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Kona Qualifying – One Week before the August Cutoff

The race for the Professional Kona slots is almost over: The second and final qualifying period ends on August 20th. The first qualifying period had the majority of slots, but there are another ten slots for the male and seven for female Pros. The final order will be decided in two more Ironman races: The Scandinavian duo of IM Sweden (MPRO) and IM Copenhagen (WPRO), and IM Mont Tremblant. There are also two more 70.3s (70.3 Dublin and 70.3 Indonesia), but as they have fewer points their impact will be smaller, but there are some athletes for whom Dublin can make the difference of qualifying or not. This post looks at the situation before the last races, who’s currently in and who looks to make a jump in the rankings.As soon as the races are over I will post my “Unofficial KPR Rankings and August Slot Assignments”.

Update Aug 15th: Justin Daerr has announced he won’t be racing in Sweden, instead focusing on IM Wisconsin and 2018 qualifying.

Update Aug 16th: A few other athletes have indicated that they won’t be racing IM Sweden.

Update Aug 19th: Situation after the completion of IM Sweden.

Update Aug 20th: Slight update on the men’s side after 70.3 Dublin.

Women

There are seven female slots available this weekend. Meredith Kessler is currently placed in the middle of the qualifying spots, but as she is pregnant she is extremely unlikely to accept her slot. (I assume she will still be asked, so the rolldown procedure might take some time.) Here’s a table of the athletes currently in the qualifying ranks and those that still have a chance to pass Jeanne Collonge who would currently get the last slot:

Rank Athlete Points Races Race Plan Needed
1 Moeller, Kristin 5.120 3+1 (515/435)
2 McCauley, Jocelyn 4.415 3+1 (385/30)
3 Holst, Tine 4.295 3+1 (960/400)
Kessler, Meredith 4.265 3+1 (235/750)  pregnant
4 Chura, Haley 4.180 1+2 (2890/540)
5 Joyce, Rachel 4.100 2+2 (960/220) IM Mont Tremblant 8th
6 Bartlett, Nikki 4.055 3+1 (855/640)
7 Collonge, Jeanne 3.910 3+1 (960/280) IM Copenhagen 3rd
Brown, Brooke 3.445 3+1 (540/345) IM Mont Tremblant 3rd
Tastets, Pamela 3.425 3+1 (855/540) IM Copenhagen 2nd
Roberts, Darbi 2.755 3+0 (215/-) IM Mont Tremblant 2nd
Tisseyre, Magali 2.390 1+2 (685/540) IM Mont Tremblant 2nd

(“Needed” is the minimum result needed for qualifying or improving the total, however it does not assure a slot when others add points as well.)

Here’s my best guess at who is going to receive the August slots:

  • Kristin Moeller and Jocelyn McCauley are safe for a slot – there are just not enough athletes racing that can still overtake them. (Slots #1 and #2)
  • Tine Holst and Haley Chura should also remain in the top qualifying spots, but there is still a chance for others to overtake them. (Slots #3 and #4)
  • Rachel Joyce has indicated that she is going to race IM Mont Tremblant. She only needs an 8th place to improve her position, and she should be able to finally secure a slot. (Slot #5)
  • Slot #6 comes down to Nikki Bartlett or one of the contenders from IM Copenhagen. Given the strong competition in Copenhagen (e.g. Michelle Vesterby and Corinne Abraham) and the requirements to place well, Nikki seems to have the best chances.
  • The last slot (slot #7) should be decided in Mont Tremblant between Brooke Brown, Darbi Roberts and Magali Tisseyre.
The athletes just missing slots will have to hope for a rolldown.

