Records Fall at World Triathlon LD World Champs CHALLENGE Almere Amsterdam

Monday 13 September 2021

In a race in which almost all records were broken – bike records, run records and course records were crushed – Kristian Høgenhaug (DEN) and Sarissa de Vries (NED) were crowned Long Distance World Champions. The 2021 World Triathlon Long Distance Championships Almere-Amsterdam delivered a more than spectacular race. Høgenhaug finished in 7:37:46, while De Vries became world champion in 8:32:05. "No idea what was in the air today, but 40 years of triathlon in Almere was celebrated in a great way."

At 7:00am the pro men's race started and soon a leading group of seven athletes formed. Initially it was Spain’s Pablo Gonzalez Dapena who took the lead, but about halfway through things apparently weren’t going fast enough for Jesper Svensson who then took over the lead and picked up the pace some more. The Swedish athlete didn’t give that position away either and eventually exited the water in 47:08. In the lead group, meanwhile, nothing had changed and so Antony Costes (FRA), Pablo Dapena Gonzalez, Kieran Lindars (GBR), Sam Laidlow (FRA), Alexander Berggren (SWE) and David Mcnamee (GBR) came out of the water on Svensson’s feet.

On the bike it was super bikers Svensson, Høgenhaug and Costes who set a very high pace. After 45km the three of them held the lead, followed first by Laidlow and the Czech Lukas Kocar, who had ridden nicely to the front and was at that moment in fifth place at about two minutes behind. Shortly behind Kocar were two big favourites, Gonzalez Dapena and Andrew Starykowicz (USA), who is well-known for his powerful biking skills. Two minutes behind Starykowicz, the Dutch local hero Evert Scheltinga followed in ninth position, at that moment more than four minutes behind the leaders.

In the end, Høgenhaug and Svensson stayed together until the end of the bike, both beating the bike course record which had been held by Cameron Wurf since 2018 (4:10:49). Høgenhaug took the record in 4:03:15 and Svensson rode 4:05:40. However, they weren’t able to enjoy those records for long, as when Adam Hansen returned to transition in fifth position; the Australian was the fastest athlete on the bike in 4:02:46.

And so an interesting marathon ensued with Høgenhaug and Svensson running side by side for the first four laps, talking and laughing with each other. This did not mean that they were having a social run because the speed was consistently under four minute kms and with that both men were heading for a considerable course record. After about 18km, a first acceleration was placed by Høgenhaug, but Svensson was able to match it well at first.

After about 30km, Høgenhaug made his decisive move, accelerating once more and leaving Svensson behind. From that moment on, it was also clear that the course record would be beaten and even Jan Frodeno’s world record – 7:35 – seems to be a possibility for a while. Høgenhaug continued to run at a high pace and eventually finished after 7:37:46. "On the bike I felt I was good, but I never expected this. During the run, I was side by side with Jesper for a long time and we talked about everything and anything. Just, nice and fast ticking off the kilometres. This finish time, unbelievable. I was fourth, third, second and now finally first in Almere. This is really a beautiful race."

Behind Høgenhaug, Svensson finished second in a time of 7:39:26. Brazil’s Reinaldo Colucci was third in a time of 7:45:16. Dutchman Evert Scheltinga finished fourth in a time of 7:49:33; in doing so, he smashed the Dutch record (7:57) that had been held by Jan van der Marel since the 1990s.

In the women’s race, it was Denmark’s Camilla Pedersen who dictated the race at the beginning, while Dutch local, Sarissa de Vries, was the only woman who could follow. Just like in the men’s race, there was a change in this situation in the second lap and De Vries started setting the pace. While the two athletes saw their lead only increase, their position remained unchanged and eventually De Vries exited of the water after 53:31 minutes. On her feet Pedersen and then it was almost a three-minute wait before the first pursuer, Elisabetta Curridori (ITA), came ashore. From that moment more ladies followed, including Michelle Vesterby (DEN), Ilona Eversdijk (NED), Manon Genet (FRA), Sarah Crowley (AUS), Seleta Castro (ESP) and Marta Bernardi (ITA).

During the bike, De Vries and Pedersen stayed together for a while, but it didn’t take long for the Dutchwoman to ride away from the Danish athlete and for De Vries to go solo into the lead. This undoubtedly gave her wings, because after just over 40km she already had over a minute on Pedersen, although in the meantime Vesterby and Genet gaining and at that point were only two minutes behind De Vries. From this point all athletes also turned to the part of the course where they had to deal with head wind, something that was not necessarily to De Vries’s advantage as she was riding totally on her own.

In the end, De Vries set the fastest bike time when she returned to the transition area first – 4:32:41, a new bike record in Almere – but when Vesterby returned as second, the bike course record was broken again: the Dane clocked 4:30:56, coming back to the transition area only a minute behind De Vries. When starting the marathon, therefore, the battle seemed to be between these two women.

But that was not the case, because ultimately Vesterby could not match the pace of De Vries, but French woman Manon Genet managed to get closer and closer. After about 28km it became really exciting, when De Vries had to throw up a few times with stomach issues, losing a lot of pace and it was uncertain whether she would be able to continue. Still, she managed to pick herself up, eventually running to victory in a time of 8:32:05. "I just don’t have words for this and I don’t realise it yet. I’m world champion in such a time. It’s really unbelievable."

