Great Britain’s Chrissie Wellington won her second consecutive Ironman World Championship on the island of Kona, Hawaii, with a dominating performance, despite suffering a puncture on the cycle leg.
Clocking 9 hours 6 minutes and 23 seconds for the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and 26.2 mile run, Wellington beat her time from 2007 by two minutes and finished 15 minutes ahead of second placed Yvonne Van Vlerken from the Netherlands.
Having exited the Pacific in eleventh, Wellington rode through the leaders by the thirty mile mark and continued to push a big gear, steadily increasing her advantage. However a puncture left her stranded at the side of the road with a malfunctioning CO2 inflation canister and no service car for support. A five minute lead had turned into a five minute deficit by the time Wellington was back in the saddle.
Nevertheless, Wellington’s superior bike strength continued and she rode back through the leaders for the second time to give herself a seven minute lead heading on to the marathon. A course record time of 2:57:44 provided a comfortable margin of victory as she cruised up the famous Alii Drive to the finish to the sound of EMF’s ‘You’re Unbelievable’.
This latest performance continues Wellington’s remarkable record of never having been beaten over the Ironman distance since turning professional in 2007.
The men’s race was won by Australia’s Craig Alexander, who ran a 2:45 marathon en route to his first Ironman world title. ITU Duathlon World Champion, Paul Amey, was top Brit in 17th with Stephen Bayliss 19th. Bayliss’ fiancée, Bella Comerford, finished seventh in the women’s race to round off an exceptional year which has included three Ironman wins.
Chrissie Wellington
Personal Information
Date of Birth: 18 February 1977
Born: Bury St Edmunds, England
Lives: Wherever my bike bag is!
Website: www.chrissiewellington.org.
Nickname: Muppet
Hobbies: Talking, eating, mountain biking
Fav music: The Killers
Fav film: Crash
Fav place: Himalayas
Fav food: Mum and Dad's BBQ
Hero: Scott Risby
Words to live by: "Dare to dream"
Luxury item for a desert island: My photo album and a Ray Mears book on 'how to survive on a desert island when all you have is a photo album'."
What would you do if you weren't a triathlete: Cycle touring the world
Fav quote: "The greatest mistake man can make is being afraid to make one."
Major Achievements
Ironman World Champion 2007, 2008
Ironman Korea winner 2007
Alpe D'Huez Triathlon winner 2007
ITU World Age Group Triathlon Champion 2006
2008 Results
1st Ironman Australia, Australia
22nd Tongyeong BG Triathlon World Cup, South Korea
1st Ironman Germany, Germany
1st Alpe D’Huez Long Course Triathlon, France
1st Timberman 70.3, USA
1st Almere ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, Netherlands
1st Ironman World Championships, Hawaii
About British Triathlon
British Triathlon is the National Governing Body for triathlon, the UK’s fastest growing sport. At international level Great Britain boasts a strong squad of world ranked elite triathletes who regularly achieve international success and has some outstanding young talent emerging from its development programmes. Since becoming an Olympic sport in 2000, British Triathlon has seen annual increases in membership numbers of 10%. There are over 650 triathlon events conducted in Great Britain each year, including the Corus Elite Series which attracts athletes from all over the world and the renowned Mazda London Triathlon and. For more information visit BritishTriathlon.org.
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