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Ironman Texas 2023 – Analyzing Results

2023 IM Texas

Kona Qualifying

IM Texas had five slots each for the men and women. These will go to:

  • Men (Nice): Rudy Von Berg, Robert Wilkowiecki, Matthew Marquardt, Arnaud Guillaux and Code Beals
  • Women (Kona): Kat Matthews, Maja Stage Nielsen, Jocelyn McCauley, Lauren Brandon and Danielle Lewis.

You can find all 2023 Qualifiers on this page.

Male Race Results

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time Diff to exp. Prize Money
1 Rudy Von Berg USA 00:48:57 (3) 04:05:26 (1) 02:45:35 (4) 07:44:50 -18:18 US$ 28,000
2 Robert Wilkowiecki POL 00:48:54 (2) 04:05:49 (2) 02:45:25 (3) 07:45:03 -28:56 US$ 17,000
3 Matthew Marquardt USA 00:48:59 (4) 04:08:12 (3) 02:43:08 (1) 07:45:11 n/a US$ 11,000
4 Arnaud Guilloux FRA 00:52:20 (6) 04:09:13 (4) 02:46:58 (5) 07:54:20 -28:46 US$ 8,500
5 Cody Beals CAN 00:52:26 (9) 04:15:10 (12) 02:44:57 (2) 07:57:17 -12:13 US$ 6,500
6 Ivan Tutukin KAZ 00:52:32 (12) 04:15:14 (13) 02:49:18 (7) 08:01:39 -06:50 US$ 5,000
7 David Plese SLO 00:52:46 (17) 04:14:15 (10) 02:51:17 (8) 08:03:57 -11:34 US$ 4,000
8 Thomas Davis GBR 00:52:30 (11) 04:15:22 (14) 02:52:38 (9) 08:05:32 -23:45 US$ 3,000
9 Adam Feigh USA 00:52:57 (19) 04:14:14 (9) 02:53:44 (10) 08:06:03 -20:49 US$ 2,500
10 Michael Weiss AUT 00:58:42 (25) 04:13:33 (7) 02:47:59 (6) 08:06:11 -04:10 US$ 2,000
11 Andrew Horsfall-Turner GBR 00:48:49 (1) 04:10:40 (5) 03:07:55 (12) 08:12:53 -10:50  
12 Fernando Toldi BRA 00:53:09 (21) 04:19:44 (17) 02:58:34 (11) 08:16:23 12:41  
13 Karl-Johan Danielsson SWE 00:52:57 (19) 04:14:04 (8) 03:08:13 (13) 08:20:35 -24:28  
14 Sven Wies GER 00:52:22 (7) 04:15:24 (15) 03:08:43 (15) 08:21:13 -38:00  
15 Elliot Bach USA 00:52:47 (18) 04:14:51 (11) 03:08:59 (16) 08:22:33 -40:49  
16 Trevor Foley USA 01:00:49 (27) 04:12:21 (6) 03:09:57 (17) 08:27:54 13:32  
17 Guillaume Doree FRA 00:52:24 (8) 04:32:20 (21) 03:16:38 (18) 08:47:16 08:34  
18 Fraser Walsh AUS 00:52:43 (15) 04:24:51 (19) 03:29:38 (20) 08:53:09 19:27  
19 Josh Eaton USA 01:05:08 (30) 04:34:34 (23) 03:23:45 (19) 09:10:19 n/a  
20 Simon Shi USA 00:50:59 (5) 04:35:02 (24) 03:38:01 (22) 09:10:36 -08:52  
21 Yang Pan USA 01:04:16 (29) 04:52:36 (27) 03:08:13 (13) 09:13:45 n/a  
22 Balazs Csoke HUN 00:52:34 (13) 04:39:52 (25) 03:36:57 (21) 09:16:34 27:51  
23 Lars Schmidt DEN 00:53:17 (22) 04:25:59 (20) 04:09:29 (23) 09:37:36 n/a  
  Joe Skipper GBR 00:52:37 (14) 04:20:27 (18)   DNF    
  Bart Aernouts BEL 01:00:57 (28) 04:18:01 (16)   DNF    
  Alessandro Degasperi ITA 00:58:45 (26) 04:34:29 (22)   DNF    
  Jeremie Martin CAN 00:57:44 (23) 04:51:06 (26)   DNF    
  Emmanuel Lejeune BEL 00:52:44 (16) 05:01:07 (28)   DNF    
  Matt Hanson USA 00:52:28 (10)     DNF    
  Kennett Peterson USA 00:58:36 (24)     DNF    

Female Race Results

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time Diff to exp. Prize Money
1 Katrina Matthews GBR 00:58:33 (5) 04:39:20 (5) 02:49:31 (1) 08:32:51 -14:42 US$ 28,000
2 Maja Stage Nielsen DEN 00:55:25 (4) 04:33:44 (2) 03:00:04 (3) 08:34:50 -29:16 US$ 17,000
3 Jocelyn McCauley USA 00:55:18 (2) 04:33:22 (1) 03:11:40 (6) 08:45:44 -19:13 US$ 11,000
4 Lauren Brandon USA 00:51:13 (1) 04:40:49 (6) 03:14:21 (8) 08:53:06 -31:51 US$ 8,500
5 Danielle Lewis USA 01:05:49 (11) 04:38:18 (4) 03:06:03 (4) 08:56:27 -32:42 US$ 6,500
6 Alice Alberts USA 01:01:12 (8) 04:45:10 (8) 03:12:32 (7) 09:05:33 -39:27 US$ 5,000
7 Joanna Ryter SUI 01:08:43 (16) 04:53:33 (14) 02:59:25 (2) 09:06:42 -16:08 US$ 4,000
8 Jen Annett CAN 01:06:11 (13) 04:51:01 (13) 03:11:17 (5) 09:13:59 -04:09 US$ 3,000
9 Jodie Robertson USA 01:02:05 (9) 04:49:42 (12) 03:24:33 (13) 09:23:50 10:50 US$ 2,500
10 Amber Ferreira USA 01:04:35 (10) 04:57:00 (15) 03:17:43 (11) 09:27:42 -56:26 US$ 2,000
11 Jessica Smith USA 01:01:09 (7) 05:05:05 (18) 03:16:14 (9) 09:28:30 -01:12  
12 Katharina Grohmann GER 01:11:44 (22) 04:41:36 (7) 03:31:38 (16) 09:31:26 05:36  
13 Dede Griesbauer USA 00:59:58 (6) 04:37:28 (3) 03:55:07 (22) 09:40:16 06:12  
14 Katie Colville USA 01:05:54 (12) 05:14:07 (21) 03:16:26 (10) 09:45:31 n/a  
15 Holly Smith USA 01:11:28 (19) 05:00:52 (17) 03:29:06 (15) 09:49:41 n/a  
16 Angela Naeth CAN 01:06:38 (14) 04:49:25 (11) 03:47:34 (20) 09:50:55 15:51  
17 Gabrielle Suver USA 01:11:31 (20) 05:10:36 (20) 03:24:00 (12) 09:55:04 -19:19  
18 Kayla Bowker USA 01:10:11 (18) 05:06:51 (19) 03:34:32 (17) 09:58:22 11:31  
19 Sarah Karpinski USA 01:11:40 (21) 05:19:15 (24) 03:27:14 (14) 10:07:20 -07:23  
20 Jenny Nilsson SWE 01:16:21 (25) 05:14:34 (22) 03:34:33 (18) 10:12:34 06:33  
21 Clarice Chastang USA 01:08:49 (17) 05:16:33 (23) 03:51:00 (21) 10:24:12 04:51  
22 Olivia Dietzel USA 01:08:41 (15) 05:26:48 (25) 03:46:18 (19) 10:34:07 n/a  
  Lottie Lucas UAE 00:55:22 (3) 04:47:15 (9)   DNF    
  Joanna Patterson IRL 01:16:10 (23) 04:47:56 (10)   DNF    
  Lenny Ramsey NED 01:16:15 (24) 04:58:30 (16)   DNF    

