helped her post her fastest ever bike split in an iron-distance race. As a past winner, Carfrae’s validation race was ticked off with sixth place in Ironman Mar del Plata in Argentina in December and this summer saw June and July successfully filled with 70.3 races where she won in Victoria and Mont Tremblant before finishing runner-up in Coeur d’Alene and Santa Rosa. It means the 38-year-old should arrive in Kona fresh for another assault on her favourite race. Don’t write her off yet.
4. Sarah Crowley, 36, Australia
Replacing the two Ironman victories the Australian achieved in both 2017 and 2018, Crowley has had to accept two runners-up spot in Ironman Cairns and Challenge Roth this year. But those defeats came at the hands of New Zealand’s Teresa Adam, who has opted out of competing in Kona, and the redoubtable Lucy Charles-Barclay, and do little to undermine Crowley’s pedigree as one of the finest long-distance triathletes in the sport. It’s a consistency that’s extended to Hawaii, with a third place in 2017 and sixth last year. Perhaps wisely choosing to race – and win –a low-key 70.3 event in Santa Cruz than travel to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, Crowley has set herself up neatly for another crack at the podium. A consistent performer over all three disciplines, she lacks the potent weapon of a Charles-Barclay swim, Ryf bike, or Haug run to threaten for the title, but her footspeed is improving. In the latest of her 13 iron-distance finishes, in Roth, she came within 2sec of cracking the 3hr barrier on the marathon, her best yet.
3. Anne Haug, 36, Germany
The German posted a time of 8:31:21 at Ironman Copenhagen in August to place her in exalted company with only Chrissie Wellington, Daniel Ryf and Melissa Hauschildt having gone faster over the full distance. It was only the third Ironman of Haug’s career after moving across to long distance racing last year with a fourth-place finish in Germany and going one place better in Hawaii. Her small frame and strong running style always marked her out as a threat for Hawaii and a 2:55:20 race-best marathon on the Big Island confirmed that potential. Haug has seen her swim and bike times improve in all three races too and it’s a direction of travel she’ll need to maintain if she’s to be within striking distance of Ryf come the business end of the race. If she can be, then she had the chance of achieving what Mirinda Carfrae did in 2014, running down the Swiss and becoming only the second woman to have beaten her on the Big Island. But that remains a big ‘if’.
2. Lucy Charles-Barclay, 26, Great Britain
Runner-up on her past two visits to the Ironman World Championship, a yardstick as to whether Charles-Barclay is closing in on her nemesis Daniela Ryf was denied to us in the 70.3 worlds after the Brit picked up a 5min drafting penalty that effectively ended her chances of victory.
Can Lucy Charles-Barclay win Kona 2019?
Until then Charles-Barclay had kept her 2019 powder dry on the rivalry between the sport’s top two, and produced an impressive and undefeated season with headlines victories at Ironman South Africa, Challenge Roth and the Challenge Championship in Samorin, Slovakia, for a third consecutive year. With the sanction in Nice only fuelling the fire for another shot at the Swiss here, expect the 25-year-old to open a gap after the swim (she broke the long-standing swim course record last year), and try and maintain that advantage all the way to T2. If she does, then running shoulder-to-shoulder with Ryf over the marathon will be a test of both Ryf and Charles-Barclay’s improved run form. Twice the Brit has run under 3hrs for the marathon, both of which have been this year.
Read Lucy Charles-Barclay’s thoughts on her Kona 2018 performance here
1.Daniela Ryf, 32, Switzerland
The Swiss looked at her indomitable best as she collected a fifth Ironman 70.3 world title in six years on the Cote d’Azur at the start of September, and it’s difficult to see how anyone can stop her winning a fifth consecutive Ironman World Championship. Ryf’s dominance over both 70.3 and the full iron-distance now surpasses any triathlete in history and while she was seventh in the Olympic Games in 2008 and was European junior champion as far back as 2004, there are few signs that her mind or body are losing their edge.
