In stifling heat and humidity, Ironman Texas got underway with a non-wetsuit swim that saw Australia’s Brett Carter lead from the water in 49:13 at the head of swift-swimming bunch.

Mathias Hecht of the Czech Republic – third last year – was seventh out of the water, followed by South Africa’s James Cunnama and Germany’s Jan Raphael, while the USA’s Ian Mikelson was another 90 seconds behind.

Once onto the Woodlands-based bike route, it was Hecht who mashed the gears to build a five-minute advantage over Cunnama, who chased hard in second place.

Behind the leaders, Britain’s Paul Amey – 21st in the swim with a deficit of around six minutes – started making inroads and moving up the rankings.

As the day grew ever hotter, Hecht started to fade on the bike, his lead over Cunnama down to less then three minutes by the time he racked his bike.

Raphael and the USA’s Ian Mikelson got out onto the pavement less than a minute behind the South African while Amey posted the day’s fastest bike split – 4:29:07 – to start the marathon in sixth place, four minutes behind the leader.

With Hecht fading badly on his way to a DNF, Cunnama overtook three miles into the run. Amey stormed through the course and had managed to take the lead only three miles later.

Amey pushed his advantage in the heat while Cunnama and Mikelson battled for second place on the course. Amey ran on to the day’s fastest run split – 2:56:18 – to win Ironman Texas in 8:25:06.

Cunnama got the better of Mikelson to secure second in 8:27:35, with the American taking third in 8:30:06.

In the women’s race, Britain’s Rachel Joyce took on her first Ironman since struggling with illness in last year’s world championship.

Leading from the water in 54:02, just ahead of the USA’s Amy Marsh, Joyce rode with the American at the head of the race, distancing the rest of the field as the morning drew on.

40 miles in, Joyce took off to establish an unbeatable lead, her advantage blossoming to over six minutes by T2 thanks to the day’s fastest bike split of 4:42:29.

Second off the bike, Marsh was soon overhauled on the run by fellow Americans Christine Anderson, Kimberley Schwabenbauer and Jennie Hansen, who were running strongly, but well off the pace at 30 minutes behind Joyce.

The Brit coupled her fast bike with the day’s fastest run, completing the marathon in 3:07:27 to cross the line victorious in 8:49:14. Joyce’s third sub-nine-hour performance was also enough to take the course record in Texas, besting Mary Beth Ellis’ 2012 result by over five minutes.

Hansen proved best of the rest, finishing in 9:25:35, the 36-minute time difference underlining Joyce’s class. Schwabenbauer completed the podium in 9:33:01.

The USA’s Ashley Clifford ran up from 11th to fourth, overtaking Anderson who rounded out the top five.

Top 10 Men

PAUL AMEY, GBR 8:25:06
JAMES CUNNAMA, ZAF 8:27:35
IAN MIKELSON, USA 8:30:06
JUSTIN DAERR, USA 8:30:35
SWEN SUNDBERG, DEU 8:37:30
JAN RAPHAEL, DEU 8:42:34
BALAZS CSOKE, HUN 8:44:01
AJ BAUCCO, USA 8:53:37
MIKE SCHIFFERLE, CHE 8:56:06
LATORRE CASTILLO, ANDRES COL 9:02:04

Top 10 Women

RACHEL JOYCE, GBR 8:49:14
JENNIE HANSEN, USA 9:25:35
KIMBERLY SCHWABENBAUER, USA 9:33:01
ASHLEY CLIFFORD, USA 9:36:51
CHRISTINE ANDERSON, USA 9:44:51
AMY MARSH, USA 9:55:49
APRIL GELLATLY, USA 10:01:54
SARAH HANKLA, USA 10:04:41
OLESYA PRYSTAYKO, UKR 10:08:49
JENNIFER LENTZKE, CAN 10:27:58

The men’s swim was led out by Britain’s Stephen Bayliss, who leapt from the water in 47:45, followed closely by Germany’s Faris Al-Sultan, fellow Brit and Triathlon Plus columnist Phil Graves and Spain’s Miquel Blanchart.

The quartet were soon out on one of the toughest bike routes in triathlon and while it was Graves who smashed the course in last year’s event, this time it was the turn of Al-Sultan to do the same.