Men

There are ten more male slots available at the end of August. Here’s a table looking at the athletes on the bubble and those that still have a chance to pass Kaito Tohara who is currently in the last qualifying spot:

Rank Athlete Points Races Race Plan Needed
1 Weiss, Michael 4.430 3+1 (720/750)
2 Wiltshire, Harry 3.765 3+1 (305/500)
3 Wurf, Cameron 3.485 3+1 (515/35)
4 Fachbach, Markus 3.400 2+2 (1280/240)
5 Molinari, Giulio 3.395 3+1 (720/750)
6 Chevrot, Denis 3.390 2+2 (720/640)
7 Fox, Michael 3.355 3+1 (405/320)
8 Tohara, Kaito 3.330 3+1 (230/220)
9 López Diaz, Carlos 3.175 3+0 (215/-) 70.3 Dublin (DNS)
10 Llanos, Eneko 2.975 3+1 (340/75) 70.3 Dublin (finished 8th)
11 Croneborg, Fredrik 2.820 1+2 (2000/320) 70.3 Indonesia (DNS?)
Vanhoenacker, Marino 2.555 1+2 (2000/55) IM Mont Tremblant 7th
McDonald, Chris 1.448 2+1 IM Mont Tremblant 2nd

(“Needed” is the minimum result needed for qualifying or improving the total points, however it does not assure a slot when others add points as well.)

Rank Athlete Points Races Race Plan Needed/Actual
 14 Sapunov, Daniil 2.745 3+1 (720/345) IM Sweden 4th – / 5th
 17 Hovgaard, Esben 2.600 3+1 (540/240) IM Sweden 2nd / 3rd
Baldwin, Nick 2.235 3+1 (230/320) IM Sweden 4th / DNS
Daerr, Justin 2.105 2+2 (720/30) IM Sweden 4th / DNS
Lassonde, Cedric 1.305 2+2 (305/100) IM Sweden Win / DNS

Based on the available start lists, here’s my best guess at who is going to receive one of the August slots:

  • Michael Weiss, Harry Wiltshire and Markus Fachbach will remain in the Top 10 (slots #1, #2 and #3).
  • Giulio Molinari, Denis Chevrot and Michael Fox should remain in the qualifying ranks as well, though if they don’t score there is still a relatively small chance for them to fall back too far (slots #4, #5 and #6).
  • The list for Sweden is still “crowded” by athletes unlikely to race there, but I would guess that we will see two athletes placing well there grabbing a slot (slots #7 and #8). Only Cameron Wurf was able to secure a slot at IM Sweden, practically making Kaito Tohara safe.
  • Considering Marino Vanhoenacker is unlikely to accept a slot even if he is well placed, I can only see one slot being assigned in Mont Tremblant – but for that Chris McDonald has to finish second or better so it’s not assured by any means (slot #9).
  • The last slot would then be decided between the two Spanish athletes that might race in Dublin, Carlos Lopez Diaz (just having raced IM Hamburg, probably not racing) and Eneko Llanos – or maybe Kaito Tohara (slot #10).

There are so many different scenarios that it’s still possible for any of the athletes in the above table to get a slot – it’ll be exciting racing on Sunday! As soon as the races are over I will post my “Unofficial KPR Rankings and August slot assignments”.

Challenge Regensburg 2017 – Analyzing Results

Race Conditions

The main change compared to last year was a new bike course that led to considerably faster times. With the exception of the male swim (Sebastian Weit was 5 seconds quicker last year) and the female run (still a 3:08 marathon by last year’s winner Julia Viellehner) all course record were broken.

Male Race Results

For a long time Sebastian Neef was leading the race, posting the fastest swim and bike times. But last year’s winner Jan Raphael posted a 2:45 marathon course record to successfully defend his title, followed by Sebastian Neef and Chris Fischer.

