Ironman Arizona 2016 – Analyzing Results

Race Conditions

This year’s edition of IM Arizona has been another extremely fast race: Calm and relatively cool conditions lead to an adjustment of 24:21, the fastest ever on the Arizona course – no surprise when we’ve seen a number of crazy fast times.

Lionel Sanders posted a new course record of 7:44:29 which is also the fastest time ever in an Ironman®-branded race. (There’s been a bit of uproar when Ironman started calling the time a world-record – completely ignoring Jan Frodeno’s 7:35 from Roth this year. I completely understand that they don’t want to call attention to Roth, but completely ignoring it seems more like a sign of weakness to me.) Lionel had a great race, he posted new “personal bests” in each of the legs. He had the fastest bike leg of the day (4:04:38, the fastest bike leg of the year but still short of the course record 4:03 by Andy Starykowicz) and the second fastest run leg. If his race produced a world-record, it his “on-land-time”: His bike and run took a combined 6:47:09 (excluding transitions), the previously fastest time was by Jan at Roth 2016 (combined 6:47:25). Rafael Goncalves posted a new swim record (45:31, improving on Kieran Doe’s time from 2008); and Brent McMahon had the fastest run of the day, his 2:40:17 is also new course record.

Even if Meredith’s 8:48 was a few minutes short of her own course record, there were fast times on the female side as well: Yvonne Van Vlerken posted a new bike course record, her 4:40:40 improved on Meredith’s 4:42 from last year. Angela Naeth was even faster, but she had to end her race shortly after T2.

Male Race Results

Rafael Goncalves was leading after the swim before Cameron Wurf quickly went to the front, apparently chasing the bike course record. He was first into T2, but Lionel Sanders took the lead shortly after. Lionel was racing smart and had enough in the tank to secure a new course record with very solid last few miles. Brent McMahon was faster than ever before in all his legs, but the best possible finish for him was second place. TJ Tollakson had a solid day, repeating his third place from last year, also posting a new personal best.

Female Race Results

Meredith Kessler won the female race, leading from wire to wire. She’s the IM Arizona champion for the third time in a row – the last time she did not win an Ironman outside of Kona was IM Arizona 2013 when she was second to Julia Gajer by less than three minutes. After the swim Yvonne Van Vlerken was more than eight minutes behind, but she was able to close the gap on the bike and early on the run, keeping up the pressure on Meredith. But Meredith held on to her lead, with Yvonne finishing second. IM rookie Malindi Elmore finished third after a solid day with the second fastest marathon. The fastest run was by Ruth Brennan Morrey in fourth place, reaching her goal of a sub-3 run.