The 2005 Ironman world champion pulled away from his competitors to build an ever-increasing lead over the 112 sun-drenched and windy miles, returning to transition after 4:53:03 on the road, the day’s fastest bike split by nearly 10 minutes.

Graves, riding conservatively to avoid a repeat DNF in the race, was second to rack his bike, while Blanchart followed a minute later. Kirill Kotsegarov of Estonia was around another seven minutes back.

With time to kill, Al-Sultan ran a strong 2:55:03 marathon to cross the line in 8:42:40, claiming victory and a starting spot at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii this October.

Graves ran solidly but was passed by Blanchart to drop down to third. The Spaniard took second place in 8:52:08, while Kotsegarov also managed to nip by Graves in the finishing straight to steal the final podium spot in 9:04:09.

The Brit finished fourth in 9:04:17 while Belgium’s Bert Jammaer, seventh onto the run, came home in fifth (9:06:48) after the day’s fastest run of 2:50:52.

The women’s race began furiously fast, with age group athlete Hanneke De Boer of the Netherlands blitzing the 3.8km course in just 54:06. Spain’s Saleta Castro was the first pro to transition with a 54:46 swim.

Britain’s Bella Bayliss, who would later pull out during the run, was second pro out of the water in 57:06, behind a pairing of British age-groupers, Melissa Dowell and Andrea Mason.

Despite coming 10th from the water, six minutes off the pace, Germany’s Kristin Möller, soon stamped her authority on the race, taking the lead with apparent ease on the bike and like Al-Sultan, only continuing to distance her pursuers.

Racking her bike after the day’s fastest split of 5:31:47, Möller began the marathon with 13 minutes in hand over France’s Heleen Bij de Vaate, while Castro was sitting in third around another six minutes back.

The status quo remained during the run, but not content to cruise to victory, Möller put in a storming 2:58:37 marathon, claiming the win in 9:37:34. More than half an hour later Bij de Vaate claimed second in 10:09:31 with Castro taking third in 10:14:27.

Age-grouper De Boer was fourth with Ireland’s Joyce Wolfe rounding out the top five.

Top 10 Men

Faris Al-Sultan, United Arab Emirates 8:42:40
Miquel Blanchart, Spain 8:52:08
Kirill Kotsegarov, Estonia 9:04:09
Philip Graves, United Kingdom 9:04:17
Bert Jammaer, Belgium 9:06:48
Michael Wetzel, Germany 9:19:16
Diepart Xavier, Belgium 9:21:59
Alvaro Velazquez, Spain 9:31:13
Andreas Wolpert, Germany 9:33:27
Stephen Bayliss, United Kingdom 10:00:31

Top 10 Women

Kristin Möller, Germany 9:37:34
Heleen Bij de Vaate, France 10:09:31
Saleta Castro, Spain 10:14:27
Hanneke De boer, The Netherlands 10:28:45
Joyce Wolfe, Ireland 10:31:45
Barbara Schwarz, Switzerland 10:51:28
Zsuzsanna Harsanyi dr., Hungary 10:59:51
Line Foss, Norway 11:05:41
Lydia Sommerfeld, Germany 11:12:12
Claire Shea-Simonds, United Kingdom 11:12:41

Pete Jacobs guest edits Triathlon Plus’ latest Ironman Guide

Triathlon Plus have joined forces with Ironman World Champion Pete Jacobs and Boardman Bikes to bring you Pete Jacobs’ Guide to Ironman – the Ironman handbook from the man at the very top of the sport.

Covering swim, bike and run, as well as tackling the Ironman lifestyle, nutrition and positive mental techniques, Jacobs gives his expert guidance and top tips to get you through your first Ironman or go even faster in your next event.

“I’ve struggled with fatigue since I was 15,” says Jacobs. “I could never train as much as any other athlete. But I kept making the same mistakes over and over again and ending up on the sidelines for weeks, too tired to think or train. I always believed I could win Hawaii if I could find the missing link and somehow train as much as the others. It wasn’t until two years ago when I said to myself, ‘If I train less than them, I can beat them’. I finally had the confidence to listen to my body and embrace my strengths and weaknesses.

