Race report (of sorts) from IM CDA
U know it’s gonna be a long day when at the first turn buoy on the swim you wonder why the heck you are doing this silly race because you are so cold.
U know it’s gonna be a long day when you exit the first lap of the swim, and head back in for lap two, and you are still thinking “why don’t I just stick to 70.3, I’d be jumping on my bike now”
CDAU know it’s gonna be a long day when you think you see Barrack Obama standing at the side of the ride at mile 30 on the bike. Oh no that’s right it was actually my Manager Franko goof’ing off. It gave me a good chuckle at the time though.
U know it’s gonna be a long day when u realize that you are having way too much fun on the bike, and actually forget you are in a race. That means you probably are riding too hard…and trouble is ahead. I just couldn’t contain myself, the course was awesome.
U know it’s gonna be a long day when you see a fresh tampon in the road half way through the second lap on the bike. Some poor lady obviously thought she was going to be in for a really long day and wanted to be 100% prepared. That was my first tampon sighting in a race. Again put a smile on my face which can’t be a bad thing.
U know it’s gonna be a long day when you find that the snaggle toe already has a little cut on it from the bike. That only means one thing….a bloody running shoe to come. It’s amazing how much a tiny little cut can bleed.
U know it’s gonna be a long day when you start seeing stars at about mile 14 on the run. My initial thought was….this is gonna be a long walk in! How long will 12miles take me to walk. SHIT!
U know it’s gonna be a long day when a chocolate powerbar and latte powergel taste good (I really don’t like chocolate or coffee), and a cookie tastes bad (my favorite). My taste buds were truly out of whack
U know it’s gonna be a long day when you see a gorilla in a tree cheering you on and you don’t do a double take.
And last but no means least
U know it’s gonna be a long day when you think you might have done a tiny little poo in your pants but you are really not sure. (sorry TO..probably TMI again there)
All in all, I’m not going to lie, I am disappointed with my performance yesterday here in Coeur D’alene. The jury is still out as to whether I am cut out to be an Ironman athlete…or at least to achieve my dreams as an Ironman athlete. But as I learnt with pretty much everything else I have done in life, just because you don’t get success immediately doesn’t mean it should stop you from trying. I just have to look back at the 70.3 worlds in Clearwater. I had to go there 3 times and come 4th twice, before I raced how I wanted to. Lets to hoping my 3’rd IM will follow that trend.
Congrats go out to Crowie who put in another awesome performance, and all the other Ironman CDA finishers!
I have to send a big shout out to my sponsors. I know a lot of you groupies out there think us pro’s just do this because you think we get paid, but I really couldn’t do it without them. My shout out of the week goes to Trek – the Speed concept is the beast of all beasts! Unless you come up with a faster bike, I doubt I will ever race on anything but! Not to mention the best bike mechanic, Mark Andrews, from Trek. A huge thanks to all my other sponsors too. I love you all and love that I have in my eyes the support of the best products and companies out there. Kswiss, Tyr, PowerBar, Nuun, Oakley, EFX, Saris, Flatlines, Lazer, Fuelbelt, ISM, Bontrager
Oh and lastly, it is without doubt that I can say, IRONMAN is just SILLY! Until next time…
TOP TEN WOMEN IRONMAN COEUR D'ALENE RESULTS 2011
1. Julie Dibens (GBR)................9:16:40
http://www.juliedibens.com/news.html
.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
IRONMAN COEUR D'ALENE RESULTS 2011
At race start the Ironman Coeur d'Alene results 2011 were pretty much up in the air. How would Craig Alexander do coming off a few early season health problems and how would X-terra champion Julie Dibens do in only her second Ironman?
I have really been looking forward to Ironman CDA 2011. It's always more exciting to build a results page about a course I have actually experienced first hand.
I was in the inaugural and second IM CDA races......2003 and 2004.
2003 was hotter than Hell and in 2004 I crashed just before the end of the first bike loop. However I am glad to say that I finished both races and after a long career in endurance events Ironman CDA 2004 was actually my last Ironman.
I have fond memories of the town, the great people, the course, and the experiences that will stay with me forever.
Just as a refresher before we get into the results of the race, here are the pro men and women who were registered for the race.
ironman-coeur-d-alene-70-3-results-2011
PRO MEN ENTERED IN IM CDA 2011
Maik Tweksiek...........DEU
Tom Evans...............CAN
Craig Alexander.........AUS
Tim Snow................USA
Arland Macasieb.........PHL
Brian Hadley............USA
Scott Tremblay..........CAN
Logan Franks............USA
Cesar Valera............VEN
Adam Jensen.............USA
Blake Becker............USA
Olly Piggin.............NZL
Kyle Pawlaczyk..........USA
Raul Furtado............BRA
Brendan Halpin..........USA
Heath Thurston..........USA
Juan Ramirez............MEX
Billy Edwards...........USA
Lewis Elliot............USA
Matt Shryock............USA
I have put the top three men in the order that I am picking for them to finish and I will give you my reasons for this.
The way I see the race playing out is that Tom Evans will come out of the water first.