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time Diff to exp. Prize Money
1 Jan Raphael GER 00:50:05 04:24:19 02:45:12 08:02:32 -12:45 EUR 6,000
2 Sebastian Neef GER 00:50:00 04:13:35 03:04:07 08:10:42 -29:13 EUR 3,900
3 Chris Fischer DEN 00:51:22 04:23:26 02:54:58 08:14:13 -03:18 EUR 2,750
4 Christian Brader GER 00:50:12 04:26:39 02:56:00 08:16:02 -09:08 EUR 1,900
5 Stefan Eichheimer GER 00:55:10 04:26:44 02:56:29 08:22:37 -37:24 EUR 1,500
6 Christian Altstadt GER 00:50:51 04:23:54 03:04:28 08:22:59 n/a EUR 1,200
7 Teemu Lemmettylae FIN 00:55:14 04:29:58 02:55:36 08:25:28 -06:21 EUR 1,000
8 Jacob Frandsen DEN 00:55:14 04:24:35 03:14:14 08:38:22 01:43 EUR 750
9 Thomas Bosch GER 00:55:20 04:34:18 03:06:29 08:40:06 -01:44
10 Lucky Berlage BEL 00:55:09 04:36:04 03:11:42 08:48:20 -04:14
11 Ludovic Le Guellec FRA 00:56:42 05:20:27 03:30:20 09:54:08 12:04
Julian Mutterer GER 00:50:03 04:24:24 DNF
Per Bittner GER 00:50:08 04:25:42 DNF
Elmar Heger GER 00:52:06 DNF

Female Race Results

Late entry Diana Riesler completely controlled the race: After the fastest swim and bike legs she was already leading by more than 25 minutes, and extended that lead on the run to win by almost 35 minutes! Her 8:51 finish is a new personal best for her and the third time she went sub-9. Behind her the race for the podium was much closer, eventually Simona Krivankova was second in front of Erika Csomor.

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time Diff to exp. Prize Money
1 Diana Riesler GER 00:54:48 04:38:13 03:13:21 08:51:02 -14:02 EUR 6,000
2 Simona Krivankova CZE 01:01:08 05:00:20 03:20:20 09:25:50 -03:32 EUR 3,900
3 Erika Csomor HUN 00:58:11 05:06:35 03:18:32 09:28:01 11:09 EUR 2,750
4 Nina Kuhn GER 01:01:12 05:00:03 03:26:37 09:33:06 -20:25 EUR 1,900
5 Franziska Bossow GER 01:01:05 05:16:09 03:13:18 09:35:14 n/a EUR 1,500
6 Yvette Grice GBR 00:55:03 05:22:32 03:25:49 09:49:10 -08:59 EUR 1,200
7 Jana Candrova CZE 01:02:50 05:12:05 03:35:53 09:55:37 -13:49 EUR 1,000
8 Anaïs Tommy-Martin GER 01:02:44 05:23:26 03:30:29 10:03:38 n/a EUR 750
9 Dana Wagner GER 00:55:10 05:16:45 03:47:58 10:05:34 30:32

Ironman Hamburg 2017 – Analyzing Results

Race Conditions

This was the first edition of IM Hamburg, and almost all of the Pros seemed to like the venue and the course. The swim was wetsuit-legal (and still not very fast), the rolling bike course wasn’t very quick, followed by a fast run-course with lots of spectators. This race had adjustment of 5:18, comparable to Mont Tremblant or Switzerland.

General

Male Race Results

James Cunnama showed a great performance, in the end he won by more than twenty minutes. He was in the first chase group after the swim and rode the first loop of the bike with four other athletes (who ended up in second to fifth). Towards the end of the first bike loop he took control of the race, quickly building a demanding lead that he extended for the rest of the day, posting the fastest bike leg and a 2:40 marathon. A great confidence builder for Kona!

M1 James

Since winning IM Sweden in 2014, Horst Reichel hasn’t had a good Ironman distance race (and DNF’ing a number of times). He was very solid in Hamburg: Swimming with James Cunnama and biking with the first chase group. In T2 he was three minutes behind Markus but then methodically closed the gap and secured second place with the second best marathon.

