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IM Florida is a speedway with 3 women breaking 9 hours and 3 men breaking 8
Victor Del Corral of Spain posted a 10th-fastest ever men’s Ironman distance time of 7:53:12 and Yvonne Van Vlerken of the Netherlands, just 3 weeks after her 4th place finish at Ironman Hawaii, posted the 10th-fastest ever women’s Ironman distance time of 8:43:07 while winning the elite titles at Ironman Florida.
The pool table flat Panama City Beach course served up a feast of statistical triumphs as Andrew Starykowicz fell just 2 minutes 10 second short of a repeat win while breaking his already stupendous Ironman bike split record set last year by 2:22 with a 4:02:17 mark. Starykowicz also showed his 2012 Ironman Florida win was no fluke as his 2013 finish time of 7:55:22 was 10:55 better than last year’s mark.
Next in significance was Corral’s 2:37:29 marathon split, which was the 3rd-best Ironman-distance marathon run by a men’s winner in history, trailing only Peter Reid’s 2:35:21 at Klagenfurt in 1999 and Luc van Lierde’s 2:36:49 at Roth in 1997.
Also of note was the fact that Van Vlerken posted her 6th sub-9 hour finish at an Ironman-distance race, putting her second only to Chrissie Wellington’s 9 sub-9s in women’s Ironman-distance events. Also, since 6 of the marks ahead of Van Vlerken were set on non-Ironman courses, her 8:43:07 at Ironman Florida this year becomes the 4th-fastest official Ironman women’s finish in history. To top it off, Van Vlerken’s 4:35:49 is the second fastest Ironman-distance women’s winner’s bike split in history, only 20 seconds slower than Caroline Steffen’s bike split at Ironman Melbourne in 2012.
Not at all shabby was the 8:49:03 finish – comprised of a 55:21 swim, 4:51:20 bike split and a race-best 2:56:35 run - of women’s runner-up Ashley Clifford, which was the 19th fastest Ironman-distance women’s mark of all time. Erica Csomor also improved her already impressive career stats with a 3rd-place 8:56:41 time – her 4th career sub-9 hours for the Ironman distance and her second this year after an 8:59:31 finish in Austria.
Not to be forgotten should be Filip Ospaly’s first sub-8 hour Ironman finish – a 7:58:44 which earned him the final spot on the men’s podium.
As a footnote to all the heroics, 2013 Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae took care of her 2014 Ironman World Championship entry validation by cruising to a 28th place women’s finish in 9:48:07. Fiancé Tim O’Donnell did the same, following up his 5th place at Kona with a 66th overall male finish in a time of 9:15:54.
Victor Del Corral of Spain posted a 10th-fastest ever men’s Ironman distance time of 7:53:12 and Yvonne Van Vlerken of the Netherlands, just 3 weeks after her 4th place finish at Ironman Hawaii, posted the 10th-fastest ever women’s Ironman distance time of 8:43:07 while winning the elite titles at Ironman Florida.
The pool table flat Panama City Beach course served up a feast of statistical triumphs as Andrew Starykowicz fell just 2 minutes 10 second short of a repeat win while breaking his already stupendous Ironman bike split record set last year by 2:22 with a 4:02:17 mark. Starykowicz also showed his 2012 Ironman Florida win was no fluke as his 2013 finish time of 7:55:22 was 10:55 better than last year’s mark.
Next in significance was Corral’s 2:37:29 marathon split, which was the 3rd-best Ironman-distance marathon run by a men’s winner in history, trailing only Peter Reid’s 2:35:21 at Klagenfurt in 1999 and Luc van Lierde’s 2:36:49 at Roth in 1997.