Ironman Australia 2023 (May 7th) – Seedings

2023IMAusPrevious Winners

Year Male Winner Time Female Winner Time
2005 Chris McCormack (AUS) 08:25:44 Lisa Bentley (CAN) 09:13:20
2006 Chris McCormack (AUS) 08:20:42 Lisa Bentley (CAN) 09:19:44
2007 Patrick Vernay (NCL) 08:21:49 Rebekah Keat (AUS) 09:12:59
2008 Patrick Vernay (NCL) 08:31:32 Chrissie Wellington (GBR) 09:03:54
2009 Patrick Vernay (NCL) 08:24:53 Chrissie Wellington (GBR) 08:57:10
2010 Patrick Vernay (NCL) 08:23:54 Carrie Lester (AUS) 09:23:46
2011 Pete Jacobs (AUS) 08:29:28 Caroline Steffen (SUI) 09:29:54
2012 Paul Ambrose (AUS) 08:17:38 Michelle Gailey (AUS) 09:34:57
2013 Luke Bell (AUS) 08:30:23 Rebecca Hoschke (AUS) 09:34:55
2014 Elliot Holtham (CAN) 08:35:18 Melissa Hauschildt (AUS) 09:28:43
2015 Paul Ambrose (AUS) 08:35:53 Michelle Bremer (NZL) 09:38:24
2016 Tim Reed (AUS) 08:16:34 Michelle Bremer (NZL) 09:13:34
2017 David Dellow (AUS) 08:15:36 Laura Siddall (GBR) 09:16:39
2018 Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) 08:14:37 Laura Siddall (GBR) 09:05:58
2019 Cameron Wurf (AUS) 08:06:17 Laura Siddall (GBR) 09:11:58
2022 Tim Van Berkel (AUS) 08:15:13 Sarah Crowley (AUS) 09:06:03

Last Race’s TOP 3

Male Race Results

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time
1 Tim Van Berkel AUS 00:52:57 04:32:46 02:45:50 08:15:13
2 Josh Amberger AUS 00:48:55 04:30:38 03:02:13 08:26:13
3 Jack Moody NZL 00:53:10 04:44:28 02:52:29 08:35:39

Female Race Results

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time
1 Sarah Crowley AUS 00:55:05 04:55:15 03:11:33 09:06:03
2 Rebecca Clarke NZL 00:52:59 04:56:52 03:12:38 09:07:10
3 Courtney Gilfillan AUS 00:55:05 05:11:17 03:19:52 09:30:47

Course Records

Leg Gender Record Athlete Date
Total overall 08:06:17 Cameron Wurf 2019-05-05
Swim overall 00:43:47 Josh Amberger 2016-05-01
Swim overall 00:43:47 Clayton Fettell 2016-05-01
Bike overall 04:22:52 Cameron Wurf 2019-05-05
Run overall 02:44:29 Tim Reed 2019-05-05
Total female 08:57:10 Chrissie Wellington 2009-04-05
Swim female 00:48:42 Kelsey Withrow 2018-05-06
Swim female 00:48:42 Melissa Ashton 2006-05-11
Bike female 04:55:15 Sarah Crowley 2022-05-01
Run female 03:01:06 Lisa Bentley 2006-05-11

Course Rating

The Course Rating for IM Australia is 06:06.

Race Adjustments for IM Australia

Year Adjustment Swim Adj. Bike Adj. Run Adj. # of Finishers Rating Swim Rating Bike Rating Run Rating
2006 06:15 02:34 -01:10 04:08 30 06:15 03:17 -01:10 04:08
2007 06:51 02:06 00:22 03:44 36 06:33 03:02 -00:24 03:56
2008 03:29 00:32 00:59 01:40 24 05:32 02:18 00:04 03:11
2009 05:55 00:14 01:24 03:30 28 05:37 01:59 00:24 03:15
2010 11:09 05:12 06:08 -00:45 18 06:44 02:44 01:33 02:27
2011 06:25 02:03 00:29 03:21 14 06:41 02:43 01:22 02:36
2012 10:08 02:50 01:27 05:38 9 07:10 02:46 01:23 03:02
2013 12:57 01:42 02:23 08:05 9 07:54 02:44 01:30 03:40
2014 12:29 04:04 -01:46 10:03 15 of 17 08:24 02:53 01:09 04:23
2015 -00:46 03:35 -01:44 -02:29 18 of 24 07:29 02:57 00:51 03:42
2016 -00:50 02:23 -01:02 -01:23 23 of 29 06:44 02:49 00:41 03:14
2017 08:36 01:16 03:52 03:37 14 of 15 06:53 02:41 00:57 03:16
2018 08:58 03:14 04:37 01:16 17 of 21 07:03 02:43 01:13 03:07
2019 02:02 04:23 -01:47 00:13 17 of 18 06:41 02:46 01:01 02:55
2022 -02:07 -02:12 01:43 -01:05 15 06:06 02:25 01:03 02:39

Kona slots and Prize Money

IM Australia has 2m+2f Pro Kona slot(s). It has a total prize purse of 75.000 US$, paying 10 deep.

Male Race Participants

The strength of the field is 9% of a typical Kona field.