M2 Horst

On the surface Markus Fachbach could be happy with his race: A third place finish secured a Kona slot for him, but he wasn’t satisfied with his performance. He said he tried to ride too long when James out down the hammer and never really recovered from going a bit too hard for a bit too long. Even though he suffered quite a bit, his third place was never in doubt.

M3 Markus 

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time Diff to exp. Prize Money KPR Points
1 James Cunnama ZAF 00:49:05 04:24:32 02:40:58 08:00:36 -21:31 US$ 15,000 2000
2 Horst Reichel GER 00:48:59 04:40:12 02:47:35 08:22:27 -34:30 US$ 7,500 1600
3 Markus Fachbach GER 00:49:10 04:36:27 02:53:47 08:25:36 -05:14 US$ 5,000 1280
4 Carlos Lopez Diaz ESP 00:47:38 04:45:34 02:54:55 08:35:36 -04:16 US$ 3,250 960
5 Alexander Schilling GER 00:49:02 04:40:02 03:07:00 08:42:05 07:44 US$ 2,750 720
6 Mike Schifferle SUI 00:59:01 04:47:46 02:57:09 08:54:09 -06:43 US$ 2,000 540
7 Lachlan Kerin AUS 00:52:42 04:52:02 03:10:40 09:03:00 -32:37 US$ 1,500 405
8 Lukas Polan CZE 01:03:18 05:22:22 03:11:40 09:45:12 05:02 US$ 1,250 305
9 Valentin Zasypkin RUS 01:03:48 05:17:45 03:20:02 09:50:11 -23:25 US$ 1,000 230
10 Michal Ivanco SVK 01:19:23 05:14:39 03:20:19 10:04:51 -03:46 US$ 750 170
11 Marek Nemcik SVK 01:09:19 06:12:29 05:02:00 12:38:35 1:02:35   120
  Christian Birngruber AUT 00:52:40 04:52:55   DNF      

Female Race Results

Daniela Sämmler had focused her 2017 summer on racing IM Hamburg, and she won the female race in dominating fashion: She was first out of the water and then posted the fastest bike split. Her 4:55 was the only female sub-5 bike split and almost 15 minutes quicker than any other woman. She then continued with an even-paced 3:08 marathon, just a few seconds slower than her marathon PR from 2013. 

F1 Daniela

Before the race Eva Wutti hoped that she had recovered from her win at IM Austria just six weeks earlier – after the race she said she had never had to work so hard to finish a race. Even if she was disappointed that she wasn’t able to contend for the win, she still finished second but coming short of securing the points she needed to qualify for Kona.

F2 Eva

Similar to Eva, third place Kristin Möller wasn’t happy with her swim and bike, in T2 she was in sixth place with a gap of more than 20 minutes to third place.

F3 Kristin

But Kristin was clearly the best runner in the field, she methodically closed the gap to the women in front of her. By the third of four loops on the run course she moved into fifth place and eventually even managed to build a gap of nine minutes to Sandra Wassink-Hitzert who was fourth in her first Pro Ironman race. Kristin’s 2:58 was the best marathon of the day and she finished in third place, also scoring a few more KPR points so she is now safe for an August slot.

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time Diff to exp. Prize Money KPR Points
1 Daniela Saemmler GER 00:55:53 04:55:24 03:08:53 09:07:49 -26:16 US$ 15,000 2000
2 Eva Wutti AUT 00:58:58 05:14:59 03:02:02 09:23:35 10:54 US$ 7,500 1600
3 Kristin Moeller GER 01:03:37 05:30:06 02:58:10 09:39:43 05:46 US$ 5,000 1280
4 Sandra Wassink-Hitzert NED 00:55:56 05:25:10 03:19:31 09:48:37 n/a US$ 3,250 960
5 Verena Walter GER 01:00:30 05:19:04 03:24:29 09:52:03 08:26 US$ 2,750 720
6 Rahel Bellinga NED 01:05:53 05:09:05 03:59:54 10:23:56 04:38 US$ 2,000 540
7 Annabel Diawuoh GER 01:28:45 05:42:35 04:03:43 11:26:29 01:52 US$ 1,500 405
  Angela Kuehnlein GER 01:03:45 05:42:41   DNF      

