Categorized | Featured, Multi-sport, Sports

Ironman 2016: Frodeno, Ryf repeat as world champions

A turtle checks out the swim start in Kailua Bay. (Photo courtesy of Ironman)

A turtle checks out the swim start in Kailua Bay. (Photo courtesy of Ironman)

Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Editor

Defending champions Jan Frodeno and Daniela Ryf each claimed their second crowns Saturday at the Ironman World Championship.

Frodeno, 35, of Germany, notched a time of 8 hours, 6 minutes, 30 seconds, for the third fastest in the event’s 38 year history. Meanwhile, Ryf shattered the women’s course record by more than 5 minutes, finishing in 8:46:46.

Frodeno and 2014 world champion and fellow German triathlete Sebastian Kienle were running shoulder-to-shoulder for the first part of the marathon, but Frodeno inched ahead and stayed there.

Kienle finished second at 8:10:02, and Patrick Lange, at 8:11:14, gave German all three podiums spots.

Recording a marathon time of 2:39:45, Lange broke the 27-year-old run record set by Mark Allen in 1989, when Lange was 3 years old.

Frodeno was greeted at the finish line by wife Emma and son.

“It feels that much sweeter,” he said. “It’s been a long year with lots of sacrifices. I’m just grateful to be here.”

Kienle gave credit to Frodeno for a terrific effort.

“I feel like I’m the first. I lay it all out there, and I felt good pretty long. Maybe a little bit too good. I know you have to feel sh!t if you want to win the race,” Kienle said. “Jan is apparently the strongest, and that’s just another motivation for me to push the training. I’m pretty close, not exactly where I want to be but I have to be happy with it.”

Tim O’Donnell, 36, of Colorado, was the top American, finishing sixth at 8:16:20.

Jan Frodeno celebrates as he crosses the finish line. (Photo courtesy of Ironman)

Jan Frodeno celebrates as he crosses the finish line. (Photo courtesy of Ironman)

Ryf grabbed an early lead on the bike and fended off three-time champion and former course record holder Mirinda Carfrae, who could not cut into Ryf’s 20-minute lead off the bike.

“That was my best race ever,” Ryf said. “Thanks so much to my team. I doubted all week whether I was strong enough on the bike and now I’m breaking the record in Kona. I didn’t even feel any pain.”

Carfrae, 35, of Australia, had to settle for second, recording a time of 9:10:30.

“I was just trying to put together a solid marathon after such a rough day,” she said. “Honestly, Daniela was in a different league today. I’ll take the best of the rest today.”

Heather Jackson became the first American to make the podium in 10 years, with a time of 9:11:32 and a third place finish.

The race consists of 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike leg and full 26.2-mile marathon run and is reknowned as the world’s most grueling one-day endurance event.

It offers a professional prize purse of $650,000, including $120,000 each for the men’s and women’s world champions.

This year featured more triathletes than ever before, with 2,304 starting the race. They represented 64 countries on six continents and ranged in age from 19 to 83.

NBC will air the Ironman World Championship special Saturday, Dec. 10.

About Ironman

A Wanda Sports Holdings company, Ironman operates a global portfolio of events that includes the Ironman Triathlon Series, the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Series, 5150 Triathlon Series, Iron Girl, IRONKIDS, six of nine International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series races, road cycling events including the UCI Velothon Majors Series, mountain bike races, premier marathons and other multi-sport races.

Ironman’s events, together with all other Wanda Sports Holdings events, provide more than 680,000 participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. The iconic Ironman Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world.

Since the inception of the Ironman brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races.

Beginning as a single race, Ironman has grown to become a global sensation with more than 260 events across 42 countries.

Since its inception in 1978 on the island of Oahu, the Ironman World Championship has etched its name in history through stellar performances, inspirational participants and emotional memories.

In 1981, the race moved from the tranquil shores of Waikiki to the barren lava fields of Kona on the Big Island where it continues to take place to this day.

The race sees more than 2,300 athletes embark on a 140.6-mile journey that presents the ultimate test of body, mind and spirit to earn the title of Ironman World Champion.

The most iconic one-day sporting event in the world is the culmination of over 40 global events with athletes around the world striving for one of the coveted qualifying slots.

About Wanda Sports Holding

Wanda Sports Holding is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape – in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media & marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business).

Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Wanda Sports Holding incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, the iconic endurance brand Ironman, and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.