# Bib Name Nat Expected Rating ESwim EBike ET2 ERun Consistency
1 2 Steven McKenna (KQ) AUS 08:08:45 08:20:39 00:45:53 04:33:01 05:23:54 02:44:51 38% +47% -15% (4)
2 4 Nick Kastelein AUS 08:10:02 08:26:17 00:45:48 04:32:50 05:23:38 02:46:24 17% +30% -54% (9)
3 1 Tim Van Berkel AUS 08:11:57 08:27:14 00:47:28 04:34:16 05:26:43 02:45:14 68% +1% -31% (35)
4 5 Matt Burton AUS 08:13:58 08:32:53 00:49:32 04:26:11 05:20:43 02:53:15 13% +22% -65% (21)
5 3 Sam Appleton AUS 08:19:55 08:25:44 00:44:50 04:28:38 05:18:27 03:01:28 52% +0% -48% (3)
6 6 Mitchell Kibby AUS 08:20:31 08:43:09 00:47:36 04:38:10 05:30:45 02:49:46 13% +63% -24% (5)
7 8 Kaito Tohara JPN 08:29:57 08:39:18 00:52:24 04:44:19 05:41:43 02:48:14 59% +32% -9% (17)
8 7 Cameron Brown NZL 08:39:29 08:46:28 00:52:05 04:43:24 05:40:28 02:59:01 68% +1% -31% (61)
9 16 Matt Lewis AUS 08:44:25 09:03:47 00:51:16 04:44:38 05:40:54 03:03:31 n/a (1 IM Pro race)
10 12 Liam Duval AUS 08:48:38 09:08:08 00:56:54 04:41:02 05:42:57 03:05:41 n/a (1 IM Pro race)
11 9 Brodie Gardner AUS 09:03:05 09:09:14 00:52:35 05:01:08 05:58:43 03:04:22 47% +27% -26% (4)
  10 Tuan Chun Chang TWN n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  11 Nathan Dortmann FRA n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  14 Scott Harpham NZL n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (1 IM Pro race)
  15 Benjamin Hill AUS n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  17 Tyla Windham AUS n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)

Female Race Participants

The strength of the field is 5% of a typical Kona field.

# Bib Name Nat Expected Rating ESwim EBike ET2 ERun Consistency
1 21 Kylie Simpson AUS 09:08:34 09:18:27 01:09:25 04:58:37 06:13:03 02:55:31 81% +19% -0% (7)
2 22 Radka Kahlefeldt CZE 09:14:49 09:29:36 00:51:25 05:07:19 06:03:44 03:11:05 88% +0% -12% (3)
3 23 Chloe Lane (KQ) AUS 09:23:01 09:38:31 00:52:43 05:11:49 06:09:32 03:13:29 30% +41% -29% (6)
4 24 Meredith Hill AUS 09:25:05 09:35:25 00:55:42 05:10:57 06:11:39 03:13:26 100% +0% -0% (4)
5 26 Fiona Moriarty IRL 09:47:05 10:02:11 01:00:40 05:16:33 06:22:14 03:24:51 56% +19% -25% (8)
6 27 Shannon Sutton AUS 09:56:14 10:21:30 01:02:09 05:25:55 06:33:04 03:23:10 10% +90% -0% (5)
7 25 Sarah Thomas AUS 10:09:34 10:21:56 01:03:59 05:41:22 06:50:21 03:19:13 77% +0% -23% (5)
8 29 Chino Iwabuchi JPN 10:32:59 10:56:20 01:05:27 05:51:22 07:01:49 03:31:10 n/a (1 IM Pro race)
  28 Kate Gillespie-Jones AUS n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)

Winning Odds

Male Race Participants

  • Tim Van Berkel: 32% (2-1)
  • Steven McKenna: 22% (4-1)
  • Nick Kastelein: 21% (4-1)
  • Matt Burton: 9% (10-1)
  • Mitchell Kibby: 7% (14-1)
  • Sam Appleton: 5% (20-1)
  • Kaito Tohara: 3% (34-1)

Female Race Participants

  • Kylie Simpson: 43% (1-1)
  • Radka Kahlefeldt: 28% (3-1)
  • Chloe Lane: 19% (4-1)
  • Meredith Hill: 9% (10-1)