Always Up-to-date Kona 2017 Startlist

KPRTitleAfter all Kona slots have been decided, here is the preliminary start list for Kona 2017. There can still be some changes to the list – in addition to the August rolldown some athletes may get injured and decide not to start after all. There may be a few days in early September for a slot to roll down, but not closer to the race – that slot will just be gone then. I will update this list if any slots are declined or athletes announce that they won’t start. I will also update the list once Ironman assigns bib numbers. For now the lists are sorted in alphabetical order.

I provide a lot more details on the race and the participants in my free “Kona Rating Report” which you can order at https://gum.co/Kona2017 (donations welcome).

Lastest Updates

  • October 11th: Tim Don won’t be racing – in an Instagram post he says that he was hit by a car while riding his bike in Kona. He fractured his C2 vertebra and will require a brace for a few weeks but luckily no operation.

Male Race Participants

Bib Name Nation Age Kona Results
1 Jan Frodeno GER 36 3 finishes out of 3 starts, 2 Kona wins (2015, 2016)
2 Sebastian Kienle GER 33 5 finishes out of 5 starts, 1 Kona win (2014)
3 Ben Hoffman USA 34 6 finishes out of 7 starts
5 Patrick Lange GER 31 1 finish out of 1 start
6 Timothy O’Donnell USA 37 5 finishes out of 6 starts
7 Frederik Van Lierde BEL 38 7 finishes out of 9 starts, 1 Kona win (2013)
8 Kyle Buckingham ZAF 33 2 finishes out of 3 starts
9 Tim Don GBR 39 1 finish out of 2 starts
10 Boris Stein GER 32 3 finishes out of 3 starts
11 Pete Jacobs AUS 35 7 finishes out of 8 starts, 1 Kona win (2012)
12 Matt Hanson USA 32 0 finishes out of 1 start
14 Andy Potts USA 40 8 finishes out of 8 starts
15 Terenzo Bozzone NZL 32 2 finishes out of 4 starts
16 David McNamee GBR 29 2 finishes out of 2 starts
17 Matthew Russell USA 34 5 finishes out of 5 starts
18 Bart Aernouts BEL 33 4 finishes out of 5 starts
19 James Cunnama ZAF 34 3 finishes out of 4 starts
20 Nick Kastelein AUS 29 no previous Kona starts
21 Josh Amberger AUS 28 no previous Kona starts
22 Braden Currie NZL 31 no previous Kona starts
23 Ronnie Schildknecht SUI 38 7 finishes out of 11 starts
24 Tim Reed AUS 32 1 finish out of 2 starts
25 Nils Frommhold GER 31 2 finishes out of 2 starts
26 Patrik Nilsson SWE 26 no previous Kona starts
27 Joe Gambles AUS 35 2 finishes out of 3 starts
28 Tyler Butterfield BMU 34 3 finishes out of 5 starts
29 Ruedi Wild SUI 35 1 finish out of 1 start
30 Lionel Sanders CAN 29 2 finishes out of 2 starts
31 Brent McMahon CAN 37 2 finishes out of 2 starts
32 Ivan Tutukin RUS 31 no previous Kona starts
33 David Dellow AUS 38 2 finishes out of 2 starts
34 Cyril Viennot FRA 35 6 finishes out of 6 starts
35 Michael Weiss AUT 36 5 finishes out of 6 starts
36 Marko Albert EST 38 5 finishes out of 5 starts
37 Alessandro Degasperi ITA 36 1 finish out of 1 start
38 Tim Van Berkel AUS 33 3 finishes out of 3 starts
39 Igor Amorelli BRA 32 3 finishes out of 4 starts
40 Thiago Vinhal BRA 34 no previous Kona starts
41 David Plese SLO 34 2 finishes out of 3 starts
42 Marc Duelsen GER 32 no previous Kona starts
43 Harry Wiltshire GBR 34 2 finishes out of 2 starts
44 Jan Van Berkel SUI 29 1 finish out of 2 starts
45 Ivan Rana ESP 38 4 finishes out of 4 starts
46 Kirill Kotshegarov EST 31 1 finish out of 2 starts
47 Reinaldo Colucci BRA 31 1 finish out of 1 start
48 Patrick Evoe USA 40 1 finish out of 1 start
49 Cameron Wurf AUS 34 no previous Kona starts
50 Daniel Fontana ITA 41 2 finishes out of 4 starts
51 Jesse Thomas USA 37 1 finish out of 1 start
52 Markus Fachbach GER 35 1 finish out of 2 starts
53 Giulio Molinari ITA 29 no previous Kona starts
54 Denis Chevrot FRA 29 1 finish out of 2 starts
55 Michael Fox AUS 28 no previous Kona starts
56 Kaito Tohara JPN 28 no previous Kona starts
58 Chris McDonald AUS 39 1 finish out of 2 starts
59 Eneko Llanos ESP 40 8 finishes out of 11 starts

