While Richard Thompson did not set the fastest run split on the final day, the 33-year-old Australian won the whole enchilada with a 22:09:26 time for the 321-mile, three-day Ultraman World Championship by a 57 minute 32 seconds margin over 42-year-old defending champion Rob Gray of South Africa. Petr Vabrousek of the Czech Republic, age 45, took third place 1:22:34 behind the winner.

Thompson ran 6:56:24, the men’s second-best double marathon split, surpassed only by the 6:51:47 split by 5th place overall finisher Miro Kregar of Slovenia, who at age 56 was the oldest man on the race. Kregar won the overall title in this race in 2013.

While Thompson set the Ultraman distance world best at Australia in 2017 in a time of 21:21:14, the inherent difficulty of the Big Island of Hawaii course and the added challenge of the new course adapted to the roads wiped out by the massive Kilauea lava flow this spring and summer made for much slower times. For example, this year’s second day bike course had 13,728 feet of climbing – almost twice as much as the previous Day 2 course. Last year the fastest Day 2 split was 7:36:05 while this year the best mark was Thompson's 8:20:05.

Thompson came to the 2018 Ultraman World Championship as a rookie, but had an impressive résumé. In addition to his 2017 Ultraman world best time victory in Australia, he is the 2008 18-24 age group champion at the Ironman World Championship. He also set an 8:55 Ironman PR at age 22. In 2010, he started T-Zero coaching and handles dozens of endurance athletes.

Tara Norton of Canada led the whole way and set the fastest women’s time for all three days, finishing this year’s Ultraman World Championship in a time of 28:19:35 with a 1:14:55 margin of victory over runner-up Mary Knott of Gilbert, Arizona and Cynthia Bartus of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania took third, 1:46:44 behind the winner.

Norton, who finished as the 2nd woman overall at the 2016 Ultraman World Championship, competed in the Ironman World Championship in Kona six times, with a best finish of 12th woman. The 47-year-old Canadian also set a bike split record at Ironman Lanzarote in 2010 and has an Ironman personal best of 9:32. Like Thompson, Norton is a triathlon and endurance sports coach.

Ultraman World Championship
The Big Island of Hawaii
November 23-25, 2018
Day 1 – S 10k / B 90 mi.
Day 2 – B 171.4 mi.
Day 3 – R 52.4 mi.


Results

Men

1. Richard Thompson (AUS) Age 33, DAY 1 6:52:57 Day 2 8:20:05 Day 3 6:56:24 TOTAL 22:09:26
2. Rob Gray (RSA) Age 42, Day 1 6:59:57 Day 2 8:34:32 Day 3 7:32:29 TOTAL 23:06:58
3. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) Age 45, Day 1 7:30:42 Day 2 8:28:04 Day 3 7:33:14 TOTAL 23:32:00
4. David Hainish (CAN) Age 34, Day 1 7:49:48 Day 2 8:46:54 Day 3 7:06:43 TOTAL 23:43:25
5. Miro Kregar (SLO) Age 56, Day 1 8:56:13 Day 2 9:57:40 Day 3 6:51:47 TOTAL 25:45:40
6. Juan Bautista Castilla Arroyo (ESP) Age 35, Day 1 8:45:02 Day 2 10:00:50 Day 3 7:01:58 TOTAL 25:47:50
7. Gary Kelly (GBR) Age 47, Day 1 8:00:33 Day 2 9:31:51 Day 3 8:24:47 TOTAL 25:57:11
8. Travis “Trout” Wayth (AUS) Age 48, Day 1 8:01:41 Day 2 9:45:37 Day 3 8:24:46 TOTAL 26:12: 14
9. Bruno Maggio (CHL) Age 38, Day 1 8:49:03 Day 2 10:37:58 Day 3 7:25:10 TOTAL 26:52:11
10. Bojan “Boki” Maric (SRB) Age 49, Day 1 8:07:53 Day 2 10:16:32 Day 3 8:31:31 TOTAL 26:55:56

Women

1. Tara Norton (CAN) Age 47, Day 1 8:16:51 Day 2 10:27:55 Day 3 9:34:49 TOTAL 28:19:35
2. Mary Knott (Gilbert, Arizona) Age 42, Day 1 8:31:48 Day 2 10:45:48 Day 3 10:16:54 TOTAL 29:34:30
3. Cynthia Bartus (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) Age 40, Day 1 9:50:53 Day 2 10:58:06 Day 3 9:17:20 TOTAL 30:06:19
4. Fiona Siemelink (Houston, Texas) Age 52, Day 1 10:50:03 Day 2 11:55:41 Day 3 9:56:30 TOTAL 32:42:14