Marino Vanhoenacker won the Marc Herrremans Classic Ironman 70.3 Antwerp for the third time in the row and continues his dominant 2009 performance. Sofie Goos took the women's title and thus helped the Belgian sweep at home.

Earlier this year the lanky Belgian won Ironman South Africa and he also cruised to a win at Ironman Austria in early July. The only race Vanhoenacker started in 09 which he did not win was the 70.3 Austria race. There he had to settle for the runner up spot behind 2007 Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack.

"After Ironman Austria I mainly rested and did some short steady sessions to keep the blood flowing and look, the machine still worked quite well today," stated Vanhoenacker to slowtwitch. "So an athlete with a good fitness and well rested can do a great race maybe even better then a guy in top shape but not really recovered from the hard training. But isn't that balance what we all try to find out. Today was ok, fast swimming, I could just hang on the end of the leading pack. On the bike I took control after 10 km and never really looked back
on the run. I could control the race with a big advantage."

Marc Herrremans Classic Ironman 70.3 Antwerp
Antwerp, BEL / August 2, 009

Top 10 men

1. Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) 3:41:46
2. Paul Matthews (AUS) 3:45:22
3. Bert Jammaer (BEL) 3:46:35
4. Axel Zeebroek (BEL) 3:46:40
5. Dann Brook (GBR) 3:47:36
6. Bas Diederen (NED) 3:48:33
7. Fraser Cartmell (GBR) 3:48:56
8. Rutger Beke (BEL) 3:50:55
9. Gerrit Schellens (BEL) 3:52:42
10. Frederik Van Lierde (BEL) 3:52:50

Top 5 women

1. Sofie Goos (BEL) 4:08:07
2. Belinda Granger (AUS) 4:08:25
3. Delphine Pelletier (FRA) 4:09:47
4. Lucie Zelenkova (CZE) 4:14:53
5. Emma Kate Lidbury (GBR) 4:16:15