Before the end of the first loop you would most likely expect Maik Tweksiek to explode into the lead as he is one of the most awesome Ironman bikers on the planet.
But Tom Evans is no slouch either and he will hold on for longer than one loop before being caught. I kind of think that Tom will handle the colder water a bit better than most. Well, being from Canada he's used to the cold water. That will give him an edge and make him a bit harder to catch.
My guess is that Craig Alexander will not get any closer than third place on race-day and there are a few reasons why I feel this might happen.
In order to make an appearance in Kona 2011 Craig must complete an Ironman. He does not have to win it and I don't think he will be that concerned about winning it.
Also, Craig has not been able to keep up his usual training because of problems through-out the year and he may not be in top shape for this race.
ironman-coeur-d-alene-70-3-results-2011
So I could be way out in left field on this but I believe Maik Tweksiek is going to win IM CDA 2011. He has come very close and this is his year.
Being Canadian I would love to see Tom Evans win, but I think Maik will have the lead coming off the bike and will not be caught. Tom will hang on for second and Craig will mosey on in maybe third or even fourth or fifth because that's all he has to do.
SOME OF THE TOP PRO WOMEN ENTERED IN IM CDA 2011
...in the order I am handicapping them to finish on the big day.
Meredith Kessler............USA
Julie Dibens................GBR
Ali Fitch...................AUS
Caroline Gregory............USA
Caitlin Snow................USA
Haley Cooper-Scott..........USA
You would think Julie Dibens is virtually unbeatable considering her record of the past few years.
In the past she has been both 70.3 and Xterra World Champion. Her record in 2010 and 2011 has been nothing short of sensational.
Her amazing prowess in the swim and bike make her very hard to catch once the run takes place. If there is one weakness it might just be here lack of experience at the Ironman distance and there is a world of difference between a 70.3 and an Ironman.
However in her only Ironman appearance she did finish third and that was in Kona 2010.
Caitlin Snow can stay close in the swim and has a sensational run, but may have too much to do coming off the bike. I would think she might finish 3rd or 4th in Ironman CDA 2011.
Meredith Kessler is the one I pick to win Ironman CDA 2011 for the pro women.
The key for Meredith is to stay close on the bike. If she can do that I believe she has the run and the experience at the Ironman distance to run by Julie Dibens.
ironman-coeur-d-alene-70-3-results-2011
I believe this because she has been more committed to her career as a pro triathlete and is not trying to balance work and training.
It's also hard to argue with 2 ironman 2nd place finishes last year and a win at Ironman Canada last August.
Now is the time for Meredith to take her pro career to the next level and I believe it will start with a win at IM CDA.
I am going to add my speculation to the bottom of my Coeur d'Alene 2011 pre-race page so people will be able to read it in the days before the race and know that I did not write this after the fact.
THE RACE IS ON
As expected Tom Evans was first out of the water, but chances are it would not take Maik Twelsiek to catch him on the bike
ironman-coeur-d-alene-70-3-results-2011
Tom Evans.................49:07
Heath Thurston............50:40
Maik Twelsiek.............50:43
Craig Alexander...........50:46
Julie Dibbens from Great Britain led the way for the women and was over 3:30 ahead of second place Meredith Kessler.
I think the colder water bothered many of the swimmers because the times seem to be a bit slow.
Julie Dibens..............52:36
Meredith Kessler..........56:15
Caitlin Snow..............59:14
Caroline Gregory..........1:02:25
Desiree Ficker............1:02:27
It was predictable and by about 12 miles Twelsiek who is one of the best Ironman bikers in the world took over the lead and was followed closely by Alexander.
The hills are not as steep as they look on this graph. From what I remember the course is more rollers than steep climbs.
There are over 900 first-time starters in this race and it's a great choice if they are not used to climbing and descending the long, steep hills. Regardless, 112 miles is a long way and a great accomplishment under any conditions.
ironman-coeur-d-alene-70-3-results-2011
For the women, Julie Dibens really put the pedal to the metal and by 25 miles had an 11 minute lead over Snow who had overtaken Meredith Kessler.
By the mile 40 Mark Twelsiek stretched his lead out at by 1:42 over Craig Alexander.
Both are pulling away from Tom Evans who is almost 5 minutes off the pace.
Lets not forget about the age-groupers. Here are the top ten at the mile 32 mark.
1 1:05:18................James Brierton
2 1:13:58................Ivan O' Gorma
3 1:15:41................Paul Suter
4 1:20:12................Buford Shipley
5 1:20:36................Robert Lee
6 1:24:40................Leo Murphy
7 1:24:48................John Lander
8 1:52:57................Dane O'Connel
9 2:29:19............... Michael O'Keeffe
10 2:31:10...............Andy Gardner
Julie Dibens is off in a world of her own. At 50 miles she is over 20 minutes ahead of the nearest pursuer who is Caitlin Snow followed closely by Ficker.
At mile 70 Twelsiek continues to pull away and is over 4:00 ahead of Craig Alexander. It's turning into a two-man race as Tom Evans continues to lose ground and is 9:40 behind the leader.
It may all come down to just how healthy Craig is after the slow start this year with medical issues. He just had to ensure he finishes in order to qualify to race in Kona in the Fall.