Female Race Participants

Bib Name Nation Age Kona Results
101 Daniela Ryf SUI 30 3 finishes out of 3 starts, 2 Kona wins (2015, 2016)
102 Sarah Crowley AUS 34 1 finish out of 1 start
103 Kaisa Sali FIN 36 1 finish out of 1 start
104 Sarah Piampiano USA 37 3 finishes out of 3 starts
105 Heather Jackson USA 33 2 finishes out of 2 starts
106 Michelle Vesterby DEN 34 5 finishes out of 5 starts
107 Susie Cheetham GBR 31 1 finish out of 2 starts
108 Anja Beranek GER 32 1 finish out of 3 starts
109 Michaela Herlbauer AUT 30 1 finish out of 1 start
110 Linsey Corbin USA 36 9 finishes out of 10 starts
111 Leanda Cave GBR 39 8 finishes out of 10 starts, 1 Kona win (2012)
112 Elizabeth Lyles USA 39 4 finishes out of 4 starts
113 Rachel Joyce GBR 39 7 finishes out of 7 starts
114 Annabel Luxford AUS 35 1 finish out of 2 starts
115 Laura Siddall GBR 37 no previous Kona starts
116 Jodie Robertson USA 1 finish out of 1 start
117 Carrie Lester AUS 35 2 finishes out of 2 starts
118 Lucy Charles GBR 24 no previous Kona starts
119 Astrid Stienen GER 38 0 finishes out of 1 start
120 Alexandra Tondeur BEL 30 1 finish out of 1 start
121 Camilla Pedersen DEN 34 2 finishes out of 2 starts
122 Asa Lundstroem SWE 33 3 finishes out of 3 starts
123 Corinne Abraham GBR 39 1 finish out of 1 start
124 Maja Stage Nielsen DEN 29 no previous Kona starts
125 Kristin Moeller GER 33 4 finishes out of 4 starts
126 Sonja Tajsich GER 41 4 finishes out of 5 starts
127 Dimity-Lee Duke AUS 2 finishes out of 2 starts
128 Mareen Hufe GER 39 2 finishes out of 3 starts
129 Gurutze Frades Larralde ESP 36 1 finish out of 1 start
130 Lauren Brandon USA 32 no previous Kona starts
131 Alicia Kaye USA 34 1 finish out of 1 start
132 Diana Riesler GER 33 0 finishes out of 1 start
133 Melissa Hauschildt AUS 34 0 finishes out of 1 start
134 Celine Schaerer SUI 27 no previous Kona starts
135 Katharina Grohmann GER 30 no previous Kona starts
136 Jocelyn McCauley USA 29 no previous Kona starts
138 Haley Chura USA 32 1 finish out of 2 starts
139 Nikki Bartlett GBR 30 no previous Kona starts
140 Jeanne Collonge FRA 30 no previous Kona starts

Injury List

Unfortunately, there are a few athletes that have crashed or suffer from an injury. They have to make recovery from surgery and injuries their top priority for now.