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Her greatest challengers are likely to be Lucy Charles-Barclay attacking from the front, and Anne Haug trying to run Ryf down from behind, but there’s a sense it will take something incredible from either, or both, plus a sub-par Ryf performance or mechanical calamity to usurp her. In 2018, Ryf, in unprecedented calm conditions, broke the bike (4:26:07) and course (8:26:18) records despite being stung by a jellyfish during the swim and thinking she may have to quit. No-one has been able to apply any real pressure on the Swiss since Mirinda Carfrae chased her down on debut in 2014. The Australian broke the run course record that day in one of the all-time great Ironman performances. You’d sense someone will have to do similar to take Ryf down again.
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Kona: The Course
Of all the competition each athlete will face at October’s Ironman World Championships, none will be so utterly indefatigable as the island itself. There’s a reason the World Championship remains on the shores where Ironman moved to in 1981 [the first three events took place in Oahu, Hawaii].
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With its brutal heat, pummelling winds and gruelling hills, Kona is a place where anything can happen – and usually does. From Julie Moss to Paula Newby-Fraser and Normann Stadler, many an athlete has been forced into a crawl or a DNF on the course, giving rise to unexpected shake-ups in the top ranks.
There’s still no distinct landmark that ‘tells the tale’ better than the finish line itself. But there are key landmarks you can look at for progress along the way…
The swim and T1
There may be more riding on the swim than ever before. After Normann Stadler won with a crushing cycling performance in 2004, the prevailing strategy was to establish a lead in the lava fields and then ‘hold on’ through the marathon. But the trend in recent years has shown the über-bikers having to overcome gaps incurred on the swim before creating their lead for the run.
As close as the men’s race portends to be, the amount of time taken in transition could make a crucial difference in the early positions on the bike.
Bike Course
© Michael Rauschendorfer
Most people look at the elevation profile of the course and think that the 19km climb up to the turnaround point is the make-or-break point. But looks are deceiving, and the actual determinant is an invisible enemy.
By the time the competitors are well on their way to T2, they’ll be pedalling against those pesky headwinds. Out on the highway, with the sun nearing its peak and not a drop of shade to be found, disaster lurks behind every lava rock. From flat tyres to dehydration and digestive issues, this is where it all goes wrong for even the most prepared athlete.
Six times Kona winner Dave Scott said: “I think the biggest issue isn’t that the men aren’t going too hard on the bike, it’s that the train of athletes are producing these super surges where they’re producing high VO2 and muscle acidity and end up burning muscle glycogen at a furious rate.
“This is conjecture, but I think a number of the athletes don’t do strength training year-round, and Hawaii really is a strength sport. So for the athletes that are chasing Kienle, I’d say stick to your plan and don’t linger in that higher VO2 range for longer than 20secs. Otherwise you’re going to get spat out the back.”
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Transition 2
Again, with the difference measured in minutes, seconds will count getting off the bike and onto the pavement. We’ll know a lot by the time the athletes exit this point and begin the run.
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Run course
From 22-30km on the run is where we’ll probably start getting our clearest indications of the finish.
Six-times Ironman world champ Mark Allen said: “Pre-race tactics are very hard to maintain in Hawaii. In 1995, I came out of the bike over 13mins down on Thomas Hellriegel. It was very hard to stick to my plan on the bike, but I’d set an upper limit of how fast I was going to go and if people pulled away, I had to let them go. My run was much faster than Hellriegel’s but it was hard, very hard. Most people would rather not take that risk and not rely on the run, as opposed to going their own pace on the bike in the hope that they have a great marathon.”
Chrissie Wellington said: “If you need to adopt a run-walk strategy, that might be a faster way to the finish.In 2012 Pete Jacobs stopped and stretched. Anticipate the demons that might hit you in Hawaii. The run is rolling so be prepared for it. There are some steep parts and it could actually be faster to walk up them.
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“If you start getting nervous, maybe have some strategies that will calm you down. Just chill out. It’s not a holiday, but don’t let the size of the event get to you. Above all, enjoy it!”
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When Javier Gomez made the previous most-anticipated Ironman World Championships debut in 2018, he finished 11th. When Alistair Brownlee shows up this year, despite insisting it’s a learning experience and despite the aptness of Shakespeare’s wisdom for Hawaii – “caution is better than rash bravery” – there’s a sense it’ll be success or bust. It’s the way Brownlee has raced throughout his career. He doesn’t really do 11th. And it’s why so many are excited to see what he’ll achieve come Saturday 12 October in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
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“Alistair has everything that’s required, but will need to make some adjustments to psychology for the length of the race,” says Malcolm Brown, who played a guiding hand in the Brownlee brothers’ rise from keen upstarts to Olympic medallists. Since winning Olympic gold in Rio 2016, Brownlee, through choice and injury, has mixed up his racing schedule, and even being in Hawaii has come about somewhat by chance.
