Link: http://www.challenge-roth.com/en/aktuelles_detail.php?ID=579
Hat trick in Roth - Australia’s Chris McCormack won his third consecutive Quelle Challenge Roth
Australia’s Chris McCormack won his third consecutive Quelle Challenge Roth today, overcoming a flat tire and stiff competition from a young Kiwi he coaches and the current Kona champion to reach the finish stadium in 8:00:52 before thousands of cheering spectators.
Germany’s Faris Al-Sultan, the current Kona champion who was second to McCormack here in 2004, again took the second step on the podium in 8:03:29, with Kiwi Kieran Doe, now being guided by McCormack, third in 8:11:07 in a breakthrough performance.
“Of the three this is the most satisfying,” McCormack said. “To win three here—this is the greatest triathlon event in the world. I’m very, very satisfied today.”
It was far from easy for any of today’s competitors, as wind kicked up on the bike and temperatures rose for the marathon under absolutely cloudless blue skies.
The day started with Al-Sultan, McCormack and Doe exiting the water with a large group in about 46 minutes—a group that included a pair of Spaniards, Eneko Llanos and Francisco Pontano (ninth in Kona), France’s Gail Mainard, Germany’s Markus Fachbach and countryman Andreas Niedrig, here to close out his career in Roth with one last start.
Once onto two wheels, McCormack, Doe and Al-Sultan set a blistering pace that shattered the group, opening up gaps of two minutes to their nearest pursuers by the Solar Berg at 70 kilometers.
Then, at about 110km into the ride, McCormack punctured and lost some five minutes to Al-Sultan and Doe, a gap he managed to dent slightly by the start of the run. First off the bike was Doe, with Al-Sultan another 43 seconds back heading out onto the marathon. The pair had nearly five minutes in hand over McCormack, who started doing his math and remembered that in 2004, when he last faced Al-Sultan here, he had came back from five minutes down to win on the run. And more history: Last year Doe, in his debut here, was McCormack’s breakaway partner until fading to 21st on the run while McCormack stormed home to win.
McCormack said he struggled to put time into Al-Sultan in the early kilometers, but by the 20km mark found his rhythm and began to pull him back, passing him at about the 32km mark. “I ran hard down the downhill,” McCormack said. “I just wanted to look like I was running well, but the last six kilometers I really struggled. I was absolutely over the moon to get home.”
When he crossed into the finish stadium and a spectator handed him an Australian flag, “I was really emotional, I couldn’t believe it.”
Al-Sultan said he knows his status as defending Ironman world champion makes him a major target and also has raised expectations that he will win each time he takes the start of a race.
“There have been better days and there have been worse ones,” Al-Sultan said after the race. “We are at the very top of racing here, and one day you can give 100 percent and the other day you cannot.”
He said McCormack came by him at about the same place he passed him in 2004: “I was not strong anymore and I couldn’t run a good pace. I knew that if I tried to run faster I’d get cramps, and I didn’t want to spoil the second place. It wasn’t in me,” he said simply.
For Doe, the win was a major breakthrough, giving him confidence that he can run well after a hard ride—in his case, the day’s fastest in 4:21:39, backed up with the sub-three-hour marathon his coach, McCormack, had predicted.
“I think the biggest thing I can take from this race now is belief,” the 25-year-old said. “I didn’t think I could run that fast, especially off that [fast] bike.” While he’s had some strong performances in half-Ironman races lately, Doe hadn’t raced a full ultra-distance triathlon since Roth last year, so was unsure if he could hold that speed over 42 kilometers—but in the last year, he said, “I’ve developed a lot, strength-wise, as an athlete.”
“I got out there and got some confidence and kicked it over,” he said of his run.
Al-Sultan also earned the German long-course triathlon national title with his second-place—and top German - finish here. Sweden’s Clas Björling ran himself into fourth from more than 19 minutes down to the leaders off the bike. His 2:45:33 was the day’s third fastest marathon. Markus Fachbach, the young sensation coached by former Roth champion Jürgen Zäck, was the second German finisher and fifth overall.
Long-distance legend Niedrig finished in 45th place in 9:05:13, then offered an emotional salute to fans and organizers of the race at the finish.
The independent Quelle Challenge Roth, the world’s largest long-course triathlon, celebrated its fifth anniversary as an independent race with a massive finish-line party complete with Brazilian samba dancers,fireworks and a live performance from top German singer Joana Zimmer.
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