Danish Daniel Baekkegard was over the moon after crossing the finish line on a tough, stormy day in Klagenfurt. Only eight days after winning his first IRONMAN 70.3 in Lahti, he took over the lead early on the run and made his way straight to a rookie win. Baekkegard worked hard on the bike together with top swimmer Lukasz Wojt (GER) who struggled with cramps on a very windy and rainy day.
Daniela Ryf celebrated a great win in 8:52:20 although the Swiss didn’t have a particularly good day. She was strong on the bike nailing a new course record in 4:43:35, but had a tough run due to an apparent energy deficit. The 32-year-old started the marathon with a lead of almost 30 minutes and kept this distance to Austria’s Bianca Steurer until she crossed the line.
Men's Podium
1 Baekkegard, Daniel DEN 8:14:26
2 Goetstouwers, Stenn BEL 8:25:53
3 Plese, David SLO 8:25:59
Women's Podium
1 Ryf, Daniela SUI 8:52:20
2 Steurer, Bianca AUT 9:18:55
3 Hartikainen, Heini FIN 9:44:48