Sofie Goos has finished second in the 2014 Ironman Brazil. Her final time: 09:00:21. Sara Gross of Canada took the women’s title in 08:56:35. Ariane Monticeli (Brazil; 09:02:44) completed the podium. 2014 has gotten to an outstanding start for Sofie Goos, with one Ironman 70.3 win (Texas) and three second place finishes (Ironman 70.3 San Juan, Ironman 70.3 Mallorca and now Ironman Brazil).
Local favorite Igor Amorelli was the fastest pro man, clocking in at 8:07:54. Santiago Alves (08:11:46) made it a Brazilian silver medal. Marcel Zamora (Spain; 08:16:16) finished third.
Sofie felt and looked strong all day. She came out of the water in fifth position, trailing fastest swimmer Lucie Zelenkova by more than five minutes. On the bike, Sofie quickly powered her way to second position. The gap to Zelenkova remained about four minutes until kilometer 140, a massive group of dozens of athletes formed, a product of the waveless start. With the women’s field largely consolidated, Borba, Sofie and Gross entered T2 as the top-three, mere seconds separating them. In the marathon, Gross quickly took the lead and proved to be the stronger runner. While the Canadian steadily increased her lead, Sofie was able to secure the second place with her fastest marathon ever.
Sofie was content with another podium finish. “I am pleased. If I had known I was that close to a sub-nine hour Ironman, I would have pushed a little harder to shave off those extra seconds. Of course I would have loved to win. But Sara ran faster than I did today, so she deserves the title. My race was solid overall. The swim was okay, and I felt strong and in control on the bike and in the run. I had Sara in my sights for a long time, but after I had to take a bathroom break she was too far gone. Still, I am happy I did my fastest marathon here, especially considering the hilly course. I knew I was in good shape before the race, but it is still nice to be able to bring it on race day.”