“Over the years of battling fatigue, I had gained an incredible connection to my body, one I would not have formed if I could have trained like everyone else. Whatever your limits are, work with them, not against them.”

Whether you’re looking to beat the cut-off or post a new PB, Pete’s insight will help you believe in your potential and get you on your way to Ironman glory.

Pete Jacobs’ Guide To Ironman is a free supplement coming with issue 55 of Triathlon Plus – hitting newsstands on 28 May. You can also have every issue delivered to your digital device by getting Triathlon Plus through Apple Newsstand, Google Play or Zinio. Subscribe to the print edition with massive savings at MyFavouriteMagazines.

Corinne Abraham has been making a big impact in the long-distance triathlon world over the last couple of years and her most recent race in Melbourne – where the Welsh athlete took apart the rest of the field with a stellar bike and a savage run – put her on top of the podium in one of the biggest Ironman events outside of Kona.

Corinne Abraham is looking to build on her success in the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships to prepare for Kona this October (Photo: Rob Holden Photography)

Growing up as a national-level Judo competitor, Abraham built the foundations of her commitment to training at a young age, but it wasn’t until 2004 that she tried multi-sport racing.

“Back in 2004, at the suggestion of a friend, I did the London triathlon. I enjoyed it but didn’t throw myself into the sport at that point,” Abraham says. “I carried on with my other sports and was more focused on my work as a lecturer of sports biomechanics at St Mary’s University in Twickenham. It wasn’t until I met my boyfriend in 2009 and went to watch him do Ironman Switzerland in Zurich that I even understood what a long-distance triathlon involved!

“Having decided to enter Ironman Regensburg in Germany, I joined Berkshire Tri Squad, asked my colleagues at the university and my boyfriend for training advice and set to it!”

And so she did. Abraham’s 2010 results sheet is full of first place amateur finishes including running events, winning the three-day Tour of Wessex sportive and perhaps most promisingly, coming second to Yvette Grice at the Big Cow middle distance triathlon.

With superb form, Abraham put in a spectacular performance at Ironman Regensburg to cross the line of her first ever Ironman in 9:41:21 and didn’t only smash her age group, but was third female overall.

“I’d entered into a long-distance triathlon for the challenge and it was all about doing the event and getting to the finish line. I didn’t realise at the time who I was overtaking, I was just concentrating on cycling and running, hydrating and taking in the calories, the basics that I still focus on today in my races.

“On coming first age-grouper and third overall, I was sat on the stage at the awards ceremony and Faris Al-Sultan, who had won the men’s race, said something about my performance being pretty impressive and I remember thinking that it was nice of him to say something like that.”

Having already shown such promise, Abraham had to make a decision about whether to dive head first into the world of long distance triathlon.

“Racing at Regensburg coincided with a sabbatical from my work and I decided at the end of this break not to return to teaching but to pursue triathlon training full time and applied for my professional WTC license.”

Abraham went to Kona in October 2010, racing as an age grouper on triathlon’s hallowed isle, but admits she was unaware of the full history and mystique of the event.

“I was pretty ignorant of the sport to be honest. I didn’t know who anyone was, I didn’t know who any of the icons or heroes of the sport were and I had no idea what Kona was all about other than it being the world championships – which is quite funny looking back!”

Abraham finished tenth in the 30-34 age group, only 15 minutes behind the top spot in 10:09:22, but it was the lessons she learnt on the Big Island that she took the most value from.

“A friend of mine knew [British Pro] Nick Saunders who was racing there that year and so we shared an apartment. With hindsight I was able to learn so much from the way that Nick went about his preparations for the race; staying away from the hype, focusing on your training and recovery and concentrating on controlling the controllables. Solid advice that I still uphold in my own racing. I don’t think that you need to be aware of all of the history and the legendary reputation of the race in order to feel the energy of it, you can just feel the magic as soon as you land on the island.

“It was a tough day and it was everything that Kona is supposed to be, hot, windy, dry and humid – the full package! I stayed hydrated, I took on calories and I paced myself well, and it was an amazing experience.”

