Moms Make History at Ultraman World Championship as Jen Annett and Michelle Vesterby Finish 1st and 2nd
With a total distance of 320 miles (515 km), the Ultraman World Championship takes long-distance racing to the next level. The first race took place in 1983 on The event includes three days of racing. Day one features a 6.2 mile (10 km) open water swim followed by a 90 mile (145 km) bike. Day two includes 171.4 miles (275 km) of cycling. The final day consists of a double marathon – 56.4 miles (84 km).
This year’s event turned out to be record-breaking in a number of ways as Canada’s Jen Annett and Denmark’s Michelle Vesterby finished first and second overall.
“It’s a piece of history, when you’ve got not just women finishing first and second – it’s the first time a woman has won overall here,” said IRONMAN Hall of Fame member and triathlon historian Bob Babbitt, who was on the Big Island covering the event with is wife Heidi. “But it’s also two moms. Two moms who are wonderful and who like each other a lot and respect the hell out of each other. Jen was down 17 minutes after day one, 11:22 after day two, and still down 6:45 after the first marathon today and then just kept putting pressure … and I think she ended up winning by about 20 minutes.”
In fact the difference was a shade under 21 minutes. Annett set a new women’s course record with her 23:04:56 finish. Vesterby crossed the line in 23:25:47. The pair were also the overall winners at the two Ultraman events they competed in earlier this year. Vesterby was first across the line at Ultraman Arizona in March, and Annett set a world-best time (21:39:21) in winning Ultraman Canada in July.
Vesterby led the first two days in Kona, finishing the first day in 8:08:18 to Annett’s 8:25:42. Annett clawed back a bit of time on Day 2, finishing the bike in 7:52:17 to Vesterby’s 7:58:20. Vesterby started the final day’s double-marathon with a lead of just over 11 minutes. The Dane managed to maintain her lead through the first marathon, but by the 39-mile point had relinquished the overall lead to the Canadian. The two women finished almost two hours ahead of the next competitor, Juan Bautista Castillia Arroyo.
In winning the race Annett set records for the bike on Day 2, the run on Day 3 and, as mentioned, the overall course record.
According to Babbitt the conditions this weekend were much better than usual – not as much rain on the Hilo side of the island, and warmer than usual at the bike finish in Hawi on Saturday afternoon. Of the 20 starters of the event, 15 were able to make all the cut off times and become official finishers. Here are the Official Results from the weekend’s race:
Here are Babbitt’s interviews with Annett and Vesterby:
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Jen AnnettMichelle VesterbyUltramanUltraman World ChampionshipNotable Replies
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Good for them. It’s been interesting watching the improvement of times by female athletes in long distance events. Considering I came of age in an era when females were barred from the marathon, they have proved time and time again they shouldn’t be.
Looking a the chart it also seems to be an event that draws the older athlete. Not a whole load of teenagers there…
Lionel Sanders and Cam Wurf would be just old enough. Let’s get Brownlee and Frodeno into this seniors tour.
Thanks @Ironmandad for covering the great achievements by Jen and Michelle.
Not a lot of 20 and 30 year olds with that kinda cash to spend on exercise. The ones that do are working banker hours and don’t have the free time to train enough.
It would be fun to see what a Frodeno or a Lionel (and many others) would do with the course and I’m sure there are a couple of pro women who would chew the place up.
But unless someone provides the money I can’t see that they will ever do it.