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ROTH, Germany—Top duathlete Yvonne van Vlerken took a dramatic 8:51:55 win in her first long course triathlon on Sunday, running her way to the first sub-9 hour performance here in 10 years.
Van Vlerken became the first Dutch woman to win in Roth since the legendary Dutch triathlete Thea Sybesma won here in a then world-best time of 8:55:29 in 1991. Paula Newby Fraser eventually lowered that record to 8:50:53 in 1994, a mark that still stands as the world’s fastest.
2006 Roth champion Joanna Lawn of New Zealand was second, achieving her goal of a sub-9 hour finish when she broke the tape in 8:58:25, with 2005 champ and last year’s second place finisher Belinda Granger of Australia rounding out the podium in 9:07:56. In fourth, repeating her finish from last year, was Hungary’s Erika Csomor in 9:09:32 with Roth’s own Christine Waitz, in her debut here, fifth in 9:33:39. Waitz also earned the title of national long course champion as the best placed German in the field.
On a day in which mild to warm conditions prevailed, van Vlerken was the only woman to run under three hours, posting a 2:58 marathon. While she may have traveled under the radar for some onlookers, van Vlerken had posted some excellent results in recent months. She finished fifth in last year’s Ironman 70.3 World Championships and took a win at the Ironman 70.3 in Antwerp, showing her potential over long distance triathlon in addition to duathlon. She won the world duathlon long distance and European championships last year.
“All week long I thought I would be in so much pain on Sunday, but on the race the pain just didn’t come,” a still stunned van Vlerken said after the race. “I like this much, much better than the short distance races I’ve had so far. To have this time and to win against two girls that are so strong on this distance, what can I say—I’ve been crying and I really can’t believe that I finished under nine hours.”
Lawn said she was disappointed to come second after recording a personal best and dipping under nine hours as well but ultimately was satisfied with her effort. “It’s a clean slate at the beginning of the race and she did an absolutely phenomenal time,” Lawn said of van Vlerken’s effort. “I’m very pleased, and disappointed, because you come here to win and I gave it my all. I did have a goal to break 9 hours. I have to be happy with that. I was very, very pleased with breaking the nine-hour barrier because that’s huge for females to aim at. I tried hard all the way but she was just amazing today.”
Helping athletes along were crowds an estimated 140,000 strong to mark the 20th anniversary of triathlon in Roth. “The crowd support today was just more overwhelming than last year,” Lawn said.
HOW THE DAY UNFOLDED
Lawn was out of the water second behind German age grouper Anja Ippach, with Granger about a minute back and Germany’s Heike Funk, second here in 2003, third out another minute back. It wasn’t long before Granger had bridged the gap on the bike and the Aussie and the Kiwi were together as they started their climb up the legendary Solarer Berg on the first lap. Ippach had dropped back five minutes while van Vlerken was maintaining her gap to the leaders at a little more than 6 minutes. Granger and Lawn were still together by the time they reached T2 but van Vlerken had closed the gap to about five minutes with Hungary’s Erika Csomor lying in fourth.
As they headed out onto the marathon Lawn immediately distanced herself from Granger and by about 13km had widened her lead to two minutes. But van Vlerken was moving up on both of them. “I knew that I could ride the bike really hard,” said the Dutchwoman who lives and trains in Austria. “I didn’t think I could run this good. The run was really crazy. I just enjoyed it. I’ve been training for this for seven years. I wanted to have a good debut. I think it’s just plain crazy what happened today.”
Granger, a powerful cyclist who posted the day’s fastest ride (a 4:51:36, 12 seconds faster than Lawn) was asked whether she should have tried to open up a gap on Lawn during the ride—but the Aussie wasn’t sure that tactic would have worked. “I can’t be upset because what people don’t realise is Jo comes from a cycling background. Now [that she’s a triathlete] she doesn’t have a weakness.”
“I’m very happy with my bike ride,” Granger continued. “I’m still happy with my race. Obviously I get so frustrated with my running. I really want to get the combination together.”
And she again expressed her fondness for Roth, where she now spends at least one month a year in preparation for the race. “I’m still happy to be on the podium,” she said. ”Even though this is my job and it’s my profession, coming to Roth is no longer about my job. It’s a lifestyle for me now.”
In the firefighters world title race, top honors went to Silja Rohfling of Germany, representing TRI-EMTV-Elmshorn, in 11:20:02.
Roth offered a prize purse of 73,500 euro—paid 10 deep—along with a bonus of US$100,000 for any athlete who could break van Lierde’s record.