70.3 Oceanside 2023 – Analyzing Results

2023 703OceansideMale Race Results

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time Diff to exp. Prize Money
1 Leo Bergere FRA 00:22:09 (1) 02:08:16 (4) 01:10:33 (3) 03:45:25 -07:56 US$ 7,500
2 Jason West USA 00:22:43 (6) 02:11:03 (6) 01:07:40 (1) 03:45:37 -06:19 US$ 5,000
3 Jackson Laundry CAN 00:23:46 (22) 02:06:58 (2) 01:12:37 (7) 03:47:38 -04:05 US$ 3,750
4 Ben Kanute USA 00:22:38 (2) 02:09:46 (5) 01:12:59 (8) 03:49:37 -01:34 US$ 3,000
5 George Goodwin GBR 00:23:21 (12) 02:07:17 (3) 01:15:26 (14) 03:50:34 -08:29 US$ 2,000
6 Matthew McElroy USA 00:22:41 (3) 02:13:32 (9) 01:11:22 (5) 03:50:53 -01:20 US$ 1,500
7 Sam Long USA 00:24:37 (28) 02:06:14 (1) 01:17:33 (22) 03:52:18 05:11 US$ 1,250
8 Tomas Rodriguez MEX 00:22:46 (8) 02:17:03 (20) 01:10:05 (2) 03:54:54 -03:24 US$ 1,000
9 Trevor Foley USA 00:27:34 (49) 02:12:33 (8) 01:11:02 (4) 03:55:52 04:24  
10 Eric Lagerstrom USA 00:22:43 (6) 02:16:00 (16) 01:14:44 (12) 03:58:04 03:51  
11 Andre Lopes BRA 00:23:49 (24) 02:15:59 (15) 01:14:33 (11) 03:59:14 -00:30  
12 Simon Viain FRA 00:23:12 (9) 02:15:16 (13) 01:16:57 (19) 04:00:18 01:23  
13 Andy Potts USA 00:23:33 (17) 02:15:00 (10) 01:16:57 (19) 04:00:34 05:50  
14 Benjamin Deal USA 00:24:09 (26) 02:18:21 (24) 01:13:08 (9) 04:00:58 -03:55  
15 Travis Wood USA 00:26:08 (36) 02:15:40 (14) 01:15:37 (15) 04:02:20 -11:19  
16 Andy Krueger USA 00:24:42 (30) 02:17:33 (22) 01:15:37 (15) 04:02:25 -17:26  
17 Matthew Schafer USA 00:22:41 (3) 02:17:15 (21) 01:18:34 (27) 04:03:55 -00:41  
18 Kevin Portmann FRA 00:26:33 (39) 02:15:13 (12) 01:17:28 (21) 04:04:20 -01:16  
19 Brennen Smith CAN 00:22:41 (3) 02:20:40 (31) 01:16:09 (17) 04:04:24 -04:14  
20 Eduardo Perez Sandi Garcia MEX 00:26:46 (48) 02:21:54 (36) 01:12:23 (6) 04:05:58 -00:16  
21 Ivan Tutukin KAZ 00:24:34 (27) 02:18:56 (25) 01:18:13 (26) 04:06:18 05:38  
22 Justin Riele USA 00:23:25 (15) 02:11:38 (7) 01:26:53 (44) 04:06:46 09:57  
23 Marty Andrie USA 00:24:37 (28) 02:18:57 (26) 01:17:35 (23) 04:07:01 04:08  
24 Tripp Hipple USA 00:26:19 (38) 02:15:08 (11) 01:20:21 (34) 04:07:20 01:15  
25 Ted Treise USA 00:26:36 (40) 02:16:31 (18) 01:19:30 (31) 04:07:32 -01:54  
26 Lukas Siska SVK 00:23:25 (15) 02:19:39 (30) 01:19:35 (32) 04:07:50 -09:14  
27 Isaac Diaz USA 00:24:03 (25) 02:24:19 (42) 01:15:06 (13) 04:08:40 n/a  
28 Yegor Martyneko UKR 00:23:42 (20) 02:25:48 (45) 01:13:28 (10) 04:08:55 -07:31  
29 Miguel Mattox USA 00:23:15 (10) 02:18:17 (23) 01:21:34 (39) 04:08:59 n/a  
30 Kevin Bishop USA 00:26:07 (35) 02:22:03 (37) 01:17:35 (23) 04:11:05 -17:42  
31 Nicholas Scott CAN 00:28:14 (50) 02:21:17 (32) 01:16:28 (18) 04:11:19 n/a  
32 Marek Bialkowski CAN 00:26:42 (44) 02:21:39 (34) 01:18:39 (28) 04:12:03 -04:14  
33 Evan Price USA 00:28:15 (52) 02:21:45 (35) 01:18:49 (29) 04:13:47 -00:45  
34 Benjamin Ford USA 00:23:48 (23) 02:19:24 (28) 01:24:46 (42) 04:14:11 -07:29  
35 Timothy Winslow USA 00:25:40 (33) 02:19:29 (29) 01:23:28 (41) 04:14:24 -10:17  
36 Nick Cosman CAN 00:26:39 (42) 02:21:36 (33) 01:21:07 (36) 04:15:14 -02:24  
37 Malachi Henry USA 00:26:45 (45) 02:24:18 (41) 01:19:46 (33) 04:16:45 03:52  
38 Christopher Hammer USA 00:28:16 (53) 02:22:23 (38) 01:20:21 (34) 04:17:22 01:08  
39 Ben Stern USA 00:26:36 (40) 02:24:37 (43) 01:21:23 (38) 04:19:39 n/a  
40 James Lubinski USA 00:29:08 (54) 02:27:14 (47) 01:18:12 (25) 04:20:11 -14:55  
41 Klodian Mitri USA 00:29:09 (55) 02:31:24 (50) 01:21:08 (37) 04:27:24 08:15  
42 Loren Nelson CAN 00:23:44 (21) 02:26:05 (46) 01:32:55 (46) 04:28:21 03:31  
43 Scott Haeberle USA 00:26:10 (37) 02:31:24 (50) 01:26:41 (43) 04:30:12 -05:05  
44 Fielding Fischer USA 00:23:35 (18) 02:30:32 (49) 01:32:22 (45) 04:31:36 n/a  
45 Conor Bollinger USA 00:26:45 (45) 02:24:14 (40) 01:33:36 (48) 04:32:08 16:40  
46 Tom Hutchison USA 00:25:55 (34) 02:34:34 (52) 01:22:48 (40) 04:32:52 n/a  
47 James Hayes USA 00:24:44 (32) 02:29:52 (48) 01:34:52 (49) 04:37:35 05:23  
48 Steven Parker USA 00:28:14 (50) 02:49:38 (55) 01:18:56 (30) 04:43:43 17:12  
49 Branden Scheel USA 00:31:14 (56) 02:46:33 (54) 01:33:32 (47) 04:57:09 33:32  
  Luciano Taccone ARG 00:23:41 (19) 02:17:01 (19)   DNF    
  Jackson Konkin CAN 00:23:19 (11) 02:19:22 (27)   DNF    
  Patrick Brady USA 00:26:45 (45) 02:16:20 (17)   DNF    
  Jan Stepinski USA 00:23:22 (13) 02:22:29 (39)   DNF    
  Fraser Walsh AUS 00:24:42 (30) 02:25:11 (44)   DNF    
  Vinicius Canhedo BRA 00:26:41 (43) 02:35:17 (53)   DNF    
  Miki Moerck Taagholt DEN 00:23:24 (14)     DNF    

Female Race Results

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time Diff to exp. Prize Money
1 Tamara Jewett CAN 00:25:44 (3) 02:24:37 (4) 01:12:59 (1) 04:08:09 -11:02 US$ 7,500
2 Chelsea Sodaro USA 00:25:44 (3) 02:23:36 (3) 01:15:20 (2) 04:09:31 -07:43 US$ 5,000
3 Katrina Matthews GBR 00:25:43 (2) 02:23:09 (1) 01:18:33 (3) 04:12:27 -03:17 US$ 3,750
4 Holly Lawrence GBR 00:24:14 (1) 02:25:08 (5) 01:22:38 (6) 04:16:31 02:41 US$ 3,000
5 Paula Findlay CAN 00:25:44 (3) 02:23:16 (2) 01:27:49 (12) 04:21:51 09:59 US$ 2,000
6 Danielle Lewis USA 00:28:53 (14) 02:30:02 (6) 01:19:50 (4) 04:24:15 -01:18 US$ 1,500
7 Maja Stage Nielsen DEN 00:27:01 (7) 02:30:12 (7) 01:22:18 (5) 04:25:27 -04:09 US$ 1,250
8 Annamarie Strehlow USA 00:28:51 (11) 02:34:02 (8) 01:24:04 (7) 04:31:59 n/a US$ 1,000
9 Olivia Mitchell GBR 00:26:59 (6) 02:36:29 (10) 01:24:35 (8) 04:32:54 -03:56  
10 Nicole Falcaro USA 00:29:17 (18) 02:40:30 (11) 01:26:38 (10) 04:42:55 05:28  
11 Danielle Treise USA 00:28:52 (13) 02:43:48 (14) 01:26:43 (11) 04:45:45 -00:01  
12 Kayla Bowker USA 00:31:11 (19) 02:42:51 (13) 01:25:57 (9) 04:46:55 04:11  
13 Elizabeth Heinbach USA 00:27:06 (8) 02:44:48 (15) 01:32:57 (14) 04:51:20 10:49  
14 Alexandra Watt USA 00:28:58 (15) 02:50:52 (19) 01:27:55 (13) 04:55:01 06:57  
15 Caroline Shannon USA 00:28:48 (10) 02:41:55 (12) 01:40:24 (17) 04:56:35 -00:30  
16 Ashley Dellosa USA 00:28:51 (11) 02:45:52 (16) 01:37:16 (16) 04:59:30 n/a  
17 Olivia Dietzel USA 00:33:53 (20) 02:50:24 (18) 01:33:38 (15) 05:08:00 n/a  
18 Carolyn Carter USA 00:29:04 (16) 02:49:30 (17) 01:44:56 (18) 05:11:11 -22:03  
  Sophie Watts USA 00:27:32 (9) 02:34:20 (9)   DNF    
  Katie Colville USA 00:29:11 (17)     DNF    
  Veronique Ranger CAN 00:34:09 (21)     DNF    