Abraham was officially a pro for the 2011 season, but the change wasn’t such a culture clash as might be expected.

“There are probably more things that have stayed the same than have changed in my attitude and training. I’ve always tried to commit myself to what I am doing, and always felt that I’ve been focused on my training, but now I think that I am more committed and more focused!”

Though the 2011 season provided some decent results including a fifth-place pro finish at Ironman 70.3 Antwerp, Abraham’s two biggest races of the year, Ironman Texas and Ironman Wales, both ended with the dreaded label of DNF due to injury. However, Abraham took these potentially devastating missteps in her stride, remaining positive despite her relative inexperience in the sport.

“Even though the DNF’s were hard – really hard – I still knew that they did not reflect my potential as an athlete. This knowledge along with encouragement and support from those around me enabled me to keep training and striving for a better performance at the next race.”

2012 was to be a year of redemption, improvement and experience. Abraham returned to Ironman Texas to finish fourth in a strong field with a time of 9:18:39 before going on to the Ironman European Championships at Ironman Frankfurt where the Brit grabbed her first pro Ironman podium, coming third behind powerhouse-athletes Caroline Steffen and Anja Beranek in 9:21:03. In October Abraham showed her short(er) course chops with a fifth place finish at Ironman 70.3 Miami before going on to race Ironman Arizona the following month. At this race, which often features a strong post-Kona field looking for end of season glory, Abraham put in a stellar race to finish third in 9:15:10, rounding of a stunning season that wiped away the ghosts of 2011.

“2012 was really the year that I hoped I might have had in 2011, but life doesn’t work that way we find! Every Ironman race that I did was a development for me in terms of race experience and performances. I tapped into some of my 70.3 potential as well at the Miami race and that was a big step forward for me. Up until that point I didn’t feel that I’d dialled into how to race at 70.3 distance so that was also exciting.”

Despite qualifying to race as a pro at Kona in 2012, Abraham made the decision not to make the long trip to Hawaii.

“It’s very expensive to race there, my potential to ‘earn’ money there was solely limited to the prize money and nor did it seem to be in the interests of my sponsors,” she says. “As a professional you are required to accept your place or notify the race organizers if you will not be racing by the middle of July. At that point, my coaches David Tilbury-Davis of PhysFarm Training and Tim Armstrong, my run coach, and I discussed my future goals and aspirations. We made the decision to race at Ironman Arizona and Ironman Melbourne for early season qualification points for Kona 2013.

At the end of the 2012 season, Abraham was in great form but still determined to improve.

“Even though the results and the progression were good, it is still obvious to me where I have the potential to improve further and there was no problem identifying areas for training and development. I think that I’ll always be critical of my performances and will always be looking to achieve further progress.”

Further progression was certainly on the cards when after a winter of tough workouts – “my winter was all about consistent training and staying healthy” – and enough time on the turbo trainer to boost any athlete’s mental strength, Abraham made preparations for her first big race of 2013, the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships at Ironman Melbourne. This would prove to be Abraham’s greatest performance to date and one that would see her better many more established superstars of the sport.

“In the build up and on race day I just tend to focus on my own training, my own performance goals and to control the things that I can control. As it was, this lead me to the front of the race on the bike and I was able to maintain this through the marathon to take the win – it felt fantastic running up the finishing chute!”

To get to that finishing chute, Abraham put in a 28:23 swim over the weather-shortened sea-swim course before smashing the bike course in 4:42:09, nearly five minutes faster than nearest rival Natscha Badmann. Abraham only upped the pressure on the rest of the field during the run, where even the likes of Caroline Steffen, Gina Crawford and Yvonne Van Vlerken had no response to the savage pace set by the Welshwoman. A 2:56:50 marathon secured victory in 8:10:56, some 15 minutes ahead of the rest of the field.

“It is an incredible feeling to have won an Ironman and it is something that we work towards day in and day out in training. It’s a fantastic reward, not only for all the training that I’ve put in, but also for all of my friends, family and sponsors who have been supporting me and believed in my athletic abilities.”

So what’s next for the hugely talented long-distance star? A return to Hawaii of course.