Brownlee’s Ironman debut in Cork in June came at short notice and without specific long-distance prep. His goal had been to produce a performance in front of a home crowd to win the ITU World Triathlon Series event in Leeds for a third time. But when that inexplicably fell flat, attention turned to Ironman Ireland, and a race that would be marked by a cancelled swim, punishingly wet and cold conditions, and a successful pursuit of home hope Bryan McCrystal on the marathon run. It could hardly be further from what he’ll face in Hawaii in October, but he duly accepted his qualification berth.
History shows that male debutants in Kona must earn their stripes. You have to go back over 20 years to Canadian Peter Reid to find a men’s champion who hadn’t previously podiumed, so taking the tape first time out is a big ask.
“He’s shown that he can do pretty well as a debutant in longer-distance events,” Brown argues. “One reason is his background in endurance, but he’s also good at preparing when he decides to prepare thoroughly. I’d expect him to take three weeks to acclimatise as much as he can, but I also think he’s doing it this year to understand how he’ll react physically, to give himself the best chance in the future.”
In trying to topple 2015 and 2016 champion Jan Frodeno, and 2017 and 2018 winner Patrick Lange, who lowered his own course record to 7:52:39 last year and seems able to produce a 2:40hr marathon at will, Brownlee will need to respect the conditions as much as his German rivals. “It’s knowing where your red line lies,” Brown adds. “Alistair can bury himself, but if you do that in Hawaii you won’t finish. It requires a different mentality.”
Unanswered questions
Producing a swim and bike leg strong enough to remain in contention has to be a given, but it’s the run where questions remain unanswered, and, in truth, have been since a hot day in Hyde Park in 2010 when Brownlee flaked out approaching the finish and can’t remember the final yards. While brother Jonny’s near-collapse in Cozumel in 2016 only increased perceptions that the Yorkshire brothers might be susceptible to heat, Brown sees it slightly differently.
“Counterintuitively, a 10km can be more of a threat to athletes who are vulnerable,” he suggests. “I think there’s some good evidence that over 10km you are running much closer to your limits.”
If Brownlee is to triumph he’ll repeat the rare achievement of Brit Chrissie Wellington, who won convincingly on debut in 2007. “He can cope with the pressure, attention and expectation, and with surges on the bike,” Wellington says. “But I do think the marathon will be a huge challenge. My advice is to adapt to the heat long before you get there and develop strategies for racing in it, put spare nutrition in your special needs bag and choose your wheels carefully based on the winds.”
Brown remains cautiously optimistic: “I’m confident he’ll complete with distinction, yet I’d be surprised if he were able to know enough about the conditions without having run it before to be the top man. But I’d hope to be surprised; I have been many times by Alistair.
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Alistair Brownlee racing his debut full Ironman and debut Kona is the talk of the Big Island. Just what is he capable of in the heat, humidity and headwinds of Hawaii?
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Ali Brownlee’s Kona kit
From London 2012 to Rio 2016 and those two ITU World Tri Series titles, he’s stepped up to the plate throughout his career, and we can expect more fireworks when the Brit faces Frodeno and co. on Saturday at 5:30pm UK time.