Ironman Texas 2023 (April 22nd) – Seedings

2023 IM TexasPrevious Winners

Year Male Winner Time Female Winner Time
2011 Eneko Llanos (ESP) 08:08:20 Catriona Morrison (GBR) 08:57:51
2012 Jordan Rapp (USA) 08:10:44 Mary Beth Ellis (USA) 08:54:58
2013 Paul Amey (GBR) 08:25:06 Rachel Joyce (GBR) 08:49:14
2014 Bevan Docherty (NZL) 08:09:37 Kelly Williamson (USA) 08:54:42
2015 Matt Hanson (USA) 08:07:03 Angela Naeth (CAN) 08:55:19
2016 Patrick Lange (GER) 07:13:13 Julia Gajer (GER) 08:11:01
2017 Matt Hanson (USA) 07:52:44 Jodie Robertson (USA) 08:56:32
2018 Matt Hanson (USA) 07:39:25 Melissa Hauschildt (AUS) 08:31:05
2019 Patrik Nilsson (SWE) 07:50:55 Daniela Ryf (SUI) 08:37:48
2022 Ben Hoffman (USA) 07:57:58 Jocelyn McCauley (USA) 08:58:13

Last Race’s TOP 3

Male Race Results

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time
1 Ben Hoffman USA 00:52:33 04:19:45 02:40:19 07:57:58
2 Magnus Elbaek Ditlev DEN 00:52:39 04:20:22 02:40:56 07:58:11
3 Jesper Svensson SWE 00:50:28 04:22:45 02:51:37 08:08:53

Female Race Results

Rank Name Nation Swim Bike Run Time
1 Jocelyn McCauley USA 00:56:07 04:43:03 03:13:50 08:58:13
2 Lauren Brandon USA 00:50:31 04:55:18 03:19:30 09:10:42
3 Joanna Ryter SUI 01:05:16 05:00:57 03:02:52 09:13:23

Course Records

Leg Gender Record Athlete Date
Total overall 07:50:55 Patrik Nilsson 2019-04-27
Swim overall 00:46:20 John Flanagan 2011-05-21
Bike overall 04:01:14 Andrew Starykowicz 2017-04-22
Run overall 02:40:19 Ben Hoffman 2022-04-23
Total female 08:37:48 Daniela Ryf 2019-04-27
Swim female 00:48:52 Lauren Brandon 2017-04-22
Bike female 04:36:39 Kimberley Morrison 2019-04-27
Run female 02:51:46 Caitlin Snow 2012-05-19

Course Rating

The Course Rating for IM Texas is 12:08.

Race Adjustments for IM Texas

Year Adjustment Swim Adj. Bike Adj. Run Adj. # of Finishers Rating Swim Rating Bike Rating Run Rating
2011 11:41 -02:10 17:43 -03:37 41 11:41 -02:25 17:43 -03:37
2012 14:01 -00:50 13:04 02:13 27 12:51 -01:50 15:24 -00:42
2013 07:02 -01:10 11:26 -02:12 30 of 46 10:55 -01:58 14:05 -01:12
2014 17:00 01:01 14:38 01:55 44 of 55 12:26 -01:21 14:13 -00:25
2015 09:29 -01:19 17:12 -05:58 33 of 52 11:50 -01:26 14:49 -01:32
2017 18:46 -00:40 17:56 02:25 42 of 56 13:00 -01:27 15:20 -00:53
2018 30:35 -01:00 31:35 00:51 54 of 62 15:30 -01:31 17:39 -00:38
2019 12:30 -01:24 14:46 00:21 36 of 44 15:08 -01:39 17:18 -00:31
2022 06:38 -02:30 10:33 -01:00 48 of 66 12:08 -01:47 14:40 -00:44

Kona slots and Prize Money

IM Texas has 5m+5f Pro Kona slot(s). It has a total prize purse of 175.000 US$, paying 10 deep.

Male Race Participants

The strength of the field is 19% of a typical Kona field.

# Bib Name Nat Expected Rating ESwim EBike ET2 ERun Consistency
1 31 Joe Skipper (KQ) GBR 07:52:09 08:04:26 00:52:46 04:10:24 05:08:09 02:44:00 82% +1% -17% (36)
2 30 Matt Hanson (KQ) USA 07:56:17 08:09:15 00:52:13 04:16:25 05:13:38 02:42:39 84% +6% -10% (22)
3 33 Chris Leiferman USA 08:00:46 08:16:46 00:53:04 04:12:56 05:11:01 02:49:45 63% +0% -37% (9)
4 38 Fernando Toldi BRA 08:01:18 08:18:06 00:49:30 04:15:52 05:10:22 02:50:56 62% +38% -0% (3)
5 35 Robert Wilkowiecki POL 08:02:57 08:22:51 00:48:17 04:18:41 05:11:59 02:50:58 5% +37% -58% (6)
6 34 Rudy Von Berg USA 08:03:05 08:12:00 00:49:53 04:10:38 05:05:31 02:57:34 100% +0% -0% (3)
7 43 Ivan Tutukin KAZ 08:03:35 08:17:40 00:50:13 04:23:57 05:19:10 02:44:25 52% +0% -48% (11)
8 40 Bart Aernouts BEL 08:06:01 08:17:39 00:55:22 04:16:45 05:17:07 02:48:54 62% +3% -35% (21)
9 32 Cody Beals CAN 08:07:08 08:18:36 00:51:47 04:22:23 05:19:10 02:47:58 80% +0% -20% (11)
10 36 Michael Weiss AUT 08:07:21 08:24:38 00:55:20 04:14:27 05:14:47 02:52:34 62% +10% -28% (39)
11 51 Stenn Goetstouwers BEL 08:10:44 08:41:32 00:49:39 04:19:31 05:14:10 02:56:34 19% +25% -56% (8)
12 44 David Plese SLO 08:11:01 08:24:45 00:52:40 04:19:49 05:17:30 02:53:31 77% +1% -23% (40)
13 37 Trevor Foley USA 08:13:58 08:44:32 00:56:54 04:22:18 05:24:12 02:49:46 48% +0% -52% (2)
14 42 Matthew Russell USA 08:15:33 08:27:47 00:56:32 04:16:48 05:18:21 02:57:12 80% +7% -14% (63)
15 39 Arnaud Guilloux FRA 08:16:31 08:32:09 00:50:36 04:16:40 05:12:16 03:04:15 47% +29% -24% (10)
16 63 Alessandro Degasperi ITA 08:17:02 08:26:19 00:51:21 04:31:18 05:27:39 02:49:23 47% +0% -53% (24)
17 45 Kennett Peterson USA 08:19:36 08:51:13 00:54:30 04:09:32 05:09:01 03:10:35 11% +0% -89% (6)
18 49 Andrew Horsfall-Turner GBR 08:23:38 08:43:26 00:47:28 04:20:26 05:12:54 03:10:44 70% +0% -30% (3)
19 41 Adam Feigh USA 08:24:52 08:36:09 00:53:55 04:24:25 05:23:21 03:01:31 87% +10% -3% (14)
20 57 Marcus Herbst GER 08:26:33 08:49:38 00:51:58 04:20:27 05:17:25 03:09:08 56% +0% -44% (4)
21 67 Thomas Davis * GBR 08:27:50 08:43:44 00:48:52 04:34:18 05:28:11 02:59:39 59% +0% -41% (7)
22 46 Fraser Walsh AUS 08:28:25 08:49:06 00:51:41 04:34:32 05:31:13 02:57:12 51% +28% -21% (6)
23 58 Guillaume Doree FRA 08:39:27 09:04:47 00:51:10 04:44:12 05:40:21 02:59:06 n/a (1 IM Pro race)
24 55 Michael Raelert GER 08:40:55 08:55:49 00:47:57 04:38:13 05:31:09 03:09:46 45% +0% -55% (6)
25 68 Karl-Johan Danielsson SWE 08:43:38 08:59:56 00:53:42 04:26:48 05:25:31 03:18:07 66% +7% -27% (25)
26 60 Balazs Csoke HUN 08:44:53 09:04:44 00:49:52 04:39:38 05:34:30 03:10:23 46% +11% -42% (40)
27 64 Adam Hansen AUS 08:49:59 09:05:23 00:58:35 04:19:02 05:22:36 03:27:23 60% +0% -40% (5)
28 66 Elliot Bach USA 08:55:48 09:18:29 00:51:41 04:29:41 05:26:22 03:29:26 24% +25% -51% (7)
29 59 Sven Wies GER 08:59:07 09:25:25 00:51:45 04:49:54 05:46:39 03:12:28 53% +0% -47% (2)
30 48 Vinicius Canhedo BRA 09:04:38 09:39:19 00:54:50 04:38:48 05:38:38 03:26:00 3% +12% -86% (9)
31 62 Simon Shi USA 09:12:22 09:41:26 00:49:42 04:47:58 05:42:40 03:29:42 100% +0% -0% (2)
32 65 Aaron Kolk USA 09:23:50 09:53:32 01:06:42 04:46:13 05:57:56 03:25:54 15% +23% -62% (4)
  47 Yang Pan USA n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  50 Josh Eaton USA n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  52 Jan Stepinski USA n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  53 Lars Schmidt DEN n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  54 Jeremie Martin CAN n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  56 Emmanuel Lejeune BEL n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  61 Matthew Marquardt USA n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)

