New Caledonia’s Patrick Vernay continued a pretty nice streak by fending off a tough challenge by Australian Pete Jacobs and winning his third straight Ironman Australia title Sunday in a time of 8:24:53. Vernay’s closing 2:45:58 run provided virtually all of his 4 minute, 10-second margin of victory on a sometimes rainy and relatively cool day on New South Wales’ mid-coast.
But however sunny Vernay’s performance might have been, it remains in the shadow of the latest chapter of the incredible Wellington Express.
Recalling Paula Newby-Fraser’s shockingly dominant 11th overall at the 1988 edition of Ironman Hawaii, Chrissie Wellington finished 13th overall Sunday at Port Macquairie in 8:57:10 to take her second straight Ironman Australia title. With her dominant 24-minute margin over runner-up Rebecca Keat, third-year-professional Wellington remains undefeated after her first six Ironman races.
The win comes in the first major outing after Wellington switched coaches from Australian Brett Sutton to fellow Briton and five-time ITU World Champion Simon Lessing. The dominating win over Keat – the woman who lent Wellington her CO2 canisters that allowed her to finish and win her second straight Ironman World Championship at Kona – left Wellington in her own time zone. Underlining Wellington's challenge to male dominance, she finished 5 minutes ahead of former Ironman Australia overall winner Jason Shortis. With a 50:48 swim (three minutes off the best man’s swim) 5:03:01 bike (20 minutes more than the best man’s ride) and 2:59:15 run (13 minutes slower than Vernay’s run), Wellington more than ever seems unbeatable by any other current woman in the Ironman firmament.
The last minute withdrawal of the legendary two-time ITU World Champion and 2006 Ironman Hawaii victor Michellie Jones due to a leg injury removed a vital competitor. But even if healthy, a still-recovering Jones more than likely would not have affected the outcome.
The only Ironman Australia women’s record left standing, the only room left for a little humility, is that Lori Bowden’s 8:55:38 winning time on a faster course at 2000 Ironman Australia at Forster-Tuncurry still stands as the race record.
The men
While Wellington proceeded to yet another coronation, the men’s contest was hotly contested. Australian Pete Jacobs, who finished second at Quelle Challenge Roth last year, led the swim in 47:51, with pros Rene Goehler (48:10), Mathias Hecht (48:12), Simon Thompson (48:12) Cameron Watt (48:15) and Tim DeBoom (48:19) in the chase. Top contenders Vernay (50:51), Ironman Western Australia winner and Port Macquairie native Tim Berkel (50:50), Danish contender Jimmy Johnsen (not NASCAR Champion Jimmy Johnson), Germany’s Maik Twelsiek (50:49) and Aussie Matt White made up a high-powered chase pack. High powered – but matched in the water by Wellington, who has improved roughly six to eight minutes in the swim since her Ironman debut in August 2007.
By 80 km on the bike, Cameron Watt made a break, but chasing one minute back were a pack of 10 that included Twelsiek, Thompson, Berkel, DeBoom, Hecht, and White. Two minutes further back were Jacobs and Johnsen, and Wellington another two minutes arrears.
Through an insistent and sometimes heavy rain, Watt stretched his lead over the main chase pack, joined by Vernay, to 2 minutes 20 seconds by 130km of the 180km bike. By the time they hit T2, Watt held a minute margin on Port Macquairie local Adam Holborow, and 2:40 lead on the main chase pack, which was led by Berkel, followed quickly by Thompson, Vernay, DeBoom, Nathan Stewart, Johnsen, Jacobs and Joshua Rix.
By 7km into the run, Berkel held a slim 10 meter lead on Vernay, with a huge pack including Watt, Matt White, Jimmy Johnsen, Simon Thompson, Jacobs and DeBoom within 20 seconds. By 14 km, Watt had dropped out. Berkel and Vernay ran together in the lead, with Johnsen 1 minute back, Jacobs and DeBoom 1:20 down, Thompson 1:30 back, and Maik Twelsiek 2:15 behind.
Halfway through the run, Vernay created a 45-second gap on Berkel. Jacobs then started a big counterattack, passing Berkel and taking the lead about the 30km mark. For the next 3 kilometers, Vernay and Jacobs ran side by side before Vernay retook a 5-second lead, with Berkel 2:50 down and DeBoom and Johnsen fading backwards, 3:50 down.
By the finish, Vernay cruised in with a 2:45:58 run, 4:27 faster than Jacobs, and a margin of victory of 4 minutes 10 seconds; with Berkel another 2:40 back in third.
Johnsen hung tough for 4th place with a 2:55:06 run and an 8:33:43 finish, which gave him a 27-seconds margin over fifth place Twelsiek.
Two-time Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom, in his first race under the coaching supervision of Carmichael Training Systems, cruised in with a 3:00:28 marathon to take 6th; 2:34 ahead of 7th place Simon Thompson.
The women
Keat hung tough with Wellington through the swim -- 50:55 to Wellington’s 50:48, but surrendered 11 minutes on the bike with a 5:14:05 to Wellington’s 5:03:01. Keat’s 3:12:42 marathon would be commendable and possibly a winning hand in some other competitive context, but her final leg surrendered another 13:27 and left Keat 24:23 back at the finish. Caroline Steffen of Switzerland took third in 9:38:44.
Country Energy Ironman Australia
Port Macquarie, Australia
April 5, 2009
S 2.4 mi/ B 112 mi/ R 26.2 mi
Results
Top 10 men
1. Patrick Vernay (NCL) 8:24:53
2. Pete Jacobs (AUS) 8:29:03
3. Tim Berkel (AUS) 8:31:43
4. Jimmy Johnsen (DEN) 8:33:43
5. Maik Twelsiek (GER) 8:34:10
6. Tim DeBoom (USA) 8:39:47
7. Simon Thompson (AUS) 8:42:21
8. Trent Chapman (AUS) 8:47:33 * age group
9. Matt White (AUS) 8:50:59
10. Chris Dimitrieff (AUS) 8:53:06
Pro women
1. Chrissie Wellington (GBR) 8:57:10
2. Rebecca Keat (AUS) 9:21:33
3. Caroline Steffen (SWI) 9:38:44
4. Abigail Bayley (GBR) 10:01:27
