Will Clarke and Helle Frederiksen took the wins at IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote.
Spectators saw two totally different but absolutely thrilling races at Club La Santa. A close men’s race developed during the run, while the women’s champion spent much of the day chasing a new course record.
From nowhere to a sprint finish
A remarkable race day in the men’s competition started with a fast swim. Marko Albert from Estonia was the expected leader after the first discipline. He exited the water in 22:01, followed by Belgium’s Axel Zeebroek (22:02). A group of seven jumped out of the water in less than 30 seconds, with the defending champion, Victor del Coral (ESP), far behind (26:19). IRONMAN Lanzarote winner Romain Guillaume (FRA) took the lead after a few minutes and started opening a gap before the leaders reached the bottom of the long climb through Tabayesco. Great Britain’s Will Clarke, Zeebroek and the rest of the group were not able to maintain Guillaume’s pace. At the top of Tabayesco, the Frenchman had a lead of 3:30 on Clarke and, when he jumped off the bike, he was still leading by 3:04. Guillaume had the best bike split (2:20:24), but was suffering thanks to the heat and the strong effort on the tough ride. On the run he initially extended his lead to four minutes, but after two thirds of the run Clarke was right behind and ready to pass by for the lead. While Clark moved to the front del Coral was flying through the run course thanks to the day’s best run split (1:14:09). Starting more than five minutes behind, the Spaniard put himself in the mix over the last few kilometers. First he caught up Guillaume, then made Clarke sprint for the title. The Brit finally took the crown in a course record time of 4:04:16, only six seconds ahead of del Coral, Guillaume finished third (4:06:53)
Flying Frederiksen
Helle Frederiksen made it her day at Club La Santa from the start. Two weeks after pulling out of the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, the 33-year-old Dane put together a world-class performance. She came out of the water with the lead men in 22:56, leaving her competition far behind, IRONMAN Lanzarote champion Lucy Gossage (GBR) finished the swim in 26:30, with German Nicole Woysch exited the water in 26:41. Gossage is well-known for her bike strength, but it was Frederiksen who hammered furiously through the extraordinarily tough course. When she started into the long Tabayesco climb at half-way point of the course she led Gossage by more than 13 minutes – and her best was still to come. Frederiksen managed a commanding split of 2:38:08 and started the run with a lead of nearly 16 minutes. The only question on the way to the finish line at Club La Santa was by how many minutes she would crush the record. Thanks to a 1:26:44 run she clocked a stunning 4:29:58 – more than 10 minutes faster than 2013 champion Agnieszka Jerzyk (POL). Gossage raced to the silver medal in 4:50:04 after passing Woysch on the bike.
Top 5 Women
1 Helle Frederiksen PRO (DEN) 4:29:58
2 Lucy Gossage PRO (GBR) 4:50:04
3 Nicole Woysch (GER) PRO 5:03:28
4 Anke Karen Hennecke (GER) F35-39 5:06:14
5 Mary Close (BEL) F30-34 5:07:49
Top 5 Men
1 Will Clarke (GBR) PRO 4:04:16
2 Victor del Coral (ESP) PRO 4:04:22
3 Romain Guillaume (FRA) PRO 4:06:53
4 Pieter Heemeryck (BEL) PRO 4:07:16
5 Marko Albert (EST) PRO 4:08:18