Note: Athletes with a ‘*’ are also registered for another race within 8 days.

Female Race Participants

The strength of the field is 11% of a typical Kona field.

# Bib Name Nat Expected Rating ESwim EBike ET2 ERun Consistency
1 4 Katrina Matthews GBR 08:44:52 08:57:20 00:57:27 04:41:39 05:44:06 03:00:46 100% +0% -0% (5)
2 1 Jocelyn McCauley USA 08:54:06 09:20:32 00:55:04 04:40:19 05:40:24 03:13:42 35% +8% -56% (22)
3 8 Maja Stage Nielsen DEN 09:01:50 09:13:55 00:58:09 04:47:48 05:50:56 03:10:54 80% +0% -20% (13)
4 10 Jodie Robertson USA 09:08:54 09:23:46 01:03:00 04:53:01 06:01:00 03:07:54 67% +2% -31% (12)
5 2 Lauren Brandon USA 09:10:44 09:35:07 00:49:40 04:50:52 05:45:32 03:25:12 31% +26% -44% (17)
6 13 Lottie Lucas UAE 09:11:28 09:38:22 00:55:07 04:50:43 05:50:50 03:20:38 n/a (1 IM Pro race)
7 5 Jen Annett CAN 09:14:00 09:28:42 01:03:41 04:49:12 05:57:53 03:16:07 93% +4% -3% (21)
8 3 Joanna Ryter SUI 09:14:20 09:33:16 01:05:47 05:00:16 06:11:03 03:03:17 62% +8% -30% (10)
9 6 Danielle Lewis USA 09:21:00 09:51:02 01:02:29 04:55:52 06:03:21 03:17:39 43% +57% -0% (2)
10 11 Melanie McQuaid CAN 09:22:48 09:42:01 00:58:25 04:54:05 05:57:30 03:25:18 54% +17% -29% (14)
11 26 Alice Alberts USA 09:22:56 10:07:24 01:03:18 04:52:48 06:01:06 03:21:50 46% +54% -0% (2)
12 7 Katharina Grohmann GER 09:24:06 09:42:30 01:09:34 04:50:49 06:05:23 03:18:43 66% +8% -26% (24)
13 9 Jessica Smith USA 09:24:52 09:46:22 00:59:02 04:59:17 06:03:19 03:21:33 36% +61% -4% (12)
14 16 Angela Naeth CAN 09:26:16 09:52:13 01:02:52 04:52:02 05:59:55 03:26:21 44% +6% -50% (25)
15 17 Dede Griesbauer USA 09:31:19 09:45:08 00:57:25 04:46:16 05:48:41 03:42:38 66% +1% -33% (36)
16 12 Palmira Alvarez MEX 09:36:18 10:15:30 01:08:28 04:58:05 06:11:32 03:24:46 32% +22% -46% (17)
17 22 Lenny Ramsey NED 09:36:26 09:56:11 01:10:53 05:07:04 06:22:57 03:13:29 58% +3% -40% (14)
18 25 Kayla Bowker USA 09:47:44 10:16:24 01:06:46 05:10:43 06:22:30 03:25:14 n/a (1 IM Pro race)
19 27 Jenny Nilsson SWE 09:54:44 10:23:52 01:07:21 05:13:19 06:25:39 03:29:05 37% +63% -0% (3)
20 21 Amber Ferreira USA 09:59:52 10:34:58 00:59:57 05:11:06 06:16:03 03:43:49 11% +4% -86% (20)
21 15 Melanie Baumann SUI 10:03:43 10:28:27 01:20:28 05:10:53 06:36:21 03:27:22 12% +29% -58% (10)
22 18 Sarah Karpinski USA 10:07:28 10:38:54 01:11:54 05:24:22 06:41:16 03:26:12 53% +15% -32% (10)
23 24 Clarice Chastang USA 10:09:24 10:37:35 01:12:45 05:23:29 06:41:14 03:28:10 50% +0% -50% (4)
24 20 Gabrielle Suver USA 10:14:43 10:44:42 01:18:18 05:22:59 06:46:17 03:28:26 n/a (1 IM Pro race)
  14 Olivia Dietzel USA n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  19 Joanna Patterson IRL n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  23 Holly Smith USA n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)
  28 Katie Colville USA n/a unrated unrated unrated unrated unrated n/a (no IM Pro race)

Winning Odds

Male Race Participants

  • Joe Skipper: 52% (1-1)
  • Matt Hanson: 29% (2-1)
  • Robert Wilkowiecki: 5% (18-1)
  • Fernando Toldi: 4% (22-1)
  • Michael Weiss: 3% (32-1)
  • Chris Leiferman: 2% (46-1)
  • Ivan Tutukin: 2% (57-1)

Female Race Participants

  • Katrina Matthews: 59% (1-1)
  • Jocelyn McCauley: 22% (4-1)
  • Maja Stage Nielsen: 12% (7-1)
  • Lauren Brandon: 2% (46-1)
  • Danielle Lewis: 2% (57-1)

A New Gold Standard

The following post is an article written by Simon Mueller, originally in German for the leading German triathlon magazine “triathlon” (website tri-mag.de, German-language readers can also subscribe to print and digital version of the magazine). Many thanks to Simon and the triathlon publishers for letting me post this English version.