Here he opens up on his current fitness, his Iron prep and plans for the 2019 Ironman World Championships.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… THE LURE OF KONA
The Ironman World Champs in Kona has always been on my radar since I started tri when I was eight or nine and my uncle was doing Ironman and knew about this race. I’ve therefore known about it a long time and it’s always been at the back of my mind over my decade of ITU racing. It’s great to finally be here. The difficult thing after the Rio Olympics in 2016 was, having won the Olympics twice, what am I going to do next? So being here is an interesting place to be in.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… IRONMAN TRAINING
Ironman was always something I wanted to do and I would’ve like to have raced Kona a year or two ago if it wasn’t for my injuries. I’ve really enjoyed the training for Kona and the experience of being on the island. My focus was the 70.3 Worlds after Ironman Cork but now I’ve really focussed on this. The three things I’ve really had to focus on are nutrition, the heat and the distance. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of addressing these in my training after so much time spent racing short-course and 70.3 tri. This is the most interesting challenge I’ve had in a number of years. What does that training look like? What does the nutrition look like? What is my strategy? I’ve enjoyed those questions and I’m satisfied to be here.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… RACING KONA AT THE FIRST ATTEMPT
I’ve been invited out to the race a few times over the years and people have said I need to experience Kona before racing it. But it’s such a long way, especially when you only have two weeks break a year. So, if I’m coming out, then I’m going to race it, and it’ll be a great learning experience to race it. But my mantra for my whole career has been that it’s just another race, so get yourself into the race and the best possible position on that day. And back your ability to make the right decisions in the competition.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… THE KONA COURSE
The striking thing is that the course and conditions have doubled what it says on the tin: it’s windy, hot and rocky. I’ve spent a lifetime wanting tailwinds on the run but here you actually want a headwind to cool you. And the wind can change complete direction at any time on the bike. The course is more undulating than I thought and there isn’t a lot of flat. That’s the only thing that’s shocked me.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… IRON ADVICE
I’ve had a lot of advice from lots of people for this race. But the important thing is assimilating that advice and deciding what to take in yourself. My main advice is patience. Drilling in patience and getting carb intake sorted.
I wanted to do the swim here. I’ve never swam 3.8km straight in my life and one of the things about being here is a careful balance between taking in the gravitas of the race and how special it is to lift your performance on race day, and then keeping fresh for the race. That’s something that I’ve dealt with at the event.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… PRESSURE
It’s nice to have less expectation on me compared to the Olympics. It’s good for me to stand on the start line and not think it’d be a bad day if I didn’t win this race, rather than it’ll be a good day if I get around. I’ve dealt with my fair share of high-pressure racing over the years and I won’t have to deal with something like the 2012 Olympics again. It feels good to be a rookie.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… RACING MINDSET
Kona is a race that I want to do well in at some point. Put me in the race and if it goes well, and I’m in a great position running along Ali’i Drive, I’m not going to jog it in from there. If I’m in a good position, I’m going to race.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… TRAINING WITH THE CREW
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I’ve trained with Gordon Benson and Mark Buckingham. They’ve enjoyed the challenge of doing some longer training as well. I watched Javier Gomez with interest last year and spoke to him about it as well. He said it was hot and hard! Ironman translates well for those who have done very well at short-course racing but Jan [Frodeno] has done the job in terms of diligence. I still do my vast majority of training with Jonny, but specific sessions will differ. It’d be really good to have him in this race.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… THE OPENNESS OF M-DOT
Ironman feels like a very different sport to ITU racing. It was always something that I was going to do. Lionel Sanders and Cameron Wurf starting in their mid 20s wouldn’t happen in ITU racing, and they wouldn’t be competitive at ITU racing [starting that late]. The diversity of Ironman is good and I like that people race from different backgrounds.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… PLAN B
I don’t have minimum expectations of my result in 2019. If I’m racing the last 15km of the race and if that leaves me in first or fifth then I’ll be happy with that. I’m in the best fitness I’ve been in for years. I’ve never been a big one for plans and would rather back myself to make the right call.
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Still only 34, Will Clarke has been a stalwart on the elite triathlon scene since 2002, where he made his debut as an elite junior racer. The road to Kona 2019 has witnessed Clarke collect an U23 ITU world title in 2006, the Olympic Games in Beijing, and failure to make the 2012 team four years later as the Brownlees captivated a nation in Hyde Park (a selection process Clarke described as being “like hell.”).
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The BMC-Vitfit Pro Tri Team athlete’s move to long-course racing has brought about further highs (he has three sub-8hr Ironman finishes to his name) and lows (he’s struggled in his two previous attempts in Kona). And yet he’s back in Hawaii as the best prepared he’s ever been, having spent late summer altitude training at Livigno in Italy before warm-weather acclimitisation in Texas alongside the reigning Kona champ Patrick Lange.
