Germans Frodeno and Haug thrilled to be Ironman champs
SHOWS: KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 12, 2019)(IRONMAN - Broadcasters and Digital: MUST COURTESY 'IRONMAN')
1. IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEN'S POST RACE NEWS CONFERENCE - WINNER JAN FRODENO (GERMANY) IN MIDDLE WITH (FROM L TO R) 4TH PLACE BEN HOFFMAN (USA), 2ND PLACE TIM O'DONNELL (USA), 3RD PLACE SEBASTIAN KIENLE (GERMANY), AND 5TH PLACE CAMERON WURF (AUSTRALIA)
2. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MEN'S IRONMAN WINNER JAN FRODENO SAYING:
"It was really, really unique 'cause I think in my 18 years of being a pro I think, this is the day, this was the day I've been looking for, I felt good in the marathon...all the way really and that just doesn't happen in Ironman and I think that's, yeah, that was, yeah, a crazy experience going through the energy level, I actually haven't run the new course so, was kind of, yeah, a little bit new, but then again, it's 42k (kilometres). And yeah, towards the tail end still feeling strong, I mean of course the fatigue sets in and it's a hard day but, yeah, I was just super,super stoked to meet all my friends and family in the finish area and just, yeah, celebrate a win together."
3. WOMEN'S WINNER ANNE HAUG (GERMANY) IN MIDDLE WITH (FROM L TO R) 4TH PLACE LAURA PHILIPP (GERMANY), 2ND PLACE LUCY CHARLES-BARCLAY (GBR), 3RD PLACE SARAH CROWLEY (AUSTRALIA), AND 5TH PLACE HEATHER JACKSON (USA)
4. (SOUNDBITE)(English) WOMEN'S IRONMAN WINNER ANNE HAUG AFTER BEING ASKED WHEN SHE WAS SURE SHE COULD RUN SO WELL, SAYING:
"I didn't know to be honest, I tried my best today and hope for the best and, yeah, I mean you don't do it in training you know, you always sit on the start line and you're not sure about it because you don't like, yeah, you don't run a marathon in training obviously, I have just run 35k (kilometres) runs so it's always a bit of a gamble and you hope for the best but I felt strong and I always remember my long runs from the years before and yeah I was lucky today that I come through, obviously it was not the best preparation but it was enough."
5. WHITE FLASH
6. (SOUNDBITE)(English) WOMEN'S IRONMAN WINNER ANNE HAUG AFTER BEING ASKED IF SHE THINKS HER LIFE IN GERMANY WILL BE DIFFERENT AFTER WIN, SAYING:
"I don't know, I will see when I come back home on Wednesday, I hope that my manager will puff up all the things right now so, yeah, I don't know what's happening to be honest, I don't hope it change too much because I love my life how it is so..."
STORY: Jan Frodeno won his third Ironman World Championship triathlon in a course record time in Hawaii on Saturday (October 12) to continue German dominance of the men's event.
Anne Haug won the women's race to complete a German double.
Frodeno, the 2008 Olympic champion, produced a good swim and then scorched the bike course to open a lead of more than two minutes starting the marathon run under a fierce sun on the Big Island.
The 38-year-old set a cracking pace from his very first step and inexorably extended his advantage, being able to savor his achievement by walking across the finish line to add to his previous victories in 2015 and 2016.
Frodeno won in a record time of seven hours, 51 minutes and 13 seconds but said it was insignificant compared to the victory.
American Tim O'Donnell also broke eight hours for a distant second place, more than eight minutes behind in 7:59.41, while German Sebastian Kienle claimed third.
German men have won the past six years, with Patrick Lange (2017 and 2018) and Kienle (2014) also notching victories.
Lange pulled out during the bike leg on Saturday, reportedly suffering from a fever.
In the women's race, Haug overcame an eight-minute deficit in the run to triumph in 8:40.10, well ahead of Briton Lucy Charles-Barclay, while Australian Sarah Crowley claimed third.
Charles-Barclay led for more than seven hours and started the run with a big lead, but was overtaken by Haug with more than 16 km remaining.
While German men have dominated recently, Haug is the first German woman to triumph.
The Ironman comprises a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike ride and 42.2 km run.
The race was first held in 1978 to settle a friendly argument among Hawaiian endurance athletes about who was the fittest.
(Production: David Grip)