It was a year of records: 2022 saw an impressive performance leap on the long distance, both at the very top and across the field. We look at what performance, skills and requirements are necessary to have a chance for a podium in today’s big long-distance races.

TEXT > SIMON MUELLER

On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister made sports history. On the track in Oxford, the Englishman was the first human to break the four-minute barrier for the mile, something that had previously been considered impossible. But Bannister’s world record of 3:59.4 minutes was short-lived. His fierce competitor John Landy ran a fantastic time of 3:58.0 minutes on June 21st. Shortly after, numerous other athletes entered the list of “Sub-4-Miler”. This is still the most obvious example of a shift in mental boundaries that resulted in an immediate performance leap in the entire sport. There have been countless other examples of athletes who made certain achievements tangible for the first time and thus significantly accelerated development. In 2022, triathlon might have reached such a point.

A Season of Superlatives

The past year had numerous results that show a rapid development in long-distance triathlon, both at the very top and across the field: Gustav Iden’s new Hawaii course record of 7:40:24, his run record of 2:36:11, Sam Laidlow’s bike record of 4:04:36 and Patrick Lange’s 2:30:32 marathon in his victory at Ironman Israel are a few examples of athletes reaching a completely new level. The most obvious case for a massive performance jump across the board: The first ten men in Hawaii finished under eight hours.

For triathlon, one has to ask how much of these improvements are a result of a higher performance (i.e. physiological improvements) and how much impact tactical considerations, external conditions and better equipment have. It is clear that an athlete has to master all these factors to make it onto the podium at the biggest races.

Higher Running Level and Changed Race Dynamics

Ironman Israel once again showed that it’s ever more difficult to win a long distance race even outside of the World Championships. Daniel Bækkegård had an exceptionally strong race, was six and a half minutes ahead of the chase group in T2, ran the following marathon in 2:37:40 – and was still caught by Patrick Lange in the end. There was speculation of a 2:30 marathon for many years. With his run split of 2:30:32, Patrick Lange was the first to achieve this spectacular feat. He surpassed the previous best times of Matt Hanson (2:34:39, Texas 2018) and Gustav Iden (2:34:50, Florida 2021) by several minutes. Will his marathon open the door for similar times in this year’s races? “I think I made a 2:40 marathon plausible back then. Nowadays you hardly win a big long-distance race if you don’t run in this region,” says Lange. (Full interview at the end.)

Running is now more important than ever. This is not only Lange’s perception but is also reflected in the data. Thorsten Radde from TriRating evaluated Hawaii results from 2005 to 2022. The following chart shows the average marathon times of the Top 5 overall finishers and Top 5 runners at each year’s Ironman Hawaii.

MarathonKonaMen

The average times started to become faster since 2015 – a development that is still continuing. You can also see that the lines are getting closer from year to year. The closer the lines are together, the more the top athletes have to be among the fastest runners to finish at the front. To put it the other way around: Where the lines are further apart, strong cyclists or swim-bikers had a better chance of finishing in the top five, even if they lost several minutes to the best runners in the marathon.

With the increased running level, this has become rare also due to the changed racing dynamics and the higher depth in the field. “Swimming has become much more important. Anyone who misses the top group in the water has almost no chance of winning,” says Björn Geesmann, coach of Patrick Lange and Katrina Matthews. He adds: “To have someone so strong on the bike to be able to make up several minutes and then still have a chance in the marathon – these days are over. The overall level at the top is too high for that. The only exception at the moment might be Magnus Ditlev.”

Last year, the top four in Hawaii came from the top group in swimming. Joe Skipper and Sebastian Kienle finished in fifth and sixth place, they were the first athletes from the chase group in the water. In past years, they or Cam Wurf were able to get to the front of the race. This year, they didn’t manage to get to the front of the race or the chase group behind Sam Laidlow on the bike. This fact underscores how crucial it has become to be at the front of the swim. And even if you can do that, in the end you also need the running ability already mentioned in the marathon to actually have a chance for the podium. Swimming and riding at the top is no guarantee for a top result. However, if you’re not at the front from the start, you’re no longer in the game. Interesting: The TriRating data does not show a similar development for the women – or maybe not yet.

Continuing Improvement in Marathon Times

Outside of Hawaii, marathon times for the men are also steadily improving. Thorsten Radde’s evaluations in the next graph show the distribution of the ten fastest marathon times in the respective years:

Top10MarathonMen

The 2020 outlier is not representative of the development because of fewer races during the corona pandemic. Leaving that year aside, it can be seen that both the fastest times and the average times have been improving steadily in recent times. The big leap last year is particularly noteworthy. The average of the ten fastest times was just over 2:36.

For the middle distance, on the other hand, the running times at the top have not changed for several years. Jan Frodeno’s half marathon in 1:06:34 at the 2018 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in South Africa is still the fastest run time to date on the middle distance and leaves little room for improvement. However, similar times have become more common, mainly due to short-distance athletes moving to longer distances. Examples include the half marathon splits by Kristian Blummenfelt (1:06:58) and Gustav Iden (1:07:13) in Bahrain 2018, Pierre Le Corre (1:07:08, 70.3 Les Sables 2022), Marten Van Riel (1:07:56, 70.3 Dubai 2022) and Jelle Geens (1:08:18, 70.3 Indian Wells 2021). Comparing different courses and conditions can be slippery, but a development in terms of performance density can also be seen here. Looking at result lists, victory in a strong middle distance is currently hardly possible without a half marathon time of at least 1:10 to 1:11 hours.

Impressive Top Rather Than Depth for the Women

The top 10 marathon times for women, on the other hand, have been at a similar level since 2010 and mostly fluctuate between 2:54 and 2:58 hours. In recent years there have been a few exceptional individual performances such as Laura Philipp’s 2:44 and 2:45 marathons in Klagenfurt and Hamburg as well as Anne Haug’s 2:46 in Roth or Katrina Matthews’ 2:49 in Tulsa. In terms of overall times, one athlete was way ahead of her time: Chrissie Wellington set a world best of 8:18:13 in 2011 which still stands today. In addition, the Briton also holds the third fastest long-distance time of 8:19:13. In between there is Laura Philipp, her 8:18:20 at Ironman Hamburg 2022 indicated that there could be a similar development for women in the next few years. Daniela Ryf’s long-term dominance is a good example of the fact that the depth among the top women was not yet at a comparable level to that of men. But the results of the past two years have shown that Daniela Ryf is no longer a step above everyone else on the long distance.

