Natascha Badmann of Switzerland and Clemente Alonso-McKernan of Spain won convincing victories at Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa Sunday in Port Elizabeth.
The Women
Alonso-McKernan had a strong performance, but the star of the day was six-time Ironman World Champion and now four-time Ironman South Africa winner Natascha Badmann. Overcoming a humbling slow 1:14 swim – which can be blamed on lingering shoulder injuries after her career-threatening 2007 bike crash in Hawaii -- Badmann turned on the jets with a women’s race-best bike (5:14:55) and run (3:12:02) to finish in 9:47:10 with a 5:16 margin of victory over runner-up and fellow Swiss competitor Simone Brandli. Further back in Baumann’s wake were pre-race co-favorites Diane Riesler of Germany (3rd place in 10:01:14) and Virginia Berasategui of Spain (6th place in 10:13:00).
Badmann’s biggest victory might well have been time. At 45 years and 138 days, she likely became the oldest woman to win a World Triathlon Corporation sanctioned Ironman event – topping Fernanda Keller’s mark of winning the 2008 edition of Ironman Brazil at 44 years and 8 months.
Badmann started her day 14 minutes behind Brandli, 11 minutes back of Berasategui, and two minutes back of Riesler after the swim. But riding her aerodynamic Cheetah with ageless ease, Badmann picked up 9 minutes on Brandli, 12 minutes on Riesler, and a whopping 26 minutes on Berasategui on the bike.
On the run, Badmann methodically erased Brandli’s advantage and took the lead at the 23 kilometer mark. By the finish, Badmann had outrun Brandli by 11:38 and had enough margin to bestow her famous smile on the cheering crowd and soak in the love in the finish chute.
The Men
On a tough day at Nelson Mandela Bay, Clemente Alsonso-McKernan of Spain outlasted pre-race favorites Raynard Tissink of South Africa and Andi Bocherer of Germany to take his first Ironman win by 7 minutes 3 seconds over runner-up Cyril Viennot of France.
Alonso-McKernan broke fast with a race-best 54:53 swim that gave him a 5 seconds lead on Bocherer, 3:06 on Mike Aigroz, 5:01 on Viennot and 8:18 on Tissink. Bocherer took the lead with a 2nd-best 4:44:04 bike that put 4:48 on Alonso-McKernan’s 4th-best 4:48:52 split and gave him a similar lead on Cyril Viennot, whose 59:54 swim and race-best 4:43:50 bike left him virtually tied with Alonso-McKernan at T2. The rest of the field was well in their wake -- defending champion Raynard Tissink was obviously struggling and out of contention after a 5:04:32 bike.
Bocherer, however, was also tapped out by his bike and easy prey for Alonso-McKernan, who passed the German early on his way to a race-best 2:46:15 run . Bocherer dropped out at 18km of the run as Alonso-McKernan cruised to the line in 8:34:45 with a 7:03 margin of victory over Viennot, who managed a second-best 2:54:07 run. Mike Aigroz of Switzerland, who ran 2:55:55 and finished 3rd, 4:16 back of Viennot. Tissink struggled home 14th in 9:31:42.
Alonso-McKernan, the son of a Spanish father and a Scottish mother, gave strong indication he had an Ironman win in him after finishing second at Ironman Switzerland last year. In that race, he lost 15 minutes to a puncture on the bike and then unleashed a 2:41 run.
Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
April 22, 2012
SA 2.4 mi. / B 112 mi. / R 26.2 mi.
Results
Men
1. Clemente Alonso-McKernan (ESP) 8:34:45
2. Cyril Viennot (FRA) 8:41:48
3. Mike Aigroz (SUI) 8:46:04
4. Markus Fachbach (GER) 8:57:21
5. Trevor Delsaut (FRA) 9:03:03
6. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) 9:09:57
7. Craig Twigg (GBR) 9:10:48
8. Sylvain Rota (FRA) 9:11:24
9. Kent Horner (RSA) 9:14:39
10. Guilherme Manocchio (BRA) 9:20:56
Women
1. Natascha Badmann (SUI) 9:47:10
2. Simone Brandli (SUI) 9:52:26
3. Diane Riesler (GER) 10:01:14
4. Dianne McEwan (RSA) 10:07:55
5. Susan Dietrich (GER) 10:08:02
6. Virginia Berasategui (ESP) 10:13:00
7. Catherine Faux (GBR) 10:26:22 * F25-29
8. Emi Sakai (JPN) 10:28:03