Jeff Agar pulls his son, Johnny, who suffers with cerebral palsy, along the bike course. (Photo courtesy of Ironman)

Jeff Agar pulls his son, Johnny, who suffers with cerebral palsy, along the bike course. (Photo courtesy of Ironman)

Athletes of Interest

* Joe Abunassar – Ironman Legacy program athlete and trainer to National Basketball Association stars. Finish time: 10:42:26

* Johnny and Jeff Agar – Inspirational duo of son with cerebral palsy to race alongside his father. Finish time: DNF on the bike

* Shirin Gerami – The first female Ironman triathlete from the nation of Iran. Finish time: 13:11:07

* Christina Hopper – During the Iraq War, Hopper flew more than 50 combat missions in an F-16 as a member of the U.S. Air Force. She is credited as the first African-American female fighter pilot to fight in a major war and received four Air Medals and the Aerial Achievement Medal. Finish time: 12:08:11

* Hiromu Inada – The 83-year-old from Japan is attempting to become the oldest competitor to ever cross the Ironman World Championship finish line. Finish time:

* Turia Pitt – Australian brushfire burns survivor. Finish time: 14:37:30

* Alex Stubb – Former Prime Minister of Finland and member of European parliament. Finish time: 11:13:32

—

Pro Men – Out Of Swim

1 48:00 Harry Wiltshire
2 48:02 0:02 Andy Potts
3 48:02 0:03 Jan Frodeno
4 48:03 0:03 Paul Matthews
5 48:04 0:04 Marko Albert
6 48:07 0:07 Denis Chevrot
7 48:07 0:08 Brent McMahon
8 48:08 0:08 David McNamee
9 48:09 0:10 Igor Amorelli
10 48:11 0:12 Andi Boecherer

Pro Women – Out Of Swim

1 52:46 Meredith Kessler
2 52:47 0:02 Leanda Cave
3 52:47 0:02 Jodie Swallow
4 52:48 0:02 Annabel Luxford
5 52:49 0:04 Alicia Kaye
6 52:50 0:05 Camilla Pedersen
7 52:50 0:05 Daniela Ryf
8 52:51 0:06 Anja Beranek
9 52:52 0:06 Laurel Wassner
10 52:53 0:08 Michelle Vesterby

Pro Men – Fastest Bike

1 4:23:05 Boris Stein
2 4:23:56 0:52 Sebastian Kienle
3 4:25:52 2:48 Michael Weiss
4 4:26:36 3:32 Lionel Sanders
5 4:27:56 4:52 Luke McKenzie
6 4:28:06 5:02 Ben Hoffman
7 4:28:07 5:03 Andi Boecherer
8 4:29:00 5:56 Jan Frodeno
9 4:29:11 6:07 Tim O’Donnell
10 4:30:48 7:44 Eneko Llanos

Pro Women – Fastest Bike

1 4:52:26 Daniela Ryf
2 5:00:32 8:06 Heather Jackson
3 5:00:43 8:17 Anja Beranek
4 5:05:22 12:56 Melissa Hauschildt
5 5:06:01 13:36 Lucy Gossage
6 5:06:46 14:21 Annabel Luxford
7 5:07:30 15:04 Sarah Piampiano
8 5:07:31 15:05 Mary Beth Ellis
9 5:07:46 15:21 Meredith Kessler
10 5:08:54 16:28 Kaisa Lehtonen

Pro Men – Fastest Run

1 2:39:45 Patrick Lange
2 2:45:34 5:49 Jan Frodeno
3 2:48:44 8:59 Bart Aernouts
4 2:49:03 9:18 Sebastian Kienle
5 2:50:18 10:33 Ivan Rana
6 2:51:46 12:02 Ben Hoffman
7 2:52:05 12:20 Andi Boecherer
8 2:53:22 13:37 Frederik Van Lierde
9 2:54:25 14:40 Matt Russell
10 2:55:01 15:17 Tim O’Donnell

Pro Women – Fastest Run

1 2:56:52 Daniela Ryf
2 2:58:20 Mirinda Carfrae
3 3:03:17 Kaisa Lehtonen
4 3:06:43 Asa Lundstrom
5 3:07:05 Sarah Piampiano
6 3:07:49 Heather Jackson
7 3:12:16 Lucy Gossage
8 3:12:28 Michelle Vesterby
9 3:15:56 Carrie Lester
10 3:16:35 Anja Beranek

— Find out more:
www.ironman.com

Terenzo Bozzone of New Zealand competes during the 2016 Ironman World Championship. (Photo courtesy of Ironman)

Terenzo Bozzone of New Zealand competes during the 2016 Ironman World Championship. (Photo courtesy of Ironman)

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