Also of note was the fact that Van Vlerken posted her 6th sub-9 hour finish at an Ironman-distance race, putting her second only to Chrissie Wellington’s 9 sub-9s in women’s Ironman-distance events. Also, since 6 of the marks ahead of Van Vlerken were set on non-Ironman courses, her 8:43:07 at Ironman Florida this year becomes the 4th-fastest official Ironman women’s finish in history. To top it off, Van Vlerken’s 4:35:49 is the second fastest Ironman-distance women’s winner’s bike split in history, only 20 seconds slower than Caroline Steffen’s bike split at Ironman Melbourne in 2012.
Not at all shabby was the 8:49:03 finish – comprised of a 55:21 swim, 4:51:20 bike split and a race-best 2:56:35 run - of women’s runner-up Ashley Clifford, which was the 19th fastest Ironman-distance women’s mark of all time. Erica Csomor also improved her already impressive career stats with a 3rd-place 8:56:41 time – her 4th career sub-9 hours for the Ironman distance and her second this year after an 8:59:31 finish in Austria.
Not to be forgotten should be Filip Ospaly’s first sub-8 hour Ironman finish – a 7:58:44 which earned him the final spot on the men’s podium.
As a footnote to all the heroics, 2013 Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae took care of her 2014 Ironman World Championship entry validation by cruising to a 28th place women’s finish in 9:48:07. Fiancé Tim O’Donnell did the same, following up his 5th place at Kona with a 66th overall male finish in a time of 9:15:54.
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Ironman 70.3 Taiwan
Kenting, Taiwan
November 2, 2013
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Men
1. Fredrik Croneborg (SWE) 4:01:04
2. Guy Crawford (NZL) 4:10:10
3. Hiroyuki Nishiuchi (JPN) 4:19:12
4. Zsombor Deak (ROM) 4:19:40
5. Daiki Masuda (JPN) 4:21:35
Women
1. Michelle Wu (AUS) 4:28:13
2. Kate Bevilaqua (AUS) 4:35:55
3. Belinda Granger (AUS) 4:37:56
4. Keiko Tanaka (JPN) 4:44:55
5. Monica Torres (PHI) 4:55:55
Australians Aaron Royle and Emma Moffatt win the classic Noosa Triathlon
Aaron Royle and Emma Moffatt won their first Noosa Triathlon titles after very different periods of trying. The 23-year-old Royle won on his first attempt and Moffatt, after two World titles and an Olympic bronze in a decade of racing finally took the win at this Australian classic.
"It was the one thing I hadn't done and always wanted to do,'' Moffatt told Australian sports journalist Amanda Lulham. Moffatt finished second to Olympic gold medallist Emma Snowsill in the 2008 Noosa Triathlon after her 3rd place finish at the Beijing Olympics.
Moffatt screamed in fright when a water snake reared out of the water just before the start of the swim. By the end of the day, Moffatt posted a 1:58:41 time which was 21 seconds ahead of the runner-up, rising ITU star Ashleigh Gentle, and 3:01 ahead of two-time Ironman 70.3 World champion Melissa Hauschildt, who finished 3rd.
Aaron Royle, the 2012 ITU Under 23 World Champion and 7th place finisher in the elite category at the 2013 World Triathlon Series Grand Final, took the win with a 1:46:11 finish. Royle led an all-Australian men’s podium, 41 seconds ahead of runner-up Dan Wilson and 48 seconds ahead of 3rd-place finisher Ryan Bailie.
“There is such an honour roll of winners here,” Royle told Lulham. He joins the Olympians Craig Walton and Courtney Atkinson and former world champions Chris McCormack and Miles Stewart as a Noosa Triathlon winner.
Royle and Moffatt earned their second straight wins after victories at the Nepean Triathlon in Sydney last weekend.