4 Watts per kg for 180 Kilometers

In addition to the ability to reach the first swimming group and to achieve one of the fastest run times in the end, the necessary requirements are quite explicit: “In the long distance, the men have to be able to pedal four to 4.2 watts per kilogram of body weight over the 180 kilometers,” estimates Björn Geesmann. Sam Laidlow averaged 311 watts during his bike course record in Hawaii. The old mark was set by Cameron Wurf in 2018 with a power of 296 watts. As a comparison: Lionel Sanders produced 308 watts at Ironman Hawaii 2017. Aerodynamics plays a crucial role here. Björn Geesmann speaks of power in relation to the CdA value, which represents the rider’s air resistance: “Ultimately, it’s about speed. Power to weight is therefore not the decisive factor, especially on flat courses. It is often much more important that you can achieve the highest possible power with the lowest possible CdA value.” In this area, the sport has become much more professional in recent years: “The faster bike times across the field certainly are not a result of higher power but because of improved aerodynamics,” says the coach.
This overall development makes it clear that you have to be a very good athlete in all disciplines if you want to win renowned long- or middle-distance races. Gone are the days when uber-bikers or athletes with a very strong bike-run combination made it to the front in big races after swimming deficits of several minutes. Rather, important preliminary decisions are made while swimming and cycling. For all athletes who are within striking distance at T2, the running times decide the positions at the end. The overall winner often has the best time of the day in the marathon or half marathon. Successful solo breakaway attempts are – at least for the men – only rarely successful. As the races in Israel or Hawaii have already shown, even a lead of several minutes after cycling has to be followed by an exceptionally strong run performance. It’s interesting whether a selective bike course such as the Ironman World Championships in Nice can change this unwritten law.


“2:30 has been on my mind for years”

Patrick Lange won Ironman Israel in November 2022 running on another level. He finished the closing marathon in 2:30:32 (average speed of 3:34 minutes per kilometer or 5:39 minutes per mile), significantly faster than any other long-distance athlete before him. We spoke with the two-time Ironman World Champion about his record run, important circumstances, his run training and performance development in the third discipline.

Patrick, your marathon time of 2:30:32 at Ironman Israel was a performance jump rarely seen in triathlon. Were you surprised as well or did you think that was possible before the race?

There was a session before the race in which I felt the perfect interaction between my race shoe and my running form. It was a 90-minute brick run where I could easily change the pace between 3:15 and 3:30 per kilometer. After that I figured there could be a very fast marathon in Israel if everything comes together there. But very fast for me was more like 2:33 or 2:34 hours at best. I would never have thought that the run could get so much faster than that.

In recent years, the marathon in or under 2:30 hours has repeatedly been put forward by many as the next big goal. Were you sceptical about such statements or did you see the potential for them?

It’s not that we didn’t analyze it carefully beforehand, but I was surprised that I pulled it off in Israel. With my trainer Björn Geesmann and especially with my running coach Wolfgang Schweim, we looked for several years at factors that can make me faster and where the limit might be under optimal circumstances. In these conversations, 2:30 hours were often mentioned, even if only hypothetically. That’s why this time has been in the back of my mind for quite some time, although it was never a specific goal. Regardless, I assumed it was only a matter of time before someone did.

At what point in the race did you realize you could keep up the pace to the end?

That was at kilometers 25 and 26. I ran these two kilometers in about 3:20 minutes, at some point I accelerated to almost 3:00 minutes per kilometer pace for 400 meters to get rid of Gregory Barnaby.

IKT LangeIsrael

(Photo Credit: © Ingo Kutsche)

And that’s my first explanation of how this time came about: No one follows my every step for more than ten kilometers or even a half marathon. I could hear his breathing all the time. As a result, I got a little nervous. Mainly because I didn’t even know him until then. So I called out to Björn during the race to google who that was. When I decided to attack him, Daniel Bækkegård was in the lead and I had to keep the pressure up. After I passed him, the gap increased only slowly and he was just behind me the whole time. That’s why I didn’t look at the clock anymore, I just tried to keep up the pace until the end. I haven’t had this tactically favorable constellation in any other race so far. The fact that I was under pressure for so long from a direct competitor at high speed and at the same time someone was still in front of me certainly meant that I was able to make so much out of it.

Are there other factors that favored this pace?

Yes, nutrition, the dynamics of cycling and my race shoe certainly made a contribution. I managed to eat 90 grams of carbs or more per hour on the bike – the first time in a long distance race. On top of that, it was very even cycling for me. I quickly realized that nobody in the chase group really wanted to take the lead. I accepted that and rode at the front for most of the time. As a result, I was able to stay within my power range for the entire distance, to put out my 260 watts fairly constantly and didn’t have any peaks. Thanks to this combination, at the start of the marathon I was probably in a better position energetically than ever before.

You have already mentioned changing your race shoe.

I ran the “Prime X” from Adidas, I hadn’t worn that model for a long distance before. It was the last chance because the shoe is banned from this season due to the new competition regulations. We tested various running shoes under laboratory conditions and found that the Prime X was the best and most efficient. Compared to my usual race shoe, the difference is only minimal. Because of the run course in Israel I decided to wear it there. In retrospect, of course, one cannot say exactly how big the influence actually was. If you consider that as an additional plus point, it will be missing in the future at first.

All of this doesn’t sound like you’ve been in significantly better run shape. What was your running training like in preparation and where were you compared to previous years?

Sure, I was in great shape, but we weren’t able to determine a significant performance improvement based on the training data beforehand – probably my previous level was too good for that. Many of the sessions appear again and again in every preparation and were absolutely comparable. I’m not one to run incredibly high volume in training. In active weeks I ran about 75 to 85 kilometers. There are also no monster sessions in my training. For me, consistency is the key to success.

Immediately after switching to long-distance in 2016, you ran very fast and with a time of 2:39:45 broke the run course record in your Hawaii debut. Back then you were coached by Faris Al-Sultan. How does your current run training differ from the approach back then?

The training with Björn Geesmann is considerably more specific. Back then, I ran practically all my long-distance runs faster than four minutes per kilometer and there were always really tough interval sessions, where I ran 1,000-meter intervals in three minutes, for example. I now run the easy sessions more slowly. But three-quarters of the runs have specific programs with the goal to become more economical. In almost every training session, I’m roughly at the target long-distance pace for some of the time, but I hardly ever run high-intensity intervals anymore. I think that explains why, even coming from an already high level in the years before Israel, I improved by several minutes in the marathon.

Do you think that your 2:30:32 could open the door for other athletes to follow suit and for the run times at the top and across the field to noticeably improve in the future?

I think I made a 2:40 marathon plausible back then. Nowadays you hardly win a big long-distance race if you don’t run in this region. But I can imagine that something else is going to happen there. But as long as that’s not the case, I’m happy to use this mental advantage for myself.

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