A traditional fireworks display and massive finish line party closed out a celebration of 20 years of triathlon in Roth made sweeter by the announcement at day’s end that title sponsor Quelle, Germany’s largest mail-order company, will remain on board in that role for the 2008 running. The Quelle Challenge Roth, the former Ironman Europe, is celebrating its sixth anniversary as an independent race and had 2,500 individual entries and another 500 relay teams. In total, some 4,000 endurance athletes tackled the course.
Quelle Challenge Roth’s sponsors include: Quelle AG, Deutsche Post AG, N-ERGIE, PRO4, Newline, N¸rnberger Nachrichten (N¸rnberg Newspapers), Bayrische Versicherungskammer, Erdinger Alkoholfrei, Sparkasse Mittelfranken-S¸d, Arndt, Mavic, County of Roth, City of Roth, City of Hilpoltstein, Coca-Cola, Frankenbrunnen, Zeus Copy, Paladin, Hofmann, Jura Kaelte, Guttenberger & Partner, and Spedition Heinloth.
WOMEN
1) Yvonne van Vlerken (NED) 8:51:55 (57:55/4:51:48/2:58:55)
2) Joanna Lawn (NZL) 8:58:25 (51:46/4:52:48/3:10:40)
3) Belinda Granger (AUS) 9:07:56 (52:33/4:51:36/3:19:40)
4) Erika Csomor (HUN) 9:09:32 (57:59/5:03:51/3:03:13)
5) Christine Waitz (GER) 9:33:39 (57:35/5:17:38/3:15:29
6) Maja Nielsen (DEN) 9:42:12 (1:03:41/5:13:01/3:21:32)
7) Anja Ippach (GER) 9:44:36 (51:10/5:17:27/3:32:57)
8) Heidi Jesberger (GER) 9:46:56 (55:34/5:19:02/3:29:09)
9) Susanne Buckenlei (GER) 9:49:40 (1:01:35/5:15:46/3:28:27)
10) Julia Kˆnig (GER) 9:57:37 (56:12/5:20:01/3:37:34
It’s four for Macca on Roth’s 20th anniversary
ROTH, Germany—Australia’s Chris McCormack took his fourth consecutive win at the Quelle Challenge Roth on Sunday, tickling the world’s best time set here 10 years ago with a 7:54:23 finish that put him more than 10 minutes clear of the rest of the field.
Spain’s Eneko Llanos, just five weeks after a strong win at Ironman Lanzarote, was second in 8:06:06 after staging a dramatic battle on the run with Aussie Pete Jacobs, who was third in 8:09:18. After struggling late in the bike, Jacobs posted the day’s fastest marathon, a 2:44:26, with McCormack’s 2:45:12 the second best on the day. Fourth went to German legend and former Kona winner Thomas Hellriegel, back from a battle with illness and injury, with countryman Olaf Sabatschus in fifth, showing he’s recovered from a fight against testicular cancer late last year.
“It’s just a dream come true,” McCormack said after the race. “I’m ecstatic with how it went today.”
While he knew he was in with a chance to break Belgian Luc van Lierde’s world best time of 7:50:27 set here in 1997, he saw the chance slip away on the last kilometres of the run. And he said although he would’ve loved to break the record, he knew he’d given it his all.
“I knew I had to run 2:42 to break the record. I had no legs for the first four km. I tried; I really tried,” he said. “I thought, ‘I don’t care what happens. I know it’s going to be ugly at the last 10km but I’d rather die trying. The crowds were huge this year, everyone was yelling and knew I wanted to get the record and I was on track. The last 10km was the hardest 10km of my life. I had nothing left.”
But McCormack said he’ll be back to try again and he doesn’t mind all the talk about the record.
“I want there to be talk about the world record,” he said. “It’s there to be broken and it’s not talked about enough. [Roth] is the race that inspired me to want to do Ironman. I think it’s important that this generation of athletes try to better the generation before. Luc van Lierde was an incredible athlete and I appreciate how strong he was. I tried with all my might today and he was 3min better. I’ll come back next year and try again. I believe it’s possible now—10 years ago I said it never can be broken, now I believe it can and that’s all that matters.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
The 20th anniversary edition of the classic Roth race unfolded under clear skies after days of intermittent rain and coolish temperatures. Jacobs was always going to have a strong swim, and he proved his prowess in the water early, breaking away with Llanos and legendary German super swimmer Andreas Niedrig and German Rene Gˆhler. He exited the water in 46:12 after swimming clear of the group on the back half of the 3.8km journey in the Main-Donau Kanal, exiting 20 seconds ahead of Llanos and 1:45 clear of Niedrig. Three-time champion McCormack, normally on pace with the lead bunch in the water, lost his goggles during the swim and came out 3:35 down to the leaders and with Hellriegel on his heels and hard-riding Aussie Chris McDonald almost two more minutes adrift.