Kenting, Taiwan
November 2, 2013
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Men
1. Fredrik Croneborg (SWE) 4:01:04
2. Guy Crawford (NZL) 4:10:10
3. Hiroyuki Nishiuchi (JPN) 4:19:12
4. Zsombor Deak (ROM) 4:19:40
5. Daiki Masuda (JPN) 4:21:35
Women
1. Michelle Wu (AUS) 4:28:13
2. Kate Bevilaqua (AUS) 4:35:55
3. Belinda Granger (AUS) 4:37:56
4. Keiko Tanaka (JPN) 4:44:55
5. Monica Torres (PHI) 4:55:55
Australians Aaron Royle and Emma Moffatt win the classic Noosa Triathlon
Aaron Royle and Emma Moffatt won their first Noosa Triathlon titles after very different periods of trying. The 23-year-old Royle won on his first attempt and Moffatt, after two World titles and an Olympic bronze in a decade of racing finally took the win at this Australian classic.
"It was the one thing I hadn't done and always wanted to do,'' Moffatt told Australian sports journalist Amanda Lulham. Moffatt finished second to Olympic gold medallist Emma Snowsill in the 2008 Noosa Triathlon after her 3rd place finish at the Beijing Olympics.
Moffatt screamed in fright when a water snake reared out of the water just before the start of the swim. By the end of the day, Moffatt posted a 1:58:41 time which was 21 seconds ahead of the runner-up, rising ITU star Ashleigh Gentle, and 3:01 ahead of two-time Ironman 70.3 World champion Melissa Hauschildt, who finished 3rd.
Aaron Royle, the 2012 ITU Under 23 World Champion and 7th place finisher in the elite category at the 2013 World Triathlon Series Grand Final, took the win with a 1:46:11 finish. Royle led an all-Australian men’s podium, 41 seconds ahead of runner-up Dan Wilson and 48 seconds ahead of 3rd-place finisher Ryan Bailie.
“There is such an honour roll of winners here,” Royle told Lulham. He joins the Olympians Craig Walton and Courtney Atkinson and former world champions Chris McCormack and Miles Stewart as a Noosa Triathlon winner.
Royle and Moffatt earned their second straight wins after victories at the Nepean Triathlon in Sydney last weekend.
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UWC Bahamas Triathlon
Nassau, Bahamas
November 3, 2013
S 1.5k / B 40k / R 10k
Results
Elite men
1. Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) 1:48:52
2. Tim Don (GBR) 1:48:53
3. Ben Collins (USA) 1:50:34
4. Leon Griffin (AUS) 1:52:10
5. Barrett Brandon (USA) 1:52:30
6. Ben Hoffman (USA) 1:52:50
7. Luke McKenzie (AUS) 1:53:12
Elite Women
1. Alicia Kaye (USA) 1:57:14
2. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 2:03:02
3. Lauren Brandon (USA) 2:05:34
4. Heather Wurtele (CAN) 2:07:22
5. Sara McLarty (USA) 2:09:07
Brandon and Amy Marsh earn our vote as Best Triathlete Halloween costume
From Maui to Miami, triathletes across the United States donned excellent costumes to celebrate Halloween this week. But we submit that when Brandon and Amy Marsh teamed up with their peanut butter and jelly get ups back home in Austin, Texas, nothing could be wittier or more symbolic of their fine partnership.
Nassau, Bahamas
November 3, 2013
S 1.5k / B 40k / R 10k
Results
Elite men
1. Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) 1:48:52
2. Tim Don (GBR) 1:48:53
3. Ben Collins (USA) 1:50:34
4. Leon Griffin (AUS) 1:52:10
5. Barrett Brandon (USA) 1:52:30
6. Ben Hoffman (USA) 1:52:50
7. Luke McKenzie (AUS) 1:53:12
Elite Women
1. Alicia Kaye (USA) 1:57:14
2. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 2:03:02
3. Lauren Brandon (USA) 2:05:34
4. Heather Wurtele (CAN) 2:07:22
5. Sara McLarty (USA) 2:09:07
Brandon and Amy Marsh earn our vote as Best Triathlete Halloween costume
From Maui to Miami, triathletes across the United States donned excellent costumes to celebrate Halloween this week. But we submit that when Brandon and Amy Marsh teamed up with their peanut butter and jelly get ups back home in Austin, Texas, nothing could be wittier or more symbolic of their fine partnership.