“We’d not planned races beyond Melbourne as we wanted to see how many points I might need, and what the best strategy would be for achieving these. Obviously that all changed with the win and now we can focus on developing a training and racing schedule that will focus solely on preparing me for the Ironman World Championships in October. I live in France near Geneva and while the weather conditions are still great for the skiers, it will mean more turbo training for me – but that has worked out pretty well so far so perhaps that’s not such a bad thing!”

Stay up to date with Corinne Abraham at corinneabraham.com, follow her on twitter @CorinneAbraham and like her facebook page facebook.com/Corinne.Abraham.Triathlon

Following the success of last year’s inaugural sell out IronKids run event, the entry limit has been doubled to 2,000 to cater for the demand for entry and the event is now on track to be the largest IronKids event in the world.

Held in partnership with Bolton Council, IronKids is a great way for children to experience the fabulous atmosphere of the iconic Ironman UK triathlon, that is held the same weekend, in Bolton’s town centre.

Aimed at encouraging kids to lead an active, positive and healthy lifestyle IronKids is very much targeted at local children in the area to come and have a go as well as those whose parents are competing in Ironman UK, so they too can feel part of the action of a World Class event.

The event has different distances depending on the child’s age; 3-5s compete in a 500m run (accompanied by a parent/guardian); 6-10s run 1.5km; and 11-15s complete a 2.5km race, with all races finishing under the Ironman finish gantry in Victoria Square. Each child will receive a special commemorative IronKids t-shirt in their entry pack and a medal after completing the race to celebrate their achievement.

Kevin Stewart, Managing Director of Ironman UK and Ireland commented, “Together with the support of Bolton Council, It is fantastic to see so many kids already entered in what is now becoming one of the largest IronKids events in the world. By experiencing a taste of Ironman, it will hopefully inspire their participation in triathlon in the future.’

To make sure your child doesn’t miss out on this fabulous opportunity to be part of the action of Ironman UK race weekend in Bolton, parents or guardians can complete an online entry form at www.IronKids.co.uk.  The entry fee is just £2 per child.

Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus – the best source of triathlon training advice, triathlon gear reviews and triathlon news.

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This will be the first time that IRONMAN events in the UK have completed the process and illustrates IRONMAN UK’s commitment to working with British Triathlon and the Home Nations to support the growth of the sport throughout Great Britain.

The three events which will undertake the permitting process include IRONMAN 70.3 UK in Exmoor on 16th June followed by IRONMAN UK in Bolton on 4th August and IRONMAN Wales in Pembrokeshire on 8th September 2013.

Each of these events will ensure all competitors will hold a valid Home Nation membership or have purchased a day licence, which IRONMAN UK will make available online prior to the races for all entrants.

Kevin Stewart, Managing Director of IRONMAN Britain and Ireland said “We have been in discussion with Zara Hyde Peters and the team at British Triathlon over our races fitting into the Home Nation registered event structure and are delighted to be moving forward with them this year ensuring IRONMAN UK events continue to support the growth of the sport throughout the UK.”

Zara Hyde Peters OBE, Chief Executive of British Triathlon added: “We are delighted to be able to be work with IRONMAN UK in 2013. As the Governing Body for the delivery of triathlon in Great Britain, it is a natural development for British Triathlon to work with this globally recognised brand on their events in the UK. IRONMAN UK events are part of the diverse portfolio of triathlon events across Great Britain from grassroots through to the ultimate challenge of competing in long distance triathlon events.”

Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus – the best source of triathlon training advice, triathlon gear reviews and triathlon news.

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Have every issue delivered to your digital device by getting Triathlon Plus through Apple Newsstand, Google Play or Zinio. Subscribe to the print edition with massive savings at MyFavouriteMagazines.

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IMTalk Episode 356 is now available from the IMTalk website.

In this week’s episode:

John and Bevan interview Paul Laursen, leader of the Performance Physiology Team at High Performance Sport New Zealand, who shares the latest thinking on electrolytes and nutrition for Ironman.

Tough man Vaughan Hunt, who finished Ironman New Zealand despite a fractured back garners the accolade of being Age Grouper of the Week.

John’s awesome race at ITU Auckland.

