Bart Aernouts held off Marino Vanhoenacker and Dirk Bockel to win the 2010 Marc Herremans Ironman 70.3 Antwerp. Sofie Goos captured the women's race and successfully defended her title.
A group of about 7 guys came out of the water together with 3-time Ironman 70.3 Antwerp winner Marino Vanhoenacker among them.
As expected Bjorn Andersson charged into the lead on the bike and with his fastest bike split of 2:01:05 he built an almost 7 minute lead by the time he got back to the second transition. Next into transition was a 4-man group that included Vanhoenacker, Frederik Van Lierde, Dirk Bockel and Bart Aernouts, a Belgian Pro with a duathlon background.
On the run Vanhoenacker and Aernouts charged very hard after the leading Swede and in the process dropped Bockel and Van Lierde. The two chasers caught Andersson with about 7k to go and soon after Aernouts dropped defending champion Vanhoenacker and scored his biggest win to date. Bockel was 3rd, Van Lierde 4th and Andersson crossed the line in 5th.
Emma-Kate Lidbury led the women out of the water but she had Rachel Joyce and defending champion Sofie Goos hot on her heels.
Goos then rode a very fast 2:20:06 bike split and that allowed her to reach T2 nearly 4 minutes ahead of Lidbury and almost 7 minutes ahead of Joyce. All other competitors were even further out of the picture.
Joyce then ran a 1:22:56 half marathon and that helped her gain time back on the Belgian race leader, but Goos ran 1:25:57 and that was plenty fast to ensure the title and allowed her to high five people as she ran towards the finish line. Joyce finished in second position and Lidbury rounded out the podium.
Marc Herremans 70.3 Antwerp
Antwerp, Belgium / July 25, 2010
1.2m swim /56m bike / 13.1m run
Top 10 men
1. Bart Aernouts (BEL) 3:43:38
2. Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) 3:45:09
3. Dirk Bockel (LUX) 3:45:55
4. Frederik Van Lierde (BEL) 3:48:46
5. Bjorn Andersson (SWE) 3:49:11
6. Ollie Whistler (AUS) 3:55:57
7. Sean Donnelly (GER) 3:56:56
8. Lee Piercy (GBR) 3:59:34 * AG M35-39
9. Bart Colpaert (BEL) 3:59:36 * AG M25-29
10. Rutger Beke (BEL) 4:00:23
Top 10 women
1. Sofie Goos (BEL) 4:13:40
2. Rachel Joyce (GBR) 4:16:25
3. Emma-Kate Lidbury (GBR) 4:19:56
4. Eimaer Mullan (IRL) 4:24:37 * AG W25-29
5. Debbie Verstraeten (BEL) 4:25:14
6. Anne-Marie Dupont (BEL) 4:26:04 * AG W35-39
7. Melanie Matthys (BEL) 4:26:58 * AG WW30-34
8. Nicole Woysch (GER) 4:33:03
9. Esther Evans (GBR) 4:33:07 * AG W35-39
10. Carla Van Rooijen (NED) 4:33:43 * AG W35-39