The latter saw Clarke perform low volume, high intensity efforts with the German, and he admits to feeling more potent as a result. But talking to the Brit at a Team BMC showcase at Huggo’s in Hawaii, and you become aware and the sacrifices, perils and pressure that pro triathletes have to face in order to make a living in Ironman.
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“I haven’t seen my four-year-old son for a month and the Hawaii experience will have cost me six thousand pounds,” says Clarke. “It is a sacrifice and a burden, but it’s something I have to do as if you take yourself seriously as an Iron athlete then you have to be here. If you don’t come here desperate, then you can go home. The pressure is good for me and keeps the fire in my belly.”
Clarke’s Hawaii ventures so far have ended in disappointment, and he’s aware of the pitfalls of not racing to his own plan come Saturday morning on the Big Island. “The race does scare me,” Clarke admits, “Everyone over-bikes and moves out of their comfort zone. The worst-case scenario is to miss the packs on the bike and ride on your own for 180km; you need other athletes to bounce off and the aero benefits of being in a group.”
Clarke will be joined by his old friend and former training partner, Ali Brownlee, for the first time in Hawaii. Having had dinner with Brownlee this week, Clarke has high hopes for his fellow Brit. “He’s good to go. He’s really smart and leaves no stone unturned. I think he’s the most talented triathlete in history and he wants his title as the best triathlete on the planet back.”
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And what of Clarke’s own pre-race goals and his future in the sport that’s dominated his life? “I’ll be proud to run myself into the top 10. I want to stay on Team BMC and earn myself another contract with them. My own coaching setup, Will Clarke Coaching, is going well and I want to start a Zwift team next year. But I know that I can leave pro racing with no regrets.”
It’s hours until the start of the 2019 Ironman World Championships and one of the key tech releases here in Hawaii is the new Moov&Cool tech from Huub.
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The technology will be on show in David McNamee’s Anemoi+ tri-suit and is a collaboration between the Derby-based brand and textile innovator Devan Chemicals. The cool comfort coating is said to have a positive impact on core body temperature as well as on heart rate.
The Anemoi+ will be launched following Kona, with Scottish athlete David McNamee (third twice in Hawaii) involved in the testing process of the original Anemoi tri-suit from its conception.
The cooling effect of the multisport formulation reportedly helps evaporate sweat during exercise in a balanced way, with heat thus drawn from the body for cooling benefits. The Moov&Cool tech contains a continuous heat-absorption capacity, which can assist in the heat withdrawal process, and it’s said to work in wet environments as well.
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The Ironman World Champs start at 5:30pm UK time, with McNamee (who was sporting kinesis tape on his neck at the pro press conference) set to face fellow Brit Alistair Brownlee on the start line.
Jan Frodeno has won today’s Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. The German broke the course record in the process with a time of seven hours and 51 minutes, securing his third Kona title. After being near the head of the race on the swim and bike, Alistair Brownlee faded on the run to finish 21st on his Kona debut.
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Kona 2019 once again had quite possibly the strongest men’s field in the 41-year-old history of the Ironman World Championships. The big name contenders were all present, including a two-time Olympic Champion by the name of Alistair Brownlee on his Kona (and full Ironman) debut.
The 3.8km swim in Kailua-Kona town began after the U.S. national anthem at 6:25am, and swim course record holder, Australia’s Josh Amberger, and Brownlee were straight to the front. The two-time Kona champ and another Olympic gold medallist, Jan Frodeno, was soon to join them in conditions described as the having the biggest swell in at least a decade of Kona races.
Kona swim and @AliBrownleetri following @JoshAmberger in the lead. Lots of swell here. pic.twitter.com/8KmquecoRl
— 220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) October 12, 2019
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The big story was reigning champion Patrick Lange having the Kona swim of his life and positioned in the lead pack, but Brit David McNamee missed that lead group. The men would be led out of the swim by Amberger in 47:28mins, with Frodeno (47:31mins) and Brownlee (47:33mins) soon behind in second and third respectively.
Heavyweight contenders Lange (who had suffered from a fever the day before the race) and McNamee (neck injury) were soon to drop out as the bike leg pace was set by Frodeno, Brownlee (who seemed to have a replacement back wheel during the ride) and American Tim O’Donnell. The uber-bikers of Seb Kienle and Cameron Wurf only started gaining in time at the 90km point, and Brit Joe Skipper was with the bike train and in 10th position at 160km.