Bevan finally gets to ask his discussion question – what’s the one thing you don’t do that you know you should to get faster?

Download the show now at http://www.imtalk.me/



Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus – the best source of triathlon training advice, triathlon gear reviews and triathlon news.

Log your training for free at the TriRadar.com Training Zone.

Have every issue delivered to your digital device by getting Triathlon Plus through Apple Newsstand, Google Play or Zinio. Subscribe to the print edition with massive savings at MyFavouriteMagazines.

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Ironman is to bolster its European races with a new late-season event in Luxembourg.

In a release about the event, Ironman stated:

Athletes may have heard of the Schengen treaty, which was signed in 1985 and turned into a cornerstone of today’s European Union. Now they can experience the borderless spirit that led to it by racing in the Mosel region surrounding the Schengen commune. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is the latest addition to the list of European countries to host an Ironman 70.3 race.

“Our company motto is ‘We make things happen’ and we’re proud to have realized our dream of bringing an Ironman 70.3 race to Luxembourg,” says Christian Weyland of Pegasus, Ironman’s partner agency in Luxembourg. “The beautiful Mosel region is a perfect setting for a race which will become one of Luxembourg’s sporting highlights and thus place us on the triathlon world map,” Wetland adds. “This wouldn’t have been possible without Luxembourg’s policy makers and administration acting in concert.”

Athletes will swim a single 1,9 km loop in the Mosel river which separates Luxembourg and Germany with the transition zone sited only 150 meters from the swim exit. The fast, but challenging, bike course touches historical ground as athletes cycle past the “Europe monument” which was built in honor of the Schengen treaty. The run course consists of four loops perfectly suited for athletes and spectators alike finishing the race in the beautiful Mosel town of Remich.

“We have promised athletes to add even more opportunities to experience the unique feeling of an Ironman 70.3 event and are now starting to deliver,” says Thomas Dieckhoff, WTC’s CEO Europe, Middle East & Africa.

“Luxembourg will offer a picture-perfect location for this late-season race: swimming in the Mosel river and then biking through the historic wine region. We believe that athletes will find this the perfect race to bring their family along to enjoy some beautiful days in fall together,” adds Kai Walter, WTC’s Chief Operating Officer Europe, Middle East & Africa.”

Registration is already open and athletes are invited to visit www.ironman.lu for more information and registration.



Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus – the best source of triathlon training advice, triathlon gear reviews and triathlon news.

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The Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships showcased a stunning women’s field with some of the best talent in the long distance world descending on Melbourne for the hotly coveted title.

While the race was sure to be competitive and action-packed, spectators were also in for spectacle thanks to the historic and meteoric rise of Great Britain’s Corinne Abraham, who put together a stunning performance to win not only her first ever Ironman but the most important race on the M-Dot calendar outside Kona.

The women’s race began three minutes after the men’s and despite wind-whipped waves, which caused the swim to be halved to 1.9km in length, the familiar frames of the USA’s Amanda Stevens and Meredith Kessler could be seen pushing ahead through the water and into the men’s field.

Leaping from the roughly churning waters in 21:53, the pair ran to transition, stripping off their wetsuits two minutes before the next contenders left the water. Canada’s Tenille Hoogland clocked a 23:41 swim, with race favourite and defending champion Caroline Steffen of Switzerland sixth at 24:34, New Zealand’s Gina Crawford 10th at 25:15, veteran Natscha Badmann of Switzerland 14th and Yvonne Van Verklen of Austria 15th, six minutes down. Wales’ Corrine Abraham concluded the swim in 28:28 for 20th place, seven minutes off the pace.

Kessler – recent winner of Ironman New Zealand – was first to make a move on the bike, pulling ahead of Stevens early on for a slim lead. Meanwhile ex-pro cyclist Steffen was riding hard to diminish leaders’ fast swimming advantages down to only 16 seconds by 35km into the ride. The US’s Sarah Piampiano was another minute back, leading fast-runner Van Vlerken and Badmann.

Steffen surged into the lead at around the 55km mark, but was unable to shake the train of athletes behind her in the strong tailwinds pushing them all onwards at speeds in excess of 60kmph. Meanwhile Corinne Abraham was riding with such strength that it made the course seem pancake flat and the air still, now just 2mins 30secs off Steffen.