  • On August 16th Will Clarke was in a crash and suffered a separated shoulder that needed surgery. Will
    Update Aug 30th: Will posted on his Facebook page that his injuries turned out to be worse than expected and “hopes of getting to Kona start line are stopped right here.”
  • Tine Holst crashed on August 28th and broke her collarbone. She’s also had surgery and is back home to recover. Tine
    Update Aug 14th: Tine posted on her Facebook page that she needed a second surgery. Doctors have advised her not to use her arm for some time to allow for proper healing, forcing her to call an end to her season.
  • Andi Boecherer had a DNF in his early September prep race at 70.3 Santa Cruz. On his (German language) Facebook page he writes that he thinks he suffered a tear in his plantar tendon and will be flying home to Germany for treatment and making a start in Kona impossible.
  • On September 18th Carlos Lopez Dias posted on his Facebook page that he’s been hit by a car while training: Carlos
    It sounds as if there won’t be lasting damage, but the broken bones and stitches will take some time to heal and he won’t be able to race in Kona.
  • Update Sept 25th: Kaito Tohara announced on his Facebook page that he suffered another broken collarbone and that “the road to Kona is over”. He hopes to still be able to start in Kona, but even then just race to finish.

Fingers crossed for Will, Tine, Andi, Carlos and Kaito for a speedy recovery!

Ironman Hamburg – Bike Checkin

Saturday in Hamburg has been a wet affair. Grey, low hanging clouds brought rain for most of the day – as you can see on this photo from the “Binnenalster” where the swim will happen on Sunday:

HH Swim Buoys

The buoys in the foreground are for the second part of the swim, the first part will go into the bigger “Aussenalster” and swimmers have to pass under the bridge next to the white tents on the right hand side. The weather for race day is supposed to be much better, but the rain added to the tension most athletes feel at bike checkin.

Starting with bib #1 will be Kristin Möller, she had a wide smile when dropping off her bike (before packing it into a number of orange trash bags to protect it from the rain):

1 HH Bike Women Kristin

You can see Kristin’s bike in the foreground, the picture shows bib #2 Daniela Sämmler who has focused her summer racing on Hamburg and seems confident but relaxed:

2 HH Bike Women Daniela

Eva Wutti (bib #4) was among the first to drop off her bike – it was setting unprotected in the rain, collecting a number of water droplets as the day progressed. Hopefully her electronic shifting is water-proof!

3 HH Bike Women Eva

Dutch Pro Sandra Wassink-Hitzert (bib #14) came prepared – her kids helped her pick out some princess-themed pink plastic tablecloth in a discount store that she used to build a makeshift tent for her bike:

4 HH Bike Women Sandra

Mike Schifferle has finished more than 70 Ironman-distance races so far – of course he is “Thumbs Up” for the first edition of Ironman Hamburg:

5 HH Bike Men Mike

Horst Reichel took some extra care to protect his chain from the rain – he’s hoping for a good, solid Ironman finish after a couple of not very satisfying races:

6 HH Bike Men Horst

Carlos Lopez Diaz is going to be one of the fastest swimmers tomorrow, he’ll need a good finish to make it to Kona. I didn’t particularly like the color scheme of his bike, but that won’t impact how fast he’ll finish:

7 HH Bike Men Carlos

James Cunnama is the pre-race favorite on the men’s side – he was all business when he quickly dropped off his bike. It didn’t take too long for the bike to be drenched, with some droplets forming on the seatpost of his P5X.

8 HH Bike Men James

Happy racing to all starters at IM Hamburg tomorrow!

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