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The Monaco Ironman 70.3 is becoming the Ironman 70.3 with the strongest field of professional athletes. Lothar Leder of Germany has decided to participate in Monte Carlo on September 2nd. He wants to qualify for the Ironman World Championship 2008 six weeks before the 2007 of the World Championships in Kona and prove that he is ready to get into the act even on a Formula 1 circuit!
The Monaco Ironman 70.3 will take place for the third time on September 2nd. The middle distance triathlon entailing 1.9km of swimming, 90km of cycling and 21.1km of running will lead athletes through the Principality on the Côte d’Azur and the hinterland of Nice. Each of the three disciplines is a challenge of its own – the open water swim in the Mediterranean, the bike ride through the hills and villages with the charm of Southern France and the half marathon retracing the Formula 1 circuit in the heart of Monte Carlo. The Finishline is situated between the world famous Hotel de Paris and the Casino of Monaco.
With one of the best pro starter fields, the Monaco Ironman will be a great preview of the Ironman World Championships to be held only six weeks later in Hawaii. Lothar Leder is the latest entry on the starting list. Leder is the first man ever to have finished an Ironman in less than 8 hours. He has won the Ironman Germany 5 times and placed third in Hawaii two times, both of them with the fastest marathon of the race.
With Leder there are now three athletes in the race who have finished an Ironman sub 8 hours. Leder did so in 7:57:02, while Chris McCormack (AUS, 7:57:50) and Ironman World record holder Luc Van Lierde (BEL, 7:50:27) have succeeded to do so, too.
So, are the three places on the podium already taken? “Not at all”, says Leder “because in Ironman, anything is possible! Personally, I hope to do a solid race, and of course it would be great to get on the podium. My goal is to qualify for Hawaii 2008. Although I did not qualify for this year, I will accompany my wife Nicole. And going to Kona this October knowing for sure that I will be back racing in 2008 is quite tempting an idea!”
Leder has great memories of the Côte d’Azur. In 1994, the long distance world Championship was held in Nice, and Leder – at the very beginning of his career as a pro – placed second. The Triathlon International de Nice has since then become the Ironman France, and Leder, too, made his mark in the sport since then.
The Monaco Ironman 70.3 starts on 2nd September 2007 at 7h00. 800 athletes representing 45 nationalities will race the Formula 1 of Triathlon to grab one of 100 slots for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Florida 2007. The Monaco Ironman 70.3 offers additional 30 slots for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii 2008.
Web site: www.monaco-ironman.com.
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