Bert Jammaer’s perfectly balanced fourth-best swim, second-best bike and seventh-best run gave the Belgian his second straight Ironman Lanzarote victory in 8:54:03, while Bella Bayliss of Scotland earned her 9th Ironman victory in 9:54:57 on the strength of a sizzling run.

The men

Jammaer’s 50:29 swim earned him a 5-minute 27-second margin on Ain-Alar Juhanson, the genial Estonian giant and former Lanzarote winner. That lead helped Jammaer withstand Juhanson’s race-best 4:52:50 bike with only a 12-second deficit at T2. Jammaer then made quick work of the 6-foot 5-inch, 200-pouind Juhanson. Armed with a 5:00:17 to 5:11:16 advantage over German Stephan Vuckovic on the bike, Jammaer’s 2:56:51 run was enough to hold off Vuckovic’s second-best 2:49:21 marathon for a 3-minute 13-second margin of victory, with Germany’s Olaf Sabatschus another 1:46 back in third place.

"On the bike I worked really hard to hold off Ain-Alar," Jammaer told IronmanLive.com. “And then I was happy to keep the gap to a minimum after he passed me. “ Jammaer said he was nervous late in the race about the run strength of both Vuckovic, a 2000 Olympic silver medalist and an Ironman winner, and Sabatschus, a 3-time Ironman champion. "I ran as hard as I could for the second-last five km," he said. "I've never gone as hard as I did today."

His second straight win at Lanzarote now adds to the joy of his scheduled marriage next Friday to fiance Leen Adriaenses, who missed his first win but traveled to Lanzarote to watch Jammaer win this year.

Vuckovic laid his 11-minute bike deficit to back problems which have plagued his health recently. "I had to slow right down on the bike because the back was so bad," Vuckovic told IronmanLive.com. In an understatement given his 2:49 marathon, Vuckovic added, "It felt good on the run, though."

Juhanson, who remains in a bit of a running slump, faded to a
3:08:54 run which left him in 7th place. Portugal's Sergio Marques race-best 2:49:12 run was not enough to overcome a sluggish 5:16:40 bike which left him 8th, 3:25 back of Juhanson.

The women

After a 55:59 swim and a 5:46:36 bike on Lanzarote’s forbidding hills left her in 5th place, 4:42 down to race leader Rachel Joyce of Great Britain, Scotland’s Bella Bayliss put the hammer down with a race-best 3:04:05 marathon that gave her a 20-minute 7-seconds margin of victory over Joyce. Comerford topped her winning time at last year's Ironman Lanzarote by 7 minutes 31 seconds.

Ironman Lanzarote Canarias

Top 10 men

1. Bert Jammaer (BEL) 8:54:03
2. Stephan Vuckovic (GER) 8:57:17
3. Olaf Sabatschus (GER) 8:59:03
4. Gregorio Cáceres Morales (ESP) 9:01:06
5. Stephen Bayliss (GBR) 9:02:15
6. Scott Neyedli (GBR) 9:04:29
7. Ain-Alar Juhanson (EST) 9:05:13
8. Sergio Marques (POR) 9:08:38
9. Joseph Spindler (GER) 9:13:17
10. Chris Brands (NED) 9:16:01


Top 10 women

1. Bella Bayliss (GBR) 9:54:58
2. Rachel Joyce (GBR) 10:15:05
3. Michaela Giger (SWI) 10:15:41
4. Kathrin Paetzold (GER) 10:18:59
5. Hillary Biscay (USA) 10:28:45
6. Irene Kinnegim (NED) 10:32:12
7. Tara Norton (CAN) 10:36:58
8. Joanna Carritt (GBR) 10:45:31 *AG F30-34
9. Nicole Woysch (GER) 10:46:18
10. Catherine Houseaux (FRA) 10:56:35