The Monday Round-Up 03.25 – IRONMAN
The Monday Round-Up 03.25 IRONMAN
Kahlefeldt, Rolli, Weiss and Crowley take wins in the Philippines and Taiwan, plus partner news and more buzz from around the world of endurance.
Kahlefeldt, Rolli, Weiss and Crowley take wins in the Philippines and Taiwan, plus partner news and more buzz from around the world of endurance.
At a Glance
Alveo IRONMAN 70.3 Davao presented by Petron
Radka Kahlefeldt returned for the second year to Davao on the island of Mindanao to defend her title won just a few weeks after the birth of her child last year. She took on Caroline Steffen, who has enjoyed much success in the Philippines and also since her return to the sport following the birth of her son. After battling it out in the swim and on the bike, the duo had a 5:33 lead heading out on the run. Steffen held on until the 8km mark, but Kahlefeldt’s 1:25:11 run was more than enough in the hot conditions to defend her title in 4:16:52. Steffen was second 2:36 back with double figures back to Kirralee Seidel in third.
The men’s field was small but stacked with world champions in Tim Reed and Craig Alexander, defending champion Mauricio Mendez and strong performers Sam Betten, Eric Watson, Antony Costes and Tim Van Berkel. However, it was German Markus Rolli, who had a win in Thailand to his credit in 2017, who led Betten out of the water and was expected to be rounded up by some of the big guns on the bike. But in the relatively still conditions, Rolli had other ideas. His stunning 2:00 bike gave him an eight-minute lead on to the run. The German had more than enough in the bank with his 1:22 run to win by just under 3 minutes. It was 45 years young Craig Alexander who took up battle with the day’s best run of 1:17 but he ran out of real estate to settle for a highly merited second, 45 seconds ahead of a fast-finishing Van Berkel.
Top 5 Pro Men
| 1 | Rolli, Markus | DEU | 3:49:29 |
| 2 | Alexander, Craig | AUS | 3:52:21 |
| 3 | Van Berkel, Tim | AUS | 3:53:05 |
| 4 | Reed, Tim | AUS | 3:57:18 |
| 5 | Betten, Sam | AUS | 3:59:21 |
Top 5 Pro Women
| 1 | Kahlefeldt, Radka | CZE | 4:16:52 |
| 2 | Steffen, Caroline | CHE | 4:19:28 |
| 3 | Seidel, Kirrlee | AUS | 4:28:37 |
| 4 | Duke, Dimity-Lee | AUS | 4:32:41 |
| 5 | Tyack, Lisa | AUS | 4:39:19 |
Fubon Financial IRONMAN 70.3 Taiwan
There was plenty of star power, including two-time world champion Michael Raelert, but it was off-road star Bradley Weiss that reigned at Fubon Financial IRONMAN 70.3 Taiwan. The women’s race saw a dominant display from Australian Sarah Crowley to claim her fourth victory in her last five IRONMAN races.
Weiss, the 2017 XTERRA world champion, knows his way around the Asian climes, winning other off-road events there last year. He trailed Raelert out of the water, and caught him to open a small buffer on the bike. From there Raelert and Frenchman Cedric Viennot came within reach of the lead early on the run. However, Weiss responded with his sub-1:15 run to fend off his more experienced rivals.
The numbers spoke for themselves in the women’s race, where Crowley was second fastest out of the water, and clocked the fastest bike (2:22) and fastest run (1:21) for the top-of-the-podium result. Both Grace Thek (AUS) and Els Visser (NLD) emerged late in the run to grab the other podium spots ahead of New Zealand’s Amelia Watkinson, who had done much of the work in the water and on the bike to threaten before fading in the final 5kms on the run to settle for fourth.
Top 5 Pro Men
| 1 | Weiss, Bradley | ZAF | 3:58:19 |
| 2 | Viennot, Cyril | FRA | 4:00:01 |
| 3 | McKenzie, Luke | AUS | 4:00:57 |
| 4 | Azevedo, Filipe | PRT | 4:03:34 |
| 5 | Horseau, Arthur | FRA | 4:06:32 |
| 1 | Crowley, Sarah | AUS | 4:21:04 |
| 2 | Thek, Grace | AUS | 4:29:10 |
| 3 | Visser, Els | NLD | 4:30:39 |
| 4 | Watkinson, Amelia | NZL | 4:30:53 |
| 5 | McKenzie, Beth | USA | 4:36:17 |
IRONMAN Adds Base Performance Bars and GU Energy Labs as Nutrition Partners
IRONMAN is excited to announce the addition of BASE Performance Bars and GU Energy Labs as IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 North American Series nutrition partners. BASE Performance Bars will serve as the Official Bar with GU Energy Labs as the Official Energy Gel. Both products will be available as on-course nutrition starting at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside on April 6 and continuing at all North American IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events throughout 2019.