Lead pack of men’s elites out of the water, @AliBrownleetri comfortably in it. #IMwc2019 pic.twitter.com/waCPXMPctx
— 220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) October 12, 2019
Into T2 and Frodeno had created a 3min gap on Brownlee and O’Donnell having upped the pace with 30km to go, entering transition after a 4:16:03 bike split. Brownlee’s 180km split was 4:19:59, with Sebi Kienle, Cameron Wurf and Boris Stein all in the mix.
Onto the run and, with the heat rising, the long, looping gait of Frodeno was holding firm. By the halfway stage of the run and on the approach to the infamous heat of the Energy Lab, the German’s advantage was 3:26mins over O’Donnell, 5:30mins over Kienle and 10mins over a fading Brownlee.
Jan Frodeno has just come near us on Ali’i Drive, looking strong. #imwc2019 pic.twitter.com/zzxZbXcdiD
— 220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) October 12, 2019
“All of the predictions come in during the week ahead of the race and people look at the data and race results, but the fascinating thing for us athletes is to then see how it unfolds on race day,” said Frodeno at the press conference ahead of the race, and unfold it would in Frodeno’s favour.
The German, having dropped out injured in 2017 and not made it to the start line in 2018 as his compatriot Lange took the glory (and the course record), held off the challengers to run a 2:42 marathon to cross the line in 7:51hrs and break Lange’s course record of 7:52hrs. “Kona is the Wimbledon of our sport and it’s a great feeling to run on this course after walking in 2017,” was his post-race comment.
It was his third Kona title, to go along with his two 70.3 World titles and Olympic gold from 2008. And it means that the last time a German man didn’t win the Kona title was 2013, making it 10 for the European nation.
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Second was America’s Tim O’Donnell, with another German, Sebastian Kienle, in third. Joe Skipper was top Brit in sixth with an 8:07 finish, with Brownlee coming home in 21st after a 3:13 marathon (and 8:25hr finish time) and Will Clarke in 25th.
Anne Haug today made it a German sweep of the top step of the Ironman World Championship podium, crossing the line in 8:40hrs to win her first Kona title after Jan Frodeno had scored victory in the men’s race. Haug would pass Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay halfway through the run to deny Britain a first Kona crown since 2012.
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The talk ahead of the women’s Ironman World Championships race was largely centred on the battle between four-time Kona champ and Swiss athlete Daniela Ryf and Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay. The latter had led out of the swim and for the vast majority of the bike for the past two editions of Hawaii, but Ryf had run her way to Kona glory.
Once again, @LucyAnneCharles first out of the women’s swim, this year in 49:07. #IMwc2019 pic.twitter.com/XBwCTCwRPD
— 220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) October 12, 2019
The big swell on the swim saw Charles post a slightly slower time than in 2018, coming out of the 3.8km swim in 49:02mins, first female and ninth overall including the men’s field. At the halfway point of the 180km bike, Charles, 26, was leading by 5mins over Germany’s Anne Haug, 36, a formidable runner on both the ITU and Ironman circuit.
Ryf, who looked to be suffering, was back by 8mins and failing to gain time on the leading riders, with the deficit extending to 10mins by the three-quarter 135km stage.
Charles had said at the press conference on Thursday that “the fire was in her belly” after a drafting violation put paid to her chances of Ironman 70.3 World Championships at Nice in September. Lucy would arrive into T2 after 4:47:21 on the bike, chased down by the German pair of Daniela Bleymehl and Haug. Ryf was an unheard of 12:55mins in arrears. Could Charles-Barclay become the first Brit winner since Leanda Cave in 2012?
And here’s @LucyAnneCharles on Ali’i Drive, 7mins ahead of Anne Haug #IMwc2019 pic.twitter.com/ryyEuV2MEc
— 220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) October 12, 2019
When the mercury rising, the Kona marathon run saw Haug whittle down Charles-Barclay’s lead of 7mins to 5mins by a third of the way through. Charles-Barclay had run two sub-3hr Ironman marathons in 2019 and she’d need to again in Kona to hold off Haug’s challenge. By the halfway stage of the marathon run, the Brit’s lead had been whittled down to 2mins by Haug and 4:30mins by Aussie Sarah Crowley.