Genet became second in a time of 8:34:22. Vesterby became third in a time of 8:38:54.

MALE ELITE:
1 Kristian Høgenhaug DEN 7:37:46
2 Jesper Svensson SWE +1:40
3 Reinaldo Colucci BRA +7:30
4 Evert Scheltinga NED +11:47
5 Thomas Steger AUT +17:11

FEMALE ELITE:
1 Sarissa de Vries NED 8:32:05
2 Manon Genet FRA +2:18
3 Michelle Vesterby DEN +6:50
4 Elisabetta Curridori ITA +9:05
5 Leanne Fanoy UAE +13:10

CHALLENGE Family (Photo: World Triathlon/@bensnapstuff)


Coming Triathlon Events View all

eagleXman

Assergi, Italy

TriBourne 226

Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Kaike triathlon

Yonago, Tottori, Japan

Outlaw Triathlon

Nottingham, United Kingdom

Wild Siberia Xtreme

Lake Cheybek-Kohl, Siberia, Russian Federation

Starvation Extreme

Starvation Reservoir, Utah, United States

Norseman Xtreme

Geilo, Norway

Ostseeman

Glucksburg, Germany

Slovakman 226

Pieštany, Slovakia

Greatman Kornik

Kornik, Poland

Ironman Lake Placid

Lake Placid, United States

Ironman Leeds

Leeds, United Kingdom

Ironman Canada Ottawa

Ottowa, Canada

Ironman Kalmar Sweden

Kalmar, Sweden

Ironman Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark

Ironman Tallinn

Tallinn, Estonia

Ironman Switzerland

Thun, Switzerland

Ironman Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin, United States

IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPS MEN

Nice, France

Ironman Japan South Hokkaido

Hokkaido, Japan

TRI Boulder

Boulder, CO, United States

Castle to Coast

Windsor to Brighton, United Kingdom

Sourdough Triathlon

Chatanika, Alaska, United States

Timisoara Triathlon

Timisoara, Romania

The Gauntlet Belvoir Castle Triathlon

Belvoir Castle, United Kingdom

Trumer Triathlon

Obertrum am See, Austria

Honeymoon Half Gravel Tri

Honeymoon Bay BC, Canada

TriBourne 113

Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Garmin Tri Tour Goldap

Goldap, Poland

Route 66 Half

Springfield, IL, United States

70.3 Ecuador

Manta, Ecuador

70.3 Oregon

Salem OR, United States

70.3 Ohio

Sandusky, United States

70.3 Boise

Boise Idaho, United States

70.3 Maine

Augusta, United States

70.3 Calgary

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

70.3 Krakow

Kraków, Poland

70.3 Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

70.3 Lapu Lapu

Cebu, Philippines

70.3 Hradec Kralove

Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

Triathlon News & Media Blogs View all

IRONMAN Lake Placid Pro Series Start List

IRONMAN Lake Placid Pro Series Start List

Friday 18 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

On Sunday, July 20, the IRONMAN® Pro Series™ returns to New York’s Adirondack Mountains when over 80 of the world’s top professional triathletes toe the start line at the iconic Athletic Brewing IRONMAN® Lake Placid triathlon. The event will offer a maximum of 5,000 points towards IRONMAN® Pro Series standings, a $125,000 USD event total pro prize purse, and four qualifying slots for each gender to the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship® triathlon in Nice, France (men’s race) and Kona, Hawai`i (wom more

70.3 Ecuador Pro Start List

70.3 Ecuador Pro Start List

Friday 18 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

Welcome to a very special edition! In 2025, we celebrate 10 years of history, dedication, and passion—a decade filled with emotions, con- quered challenges, and thousands of athletes crossing a finish line that has become a symbol of pride for the entire region. more

Little Elm, Texas to Host New IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon in 2026

Little Elm, Texas to Host New IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon in 2026

Monday 14 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

IRONMAN®, the global leader in long-distance triathlon, announced today that it will host the new IRONMAN® 70.3® Dallas-Little Elm triathlon in 2026. The new event is scheduled to make its debut on Sunday, March 15, 2026, beginning at Little Elm Park and traversing through the town of Little Elm and the North Texas countryside. General registration for the new event opens on July 23, 2025, more

Julie Derron Wins IRONMAN Vitoria Gasteiz 2025

Julie Derron Wins IRONMAN Vitoria Gasteiz 2025

Monday 14 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

The 2025 IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz, held on Sunday, July 13th in the Basque Country of Spain, saw a commanding victory in the women's professional race and some fierce competition in the age-group categories. more

Kat Matthews, Harry Palmer Crowned IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea Champions

Kat Matthews, Harry Palmer Crowned IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea Champions

Sunday 13 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

The South Coast of Wales was the sunny setting for this weekend’s race, as the IRONMAN Pro Series™ landed in the UK for the first time ever. Harry Palmer of Great Britain retained his IRONMAN® 70.3® Swansea title, while Kat Matthews claimed her second IRONMAN Pro Series win of the season. more

Facebook


YouTube


Sign up for FREE NEWSLETTER:

We will never share your email address or spam you.