BASE Performance provides premiere nutritional supplements for endurance athletes. BASE has developed a unique and simple system with a variety of products for endurance athletes to improve performance, gain lean muscle, increase endurance and enhance recovery. Athletes know the value and importance of BASE training. The theory behind BASE Performance is no different. Having a strong BASE nutritionally will allow athletes to maintain a healthy body so that they can train, recover, adapt and get stronger so that they can perform at their best. The BASE Bars are certified organic, certified gluten-free, certified non-GMO, certified kosher, dairy free and soy free.
- Learn more about Base Performance Bars and GU Energy Gels
TriBike Transport Expands to Europe: Official Partner of IRONMAN Europe
TriBike Transport (TBT) is pleased to announce a new partnership with IRONMAN Europe and the team at Ship My Tri Bike to launch TriBike Transport Europe (TBT Europe). TBT Europe will bring the same hassle-free, economical, unparalleled bike transport service to Europe that North American athletes have enjoyed since 2004.
Launched with the goal of reducing the stress triathletes face getting to a race, TBT pioneered fully-assembled bike transport for North American triathletes traveling to races throughout North America, Europe, and around the world. By establishing TBT Europe, triathletes across Europe will now also be able to travel to races stress-free.
“For years we’ve heard from European-based athletes looking for a service like ours to ease their travel concerns,” stated Marc Lauzon, Founder and President of TBT. “In 2018, we decided to test the waters. We partnered with some local companies and offered our fully-assembled service to key international IRONMAN races. Based on the success we saw in 2018, we reached out to IRONMAN to become the Official Bike Transport Partner for their European series – the same role we have had in North America since 2005.”
The Buzz
What’s an average triathlete?
Triathlete magazine released its newest reader survey and we’re enthralled. Wondering if you’re an average triathlete? According to the survey results, the average Triathlete subscriber trains 10 hours a week and spends $5,700 a year on gear, services and travel. They compete primarily in the IRONMAN 70.3, Olympic and sprint distances, and also enjoy running races and open-water swims. The average triathlete is also tech savvy: 98% use some kind of fitness technology, with 46% using it every workout.
Just keep racing
“Just keep racing” is good advice during a low point in your IRONMAN, but it also turns out to be a good plan for your entire life. The positive effects of moderate exercise have been well established. But until now, not much was known about older athletes engaged in high intensity endurance training. A newly published study set out to change that, following 50 senior marathon runners and long-distance cyclists and 49 control subjects, average age 66 at the start of the study, for four years. Objective measurements of physical performance showed the athletes began and ended the study with 50% better fitness than the control group. The senior competitors also self-reported much better physical function, general health, bodily pain (apparently athlete aches and pains are less debilitating than those felt by the general aging population) social function and emotional health.
The only negative? Unlike in most exercise studies, cognitive decline did not slow in the endurance athletes compared to the control group. The authors hypothesized that training for marathons and distance cycling takes a great deal of time, which is no longer available for socializing. The link between cognitive function and an active social life has been studied extensively. So just keep racing – as long as you are training, going for coffee and traveling to events with your triathlon, running, and cycling teams.
Instagram of the Week
Read “MIKE REILLY: Finding My Voice” now…
Or wait until the audiobook comes out, recorded by the voice of IRONMAN himself? It’s the dilemma du jour..
April Races
| April 6, 2019 | IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside | Pro |
| April 7, 2019 | IRONMAN 70.3 Punta del Este | Age Group |
| April 7, 2019 | IRONMAN 70.3 Texas | Pro |
| April 7, 2019 | IRONMAN African Championship, Nelson Mandela Bay | Pro |
| April 14, 2019 | IRONMAN 70.3 Greece | Age Group |
| April 14, 2019 | IRONMAN 70.3 Peru | Pro |
| April 14, 2019 | IRONMAN 70.3 Liuzhou | Pro |
| April 27, 2019 | IRONMAN North American Championship, Texas | Pro |
| April 28, 2019 | IRONMAN 70.3 Florianopolis | Pro |
| April 28, 2019 | IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella | Pro |