Soon it was Badmann’s turn to up the heat, ploughing forwards into the lead. Like Steffen, the original Swiss Miss was initially unable to create a gap, but by 100km she led with Van Vlerken 20 seconds back, Kessler around a minute behind and Steffen another 25 seconds back. Abraham was now in fifth place, less than a minute behind the Swiss star as the women battled into wall-like headwinds that sapped their speed down to 21kmph.

Steffen – perhaps showing the strain from a tough race in Abu Dhabi at the start of the month – was beginning to lose more time, with Abraham quickly taking her fourth place spot. The Brit didn’t stop there however, continuing to drill the pedals and pass both Van Vlerken and Kessler, leaving only Badmann ahead.

Even the six-time world champion couldn’t hold onto the rampaging Abraham as she pushed on to create a two-minute buffer on Badmann and 4mins 30secs on Steffen – whose second wind seemed to have come – by 150km.

Abraham continued to show up the rest of the field with her savage speed, reaching T2 after 4:42:09 on the bike – the day’s fastest ride by some 4mins 49secs – and getting out onto the marathon with more than three minutes’ buffer to Badmann and over seven minutes in the bank to Steffen. Kessler was another minute back with Van Vlerken 12 minutes behind Abraham.

With a few fast Ironman runs already under her belt – including a 3:01 PB at Ironman Texas – Abraham was running with serious speed, putting more distance between herself and the chasing women. Steffen also began the run strongly, managing to overtake Badmann by 13km, though still a long way behind the Brit who held a lead of over eight minutes.

Running 4:25 kilometres, Abraham continued to dominate the run as Yvonne Van Vlerken gained on Caroline Steffen, who looked some way off her 3:01 marathon best. By the time the take for second occurred, Abraham was holding an unassailable 12mins 45secs lead.

Smiling through the final couple of kilometres with 15 minutes’ lead at the end of a hard-fought race, Abraham flew on to cross the line as Ironman Asia-Pacific Champion in 8:10:56 with a stunning 2:56:50 marathon.

There was a wait at the finish for the Brit, who welcomed Van Vlerken across the line in 8:26:40, the Austrian putting in a normally race-winning 3:00:46 run. Gracious defending champion Steffen held onto third having faded to a 3:09:23 marathon, coming home in 8:31:22.

Badmann also slowed on the run, taking fourth in 8:34:37 while Gina Crawford ran up into fifth place – 8:37:23.

Top 10 Female Finishers

1. Corinne Abraham     (Great Britain)     8:10:56
2. Yvonne Van Vlerken     (Austria)     8:26:40
3. Caroline Steffen     (Switzerland)     8:31:22
4. Natscha Badmann     (Switzerland)     8:34:37
5. Gina Crawford     (New Zealand)     8:37:23
6. Amanda Stevens     (United States)     8:39:39
7. Carrie Lester     (Australia)     8:41:22
8. Sarah Piampiano     (United States)     8:44:52
9. Britta Martin     (New Zealand)     8:45:50
10. Anna Ross     (New Zealand)     8:49:32

Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus – the best source of triathlon training advice, triathlon gear reviews and triathlon news.

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Have every issue delivered to your digital device by getting Triathlon Plus through Apple Newsstand, Google Play or Zinio. Subscribe to the print edition with massive savings at MyFavouriteMagazines.

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Eneko Llanos made a perfectly timed surge during the win to take the win in Melbourne (Photo: Delly Carr / Performance PR)

With wind lashing the Melbourne coast, sending waves careening into those athletes determined enough to brave the waters for a pre-race warm up, the swim leg at the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship was halved to 1.9km.

The distance alteration signalled that all bets were off for fast swimmers hoping to break away in the water and stay away on the bike. Instead, it seemed all the more likely that some of the sport’s biggest names would be the ones to claim victory.

The swim saw Australia’s Clayton Fettell and teammate Joe Lampe surge through the swells, the pair sticking to their game plan of swimming fast to get out on the bike with time in hand. They careened from the waves and stormed up the beach in 19:32, with fellow Aussie Luke Bell third in 20:16.