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Haug would finally make the pass in the Energy Lab, with Charles-Barclay having held the lead for over seven hours. The German would cross the line in 8:40hrs to take Germany’s first women’s Kona title; her marathon run leg was 2:51:07.
Charles-Barclay was passed by Crowley but dug in to retake second spot and hold on for her third consecutive second-placed finish in Hawaii after an 8:46hr finish. Crowley was third.
Anne Haug decisively passes Lucy Charles-Barclay on the run to take the lead at the 2019 @VegaTeam IRONMAN World Championship! #IMWC #AnythingisPossible #VegaTeam pic.twitter.com/epAVg9wRby
— IRONMAN Triathlon (@IRONMANtri) October 13, 2019
WHO IS ANNE HAUG?
Half a decade ago, Anne Haug was one of the most consistently strong athletes on the ITU circuit. The German won the Grand Final in 2012 to finish second overall in the WTS standings and followed that with two WTS wins and five podiums in 2013.
A stress fracture in her hip in both 2014 put paid to the German’s winning-WTS form, and she contemplated quitting the sport for good. But she soon become a 70.3 powerhouse due to her half-marathon run split, and recorded victories at Ironman 70.3 Lanzarote, 70.3 Dubai and 70.3 Oceanside in 2017.
The German made her full-distance debut at Ironman Frankfurt in 2018, where she finished just off the podium, before coming third at Kona 2018 after the day’s fastest women’s run split of 2:55hrs.
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She’s also coached by Dan Lorang, a man who knows a thing of two about converting ITU athletes into Ironman greats (see also one Jan Frodeno).
With over two thousand age-group athletes competing, the 2019 Ironman World Championships were far from being just about Frodeno and Brownlee, Charles-Barclay and Haug.
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The GB team had a sizeable contingent of around 150 racers, having qualified from Ironman races around the globe in the 2019 and late 2018 season.
One such athlete was Will Newbery, a long-term presence on the UK tri scene, former national champion and head coach at ‘9 Endurance Coaching’.
Having hit his goal of going sub-10hrs in the M40-44 category in Saturday’s 226km-long race, here’s Will’s verdict on the Kona experience for age-groupers…
ON THE KONA RACE WEEK EXPERIENCE
Kona is like Disney land for triathletes. All the big brands are grabbing your attention, all the fittest humans in the world wandering round in their Speedos. There’s a huge buzz for the few days before, and some panic training to try to emulate the super athletes when really you should be resting! The locals are so friendly and they seem genuinely happy and in awe of everyone.
ON REPRESENTING GB
I went to the Parade of Nations and that’s a brilliant experience, but I wanted to have a bit more time with close friends and family rather than do the Team GB thing. I had eight athletes – and myself – that I’ve helped coach over the years here, so I tried to give them support if they needed it.
ON THE HAWAII SWIM
The course is so tough. On paper it should be fairly easy but the elements add a whole new dimension. The heat wasn’t ridiculous on Saturday but the humidity hit hard. The swim waves were interesting and definitely broke up the majority of the packs but disrupted the swim. My age-group started 2nd and within 400m we were catching the weaker swimmers from the group in front.
ON THE BIKE & RUN
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The wind on the last 55km of the bike was brutal but the run is awesome. Ali’i drive is crazy. Busy. Loud. It’s tougher than you’d think with the gentle undulations. And the Queen K is like an oven with no wind. And it’s so quiet out there with no traffic, so the only noise is your feet on the asphalt and the aid stations.
ON THE KONA FINISH LINE EXPERIENCE
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The return to Kona town is okay but by that time the energy reserves are fading. Coming down Palani is a blessing because you know you’re a mile from home, but it’s so painful on your quads. With cheering and shouting crowds, it’s one of triathlon’s most recognisable finish line experiences and it doesn’t disappoint. I set out to go sub-10hr and managed to do that, so I’m super happy.
GB’s Lucy Charles-Barclay gave it her all but victory wasn’t to be hers and she finished second for the third year running
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Kona you beautiful beast you…