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Haikou 16 April 2008 - Those that assumed that Sunday’s Ironman China would be a sure fire ticket to Kona are finding that the many others had the same idea as the competitive yet ‘here for the fun of it’ crowd assembles in Haikou. Some participants arrived as early as last week to have plenty of time to acclimatize and get familiar with the race course and conditions.
Former World Champion triathlete Jo King says that “after a few years break from the sport of triathlon, my outlook on results and performances is slightly different to the past.” Jo, like many athletes, is looking at Ironman China as an opportunity to combine her two great loves of triathlon and travel. To say that she is only heading to China for fun would be a huge understatement - she is also hoping to qualify for the Ford Ironman World Championships in October. “My training for this race has been improving steadily. I have not had any injuries and only few illnesses. A great day for me will hopefully be around 9hrs 30min.”
Jo has turned in some strong performances this year with 7th at the SNAP Ironman 70.3 Geelong and 2nd in the Victorian Triathlon as well as demonstrating that her run may be something to be reckoned with after a recent 1 hour 24 mins half marathon on her home stomping ground in Queensland, Australia.
As the full start field of pro athletes is confirmed, speculation is rife about possible front runners though those who can handle warm conditions are likely to fare well. In the women’s race many believe Belinda Granger has Ironman China in the bag, though German Nicole Toepfer is tipped to be the strongest challenge if she can handle the heat. Ute Mueckel is a great talent over the Ironman distance and could be first women out of the water leading the bike in the early stages; Belinda Harrison is continuing to improve in Ironman and rising star Abi Bailey may also be one to watch after grabbing first at both long course and sprint events in Australia in recent months as well as 2nd at Cancun 70.3 and 4th at Ironman Korea in 2007.
After a strong start to 2008, with second place at Ironman Malaysia, Petr Vabrousek is expecting a great race in China. A strong training block in March was interrupted by a virus just days before Ironman Australia, though he still placed 10th.. In his own words Petr hopes to ‘fly in Haikou’. With a widely assembled field it’s a tough call to say who might take the men’s race: Vabrousek, Olaf Sabatschus and Park Byung Hoon are hot favourites, with Chris McDonald showing determination after knocking 25 minutes of his PB time at Ironman Western Australia earlier this year to clock 8:21.
Ironman is a long day and anything can happen. With a double loop unknown bike course the first 90k could be a cautious test run, though the pros could use this open space to their advantage to make some early gains. The second lap for the faster pros may be interesting as they could run into the back of the pack of full racers as well as athletes racing in the CLSA Ironman 70.3 China which is being held on the same day, with a start time of two hours after the Ironman.
Dubbed ‘the world’s oldest civilization hosts the world’s toughest challenge,’ the Ironman China course is being praised by athletes for its varied course design, which truly takes athletes between old and new China and back again.
Cycling on a ribbon smooth 3 lane highway alongside rice paddies, duck farms and grazing water buffalo in the first 10k of the two loop bike course, the highway then runs as and out and back section to the 53k mark where athletes will likely have their heads down riding the tailwind or battling a headwind as this section seems to get the wind as the day goes on.
The 13km section immediately after the highway is where the fun begins and is getting rave reviews from athletes: “All the highway riding, yes it may be fast but this section…” enthused one group of American racers, “this is China and this is what we came for.” Villagers are already gazing open mouthed as these lycra clad athletes on seemingly space age bicycles pass by working buffalo pulling traditional wooden carts and home made tractors bordering the streets. One can only imagine what the reaction will be when the full field hammers through on Sunday.
The first 21km of the run is another out and back, and a scenic Hawaii-like boulevard setting, lined by palm trees and is expected to be fanned by a sea breeze. Evergreen Park, the second section of the run, is usually teeming with local families on Sunday, and the course then revisits old China as it bears towards the charming older parts of the city where shopkeepers from ‘shoe street’ will have their usual hustle and bustle disrupted for a day as the athletes head towards the finish line in East West Lake Park.
“The great design of this course means that there are opportunities, like the out and back sections on both the bike and run, to see where you are in the race,” says pro Amanda Balding, who raced in New Zealand last month. “For all athletes this is an inspiration - to see those athletes ahead who we can use as targets to aim for and also to see who is looming behind.”
The buzz at the race village right now says it all, and experienced racers are singing the praises of event director Murphy Reinschreiber’s ability to ensure athletes have a great race experience.
Reinschreiber is delighted with the athlete numbers and race atmosphere. “Ironman China has been a long time coming” says Reinschreiber, who has been planning the event since 2004. “Race week is finally here and we are ready to roll.”
Pro line up at IMC - 20 men, 11 women
| Bib No. | Name | NATIONALITY |
| 1 | Belinda Granger AUS |
| 2 Olaf Sabatschus | GER |
| 3 | Jo King AUS |
| 4 Park, Byung Hoon | KOR |
| 5 | Ute Merkel | GER |
| 6 | Chris McDonald | AUS |
| 7 | Nicole Toepfer | GER |
| 8 | Tim Marr | USA |
| 9 | Abi Bailey UK |
| 10 | Matt O'Halloran | CAN |
| 11 | Anne Fallows | UK |
| 12 | Justin Granger | AUS |
| 13 | Belinda Harrison | AUS |
| 14 | Luke Dragstra | CAN |
| 15 | Amanda Balding | AUS |
| 16 | Hubert Hammerl | GER |
| 17 | Maki Nishiuchi | JPN |
| 18 | Petr Vabruosek | CZ |
| 19 | Jocelyn Wong | USA |
| 20 | Darren Franken | AUS |
| 21 | Donna Phelan | CAN |
| 22 | JI-YUL Lee KOR |
| 23 Kjell Schoiberg | GER |
| 24 | Christian Brands NL |
| 25 Markus Strini | AUT |
| 26 | Uzziel Valderrabano | MEX |
| 27 | Matthew Clark | AUS |
| 28 | Bernhard Keller | AUT |
| 29 | Bernd Hagan | GER |
| 30 | Andrew Robertson | AUS |
| 31 | Shane Freer | AUS |
About Ironman China Ltd
Ironman China is owned and produced by Ironman China Ltd.
For further information please see www.ironmanchina.com
MBR>Race Date: 20 April 2008
CLSA Ironman 70.3 China
For further information please see ironmanchina703.com
Race Date: 20 April 2008
CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, Asia's leading independent brokerage and investment group /www.clsa.com.
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