When Llanos hit the bike, however, he had a bit of trouble—his rear tire was flat as he rolled out of transition. “It took me some time to change the tubular and then I had to start too fast to try to stay in the race,” he said, estimating he lost four or five minutes to the roadside repair. “I didn’t feel very well on the bike. I think the Ironman in Lanzarote was still in my legs.”
Jacobs held on to his lead all the way around the first lap of the two-lap bike course, cresting the Solarer Berg through the legendary Roth crowds with more than a minute in hand over Niedrig, Llanos, Hellriegel and Germany’s Maik Twelsiek. But he struggled with too few calories on the bike and began to slide backwards on the second lap. McCormack, Hellriegel, Llanos and others rode past, and McCormack was the first to hit the run course. Hellriegel was on his heels just nine seconds back, Llanos was third out more than eight minutes down, and Jacobs seventh more than 15 minutes adrift.
As the crowds—estimated at 140,000 around the course—urged him on, McCormack pulled away from the rest of the men, his lead ballooning out to 10min with 10km to go. Behind him, drama was unfolding as Jacobs found his running legs and began picking off runners methodically; he and Llanos then overtook a fading Hellriegel in the waning kilometres of the run. Jacobs then surged past Llanos into second at the 30km mark but could not make the move stick and Llanos came past again on his way to a marathon personal best of 2:48:28.
“It was an unbelievable race,” Jacobs said. “I know I can improve my bike and nutrition for next year, and yeah, I think I can get close to 8hrs and hopefully break it as well. It’s not every day you get to lead a race like this so I was enjoying it.”
Hellriegel was crowned national long course champion as the best German in the field.
“To be back in Roth was great for me,” said Hellriegel. “The last years were very hard for me.” Trouble with an Achilles’ tendon late last year meant Hellriegel didn’t know what might be achievable on the run, so he decided to just ride as hard as he could—to a monstrously quick race-best 4:16:18 split (an average of 42.14km/hr) and see how the run would go. “I like to run from the front,” he said. “I’m satisfied with my race. I haven’t had a race under 8:30 in almost three years. I’m lacking a little bit on run but all in all it was really the right decision for me to come back to Roth.”
In the firefighters world title race, top honors went to Frederic Tyrode of France, representing GTV HS, in 9:11:37. Roth’s Michael Hofmann, a past title winner, was fifth.
Roth offered a prize purse of 73,500 euro—paid 10 deep—along with a bonus of US$100,000 for any athlete who could break van Lierde’s record.
A traditional fireworks display and massive finish line party closed out a celebration of 20 years of triathlon in Roth made sweeter by the announcement at day’s end that title sponsor Quelle, Germany’s largest mail-order company, will remain on board in that role for the 2008 running. The Quelle Challenge Roth, the former Ironman Europe, is celebrating its sixth anniversary as an independent race and had 2,500 individual entries and another 500 relay teams. In total, some 4,000 endurance athletes tackled the course.
Quelle Challenge Roth’s sponsors include: Quelle AG, Deutsche Post AG, N-ERGIE, PRO4, Newline, N¸rnberger Nachrichten (N¸rnberg Newspapers), Bayrische Versicherungskammer, Erdinger Alkoholfrei, Sparkasse Mittelfranken-S¸d, Arndt, Mavic, County of Roth, City of Roth, City of Hilpoltstein, Coca-Cola, Frankenbrunnen, Zeus Copy, Paladin, Hofmann, Jura Kaelte, Guttenberger & Partner, and Spedition Heinloth.
MEN
1) Chris McCormack (AUS) 7:54:23 (49:45/4:16:31/2:45:12)
2) Eneko Llanos (ESP) 8:06:06 (46:25/4:28:06/2:48:28)
3) Pete Jacobs (AUS) 8:09:18 (46:12/4:34:31/2:44:26)
4) Thomas Hellriegel (GER) 8:10:33 (49:45/4:16:18/3:01:09)
5) Olaf Sabatschus (GER) 8:15:14 (51:43/4:33:51/2:46:52)
6) Malik Twelsiek (GER) 8:17:03 (49:42/4:25:21/2:57:24)
7) Markus Forster (GER) 8:20:41 (54:12/4:33:07/2:50:29)
8) Luke Dragstra (CAN) 8:24:26 (53:40/4:34:01/2:53:48
9) Chris McDonald (AUS) 8:24:42 (51:27/4:31:272:57:54)
10) Damien Favre-Felix (FRA) 8:25:45 (54:22/4:20:17/3:06:10)
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