Haugesund has become a IRONMAN city. The way the people of the region has embraced the race and the athletes is unique. Not only is the race sold out with athletes from 44 countries, Haugesund now also host the biggest Triathlon club in Norway with close to 500 members.
IRONMAN events provide a unique atmosphere but when they are hosted in such a stunning location, with such strong support from the local community and with a race team so committed to providing the best athlete experience – it really does become something very special. Ivar, Tone and their team have pioneered IRONMAN in Norway, driven by their own experiences as athletes and it is testament to their efforts that the event has sold out so early this year.
Filip Ospaly won in Haugesund in 2012 and in 2013. He was not planning on coming back this year but a knee injury forced him to change his plans. Now Filip returns to Haugesund and he is going for gold.
In the beginning of March Ospaly was preparing for a new season of winning when he crashed his bike and hurt his knee at a training camp in Spain. The race in Haugesund will be my first race this sea- son.
“After I won the race last year I had two months without races. Then I took part in XL Gerardmer where I came 2nd, IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-En-Provence which I won, Ironman 70.3 in Miami (2nd) and IRONMAN Florida where I was number three”.
In other words, Filip Ospaly, has continued to show that he is a hard man to beat when it comes to Ironman races. But with two knee operations and several months of alternative training, does he still think he can win in Haugesund?
Male Pro:
1.McCormack,Chris AUS
2.Don, Tim GBR
3.Wilby, Peter GBR
4.Third, James GBR
5.Dreitz, Andreas GBR
6.Russelll, Danny GBR
7.Threlfall, Mark GBR
8,Ospaly, Filip CZE
9.Neef, Sebastian GER
10.Sundberg, Swen GER
11.Janssens, Geert BLE
12.Böcherer, Andi GER
13.Andersson, Bjørn SWE
14.Snilstveit, Gudmund NOR
Female Pro:
15.Hignett, Susannah GBR
16.Lie, Kristin NOR
17.Klingler, Nicole LIE
18.Louise, Rundquist NOR