Llanos and Alexander left the water in 20:30 and 20:33 respectively while Vanhoenacker was off the pace despite the shortened swim in 16th place, more than two minutes behind. The USA’s Jordan Rapp, another athlete expected to benefit from the truncated swim was back in 29th place, with more than four minutes to make up.

A brief spell of Aussie dominance formed early on in the bike leg with Fettell, Lampe and Bell quickly being joined by Alexander, who took to the head of the race to put down some serious wattage, grimacing with effort as he worked with his countrymen to get away from the chasers.

Vanhoenacker’s determination-fuelled legs soon saw him begin to blitz through his deficit. Llanos followed, the pair bridging up to Alexander’s group by around 25km despite the brutally gusting headwinds that threatened to sap energy and speed before the turnaround point.

Dropping Lampe, the leading group was soon fixed to include Alexander, Fettell, Bell, Llanos, Vanhoenacker and another Aussie, Chris Legh. Entering the East Link tunnel leading up to the 45km turnaround point, the leaders’ speeds soared past 70kmph without the athlete-hungry winds to test them. Behind the front pack, Rapp was riding hard, but still 2mins 35secs behind.

The winds pushing the athletes back towards race HQ, Tyler Butterfield of Bermuda and Australia’s Tim Reed latched onto the front pack while Llanos soon decided the time was right to attempt an escape. The Spaniard managed a small gap of 20 seconds before the rest of the leaders rallied to reel him in. Next it was Vanhoenacker’s turn to try and break away. Gearing up, the Belgian slid away from the others with ease, his advantage blossoming to 3mins 30secs by the final turn back to T2 despite Alexander’s attempts to pull him back.

Vanhoenacker continued to pile on the speed, reaching T2 in 4:22:32, the day’s fastest bike split, to begin the run with an advantage of nearly five minutes on the chasers following a blistering transition. Meanwhile, Rapp came of the bike in seventh, 10:30 down.

Llanos and Alexander immediately set about chasing the Belgian down – running side by side and eating slowly into Vanhoenacker’s lead. By 10km, the pair had only managed to pull back five seconds for each kilometre run – not enough to ensure victory if the Belgian maintained his apparently inexorable pace.

By half way through the marathon, Llanos managed to pull away from Alexander – the defending champ beginning to struggle and lose time but continuing to run doggedly. Llanos on the other hand just seemed to be getting stronger. Determined to catch Vanhoenacker, he strode on to narrow the deficit, claiming back over two minutes in the next 10km.

By 35km, Llanos was less than a minute behind, with Alexander holding third 3mins 35secs back. 10 minutes of hard running later were all the Spaniard needed to make the catch as Vanhoenacker – visibly exhausted – was neither unable to maintain the pace he’d set at the marathon’s beginning or respond to being passed, an indication that his pacing – like in last year’s Ironman World Championship – was just a little off in Melbourne.

Llanos continued with his decisive move and with a smile on his face and time to high-five spectators in the final kilometre, pushed on to the finish line, confident of his advantage over Vanhoenacker and Alexander.

The Spaniard claimed victory in 7:36:08 to win the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship – and his fifth Ironman – with a 2:43:35 marathon despite the tough race conditions.

Vanhoenacker dug deep to hold onto second, crossing the line in 7:38:59. Alexander rounded out the podium in 7:39:37, just six days after the birth of his third child. Jordan Rapp continued his upward trajectory during the run to claim fourth place in 7:50:54 with Chris Legh completing the top five in 7:52:29.

 Top 10 Male Finishers

1. Eneko Llanos     (Spain)     7:36:08
2. Marino Vanhoenacker     (Belgium)     7:38:59
3. Craig Alexander     (Australia)     7:39:37
4. Jordan Rapp     (United States)     7:50:54
5. Christopher Legh     (Australia)     7:52:29
6. Per Bittner     (Germany)     7:58:28
7. Jimmy Johnsen     (Denmark)     7:59:37
8. Jeremy Jurkiewicz     (France)     8:00:50
9. Petr Vabrousek     (Czech Republic)     8:01:09
10. Tyler Butterfield     (United States)     8:02:06

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