Frustrated by a slow 57:12 swim that left him two and a half minutes behind the leaders, Australian Chris McDonald used a second-best 4:45:34 bike and a fifth-best 2:51:33 run to smash the course record by seven minutes and take the third Challenge Wanaka title in 8:37:41. McDonald, 30, who last year took a win at Ironman Wisconsin a week after placing second at Ironman Louisville, and a 4th place at Quelle Challenge Roth, avenged a runner-up finish at Challenge Wanaka last year.
Emerging Kiwi Iron distance superstar Gina Ferguson, coming off a 2008 season highlighted by two sub-9 hour races, easily defended her Challenge Wanaka title and broke her own course record by five minutes with a 9:28:27 finish that gave her a 35-minute margin of victory over Wanaka native Merryn Johnston, who improved on her 4th place finish at Wanaka last year.
Ferguson, who was the first woman to break the 9-hour barrier at Ironman Western Australia last month, exited the water with the top men in 54:34, then broke Belinda Granger’s 2008 bike course record with a 5:14:28 clocking that was 22 minutes faster than Johnston, then cruised home with a race-best 3:15:19 run. Ferguson, a violinist in the Christchurch Symphony orchestra, is a South Islander who likely considers Wanaka the closest thing to a home town race.
American Hillary Biscay, who broke into the Ironman winners' ranks last year at Wisconsin, finished 13 minutes back of Johnston in 10:16:39.
Men’s runner-up Keegan Williams of New Zealand started ahead of McDonald with a 54:41 swim, gave up 10 minutes with a 4:55:04 bike, and could only gain back a minute with a 4th best 2:50:41 marathon.
Czech Iron specialist Petr Vabrousek made up 2 minutes 16 seconds on Keegan with a 2:48:25 run, but fell just 30 seconds short of a silver medal on a rainy, cloudy day on a rugged course which winds along the Clutha River in the scenic Southern Lakes region.
McDonald’s training partner, American Justin Daerr, emerged from the water with McDonald and stuck close by throughout the bike, then faded to 4th with a closing 2:59:49 run.
Top 8 men
1. Chris McDonald (AUS) 8:37:41
2. Keegan Williams (NZL) 8.44.08
3. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) 8:44:38
4. Justin Daerr (USA) 8:47:47
5. Marc Pschebizin (GER) 8:53:36 5
6. Luke Dragstra (CAN) 8:58:26
7. Axel Reiser (GER) 9:02:33
8. Justin Granger (AUS) 9:19:16
Top 3 women
1. Gina Ferguson (NZL) 9:28:27
2. Merryn Johnston (NZL) 10:03:56
3. Hillary Biscay (USA) 10:16:39
