Categorized | Featured, Multi-sport, Sports

New champs crowned at Ironman World Triathlon Championship

Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Editor

Pete Jacobs

Pete Jacobs

Pete Jacobs made it six in a row for Australia when he won the Ironman world championship Saturday, with more than 4 minutes to spare.

“I’m in love with this sport,” he said in a finish line interview. “I’m so lucky to have this opportunity and have a good day out there. It was an unbelievable day and there’s much love out there.”

Jacobs, who was second last year, was second off bike, more than 8 minutes behind Marino Vanhoenacker, 36, of Belguim.

The Sydney native passed Vanhoenacker about 16 miles into the marathon and won his first world championship in 8 hours, 18 minutes and 37 seconds.

Second place went to Andreas Raelert, 36, of Germany, who has top three finishes four consecutive years. His time was 8:23:40.

Frederik Van Lierde, 33, of Belgium was third at 8:24:09.

Jacobs’ win means the crown stays in Australia.

Three-time champion (2008, 2009, 2011), Craig Alexander, 39, had hopes of keeping Ironman crown, but ended the day in 12th place with a time of 8:40:49.

Another former champion (2007, 2010), Chris McCormack, 39, suffered on the bike and dropped out.

Vanhoenacker faded badly in the run after Jacobs passed him and was not a factor at the finish.

Leanda Cave

Leanda Cave

Meanwhile, in the women’s race, Leanda Cave pulled away in the last three miles of the run to win her second world title of the year.

Cave, 34, of Great Britain, won the Ironman 70.3 world championship last month and carried that momentum into Kona, carving out a 9:15:54 race time.

Cave and Caroline Steffen, 34, of Switzerland, traded the race lead several times, but it was Cave who had the extra kick in the closing stages of the run.

Cave’s split times were 56:03 for the swim, 5:12:06 for the bike and 3:03:13 for the run.

Steffen crossed the finish line more than 1 minute later at 9:16:58.

2010 world champion Mirinda Carfrae, 31, of Australia, is known as one of the sports strongest runners, but could not close the 8 minute deficit off the bike. Her time was 9:21:41.

With Cave’s win and a string of four wins for Chrissie Wellington, a British women owns five of the last six titles. Carfrae’s 2010 victory being the spoiler.

The top American finisher was Andy Potts, who landed in seventh place with a time of 8:31:45.

Top American woman was Mary Beth Ellis, 35, of Superior, Colo. Although she led the race for a short time and finished in 9:22:57, she had to settle for fifth place.

Top Big Island finisher was Andrew Penny, 38, of Kailua-Kona. His splits of 1:04:37, 5:20:46 and 3:48:25 gave him a total time of 10:20:17. That vaulted him to 539th overall and 120 in his age division.

The race includes a 2.4-mile ocean swim in Kailua Bay, a 112-mile bike ride through the lava fields along the Kohala Coast and a 26.2-mile run through Kailua Village and out onto Queen Kaahumanu Highway.

This year, 2,044 triathletes – 1,465 men and 579 women – were registered for the race.

The professionals and amateurs had to fight off not only each other, but voggy, humid conditions in Kona, the perennially cruel and unpredictable winds up along the Kohala Coast and a heavy downpour in the early afternoon in Hawi.

Oldest entrants were a trio of 82-year-old seniors: Lew Hollander, of Redmond, Ore.; Bob Scott, of Naperville, Ill.; and Madonna Buder, of Spokane, Wash.

Youngest starters this year were a pair of 19-year-old college students: Dane Ballou of Seabeck, Wash. and Andi Cribari, of Lyndhurst, Ohio.

The men’s and women’s world champions score a $120,000 check, a huge haku lei and bragging rights for life. The runners-up go home with $60,000.

Fastest Splits

Swim:

* Andy Potts, 36, Colorado Springs, Colo. – 50:32
* Amanda Stevens, 35, Oklahoma City – 55:09.

Bike

* Marino Vanhoenacker, 36, Belgium – 4:25:49
* Natascha Badmann, 45, Switzerland – 5:06:07

Run

* Bart Aernouts, 28, Belgium – 2:47:10
* Sonja Tajsich, 37, Germany – 2:59:27

Pete Jacobs (Photo courtesy of Larry Rosa | EnduraPix.com)

Top 10 Men

1. 8:18:37 3 Jacobs, Pete, 31, Sydney, AUS 51:28 1:49 4:35:15 2:02 2:48:06
2. 8:23:40 2 Raelert, Andreas, 36, Rostock, GER 55:17 1:53 4:36:34 2:33 2:47:24
3. 8:24:09 16 Van Lierde, Frederik, 33, Menen, BEL 51:36 2:01 4:35:25 2:19 2:52:50
4. 8:27:08 6 Kienle, Sebastian, 28, Hohenkling, GER 55:21 1:56 4:33:23 2:05 2:54:25
5. 8:28:33 15 Al-Sultan, Faris, 34, Al-Ain ABU 51:39 1:45 4:35:53 2:27 2:56:50
6. 8:30:57 8 Bracht, Timo, 37, Eberbach, GER 53:45 2:05 4:37:17 2:15 2:55:37
7. 8:31:45 51 Potts, Andy, 36, Colorado Springs, USA 50:32 1:41 4:43:52 2:22 2:53:18
8. 8:33:28 40 O’Donnell, Timothy, 32, Boulder CO USA 51:37 1:34 4:44:16 2:04 2:53:59
9. 8:35:02 27 Dellow, David, 33, Mooloolaba, AUS 51:33 1:44 4:40:28 2:16 2:59:03
10. 8:36:21 18 Bockel, Dirk, 36, Munsbach, LUX 52:30 1:48 4:34:17 2:01 3:05:48

Leanda Cave (Photo courtesy of Larry Rosa | EnduraPix.com)

Top 10 Women

1. 9:15:54 103 Cave, Leanda, 34, Great Britain 56:03 2:09 5:12:06 2:25 3:03:13
2. 9:16:58 101 Steffen, Caroline, 34, Spiez SWI 57:37 1:48 5:06:49 2:37 3:08:09
3. 9:21:41 102 Carfrae, Mirinda, 31, Boulder, Colo. 1:00:06 1:56 5:12:18 2:19 3:05:04
4. 9:22:45 120 Tajsich, Sonja, 37, Sinzing, GER 1:10:36 2:03 5:07:58 2:43 2:59:27
5. 9:22:57 105 Ellis, Mary Beth, 35, Superier, Colo. 56:06 1:59 5:08:06 6:18 3:10:30
6. 9:26:25 118 Badmann, Natascha, 46, Oftringen, SUI 1:06:21 2:24 5:06:07 2:15 3:09:19
7. 9:28:54 114 Crawford, Gina, 32, Christchurch, NZL 55:59 2:45 5:21:31 2:25 3:06:16
8. 9:32:18 109 Corbin, Linsey, 31, Missoula, Mont. 1:02:53 2:06 5:16:55 2:31 3:07:55
9. 9:36:18 115 Snow, Caitlin, 30, Brockton, Mass. 57:43 2:14 5:30:48 2:28 3:03:07
10. 9:38:15 111 Marsh, Amy, 35, Austin, Texas 56:08 1:53 5:16:37 3:12 3:20:27

— Find out more:
www.ironman.com

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