According to race reports, there is not much wind out on the bike course today and the bike record belonging to Michael Lovato of 4:38:50 could be in jeopardy. He set that mark way back in 2005.
Julie Dibens will have to send out a messenger to find the women behind her. Julie is actually biking in fourth place overall and is most likely around 30 minutes ahead of the second place woman.
ironman-coeur-d-alene-70-3-results-2011
Julie is less than 5 minutes behind Tom Evans and just over 12 minutes behind Craig Alexander who is a two-time World Champion.
Gee, I wonder if the course and conditions suit her. No kidding.
Of course anything can happen in a marathon and hopefully she is not using up too much out on the bike course. 30 minutes can disappear pretty fast if you end up walking.
It seems obvious that Maik Twelsiek is trying to distance himself from the field so he can go into the run with as big a lead as possible. He has been here before and just failed to hang on to win after having a great bike leg.
At 95 miles his lead has grown to 8:30. It will probably be around 10:00 at the transition.
Maik Twelsiek has destroyed the course bike record that has stood for 6 years. He did it in style by beating it by over 9 minutes with a time of 4:29:09. His lead is around 10 minutes over Craig Alexander as he heads out on the run.
Julie Dibens also breaks the bike course record by more than 7 minutes and has a huge lead as she heads out onto the marathon course.
As the miles pass by in the marathon Maik slowly begins to fade or perhaps it is Craig Alexander running faster but at the nine mile mark the lead has fallen from 10 minutes to under 6.
THE MENS RUN PLACINGS AT 6.7 MILES
1 6:06:02..................Maik Twelsiek
2 6:13:59..................Craig Alexander
3 6:31:40..................Tom Evans
4 6:36:51..................Adam Jensen
5 6:38:45..................Brian Hadley
Also at 6.7 miles, Julie Dibens was within 4 minutes of Tom Evans the third place male and still held a 32 minute lead over Caitlin Snow running in second.
At the 12-mile mark the lead for Maik is down to 4 minutes and it seems to be a matter of "when" and not "if" Craig Alexander will pass him.
Before the race I picked the winners in this order.
Maik Tweksiek...........DEU
Tom Evans...............CAN
Craig Alexander.........AUS
Now it looks like Craig, Maik, and Tom. Much of my choice depended on whether or not Craig Alexander had time to get back into form off his lay-off, but sometimes that lay-off does more good than harm as it is a forced rest.
I picked the women in this order.
Meredith Kessler............USA
Julie Dibens................GBR
Ali Fitch...................AUS
Caroline Gregory............USA
Caitlin Snow................USA
Haley Cooper-Scott..........USA
At the moment it is Julie, Snow, and Haley. Not sure what happened to Meredith Kessler today, but I'm sure we will find out. She was second out of the water.
This is only the 2nd Ironman for Julie Dibens.
ironman-coeur-d-alene-70-3-results-2011
From this image you can see that Julie has developed a lot of strength and power in her legs. X-terra is an entirely different type of biking and terrain and it may have really paid dividends when it comes to triathlon.
Just my own personal take on it, but I could be completely wrong.
Wouldn't surprise me if she does more short, high intensity training for strength as opposed to mostly long distance for endurance as she excels at X-Terra.
It remains to be seen if she has enough endurance training for this distance and that's the only reason I did not pick her to win. The Ironman is a delicate balance of strength, power, and endurance.
She obviously has amazing strength and power as she showed on the bike.
TOP TEN AGE GROUP MEN AT 6.7 MILES
1 6:01:08........Gerry Marvin Seattle WA USA
2 6:11:31........Grant Bovee Englewood CO USA
3 6:14:53........Chad Johnston Calgary AB CAN
4 6:14:58........Jeff Smith Sandpoint ID USA
5 6:15:52........George Velazque Wenatchee WA USA
6 6:15:56........Shane Niemeyer Boulder ID USA
7 6:16:02........Andy Gardner Kingwood TX USA
8 6:16:06........Mirek Boruta Oakland CA USA
9 6:16:31........Douglas MacLean Boulder CO USA
10 6:16:42.......Sam Picicci Spokane WA USA
AGE GROUP WOMEN OUT ON THE RUN COURSE
1 6:32:27Sarah Piampian New York NY USA
2 6:40:51Cathleen Knutson Seattle WA USA
3 6:45:02Kendra Lee Denver CO USA
4 6:45:24Michelle Simmons Kaneohe HI USA
Craig Alexander has passed Maik Twelsiek and holds a lead of 1:29 at the 18 mile mark.
ironman-coeur-d-alene-70-3-results-2011
Now Julie Dibens is in trouble and walking and Maik Twelsiek appears to be falling further back as Alexander stretches out the lead to just under 4 minutes with just 2 miles left to go.
I think it's safe to say that Craig Alexander will be the 2011 Ironman Coeur d'Alene champion.
Craig Alexander is indeed back in fine form and wins Ironman Coeur d'Alene and Julie Dibens still holds a sizable lead at mile 18.
Once again Maik Tweksiek has a great bike but cannot quite hold on in the marathon. His time is 8:24:59.
Great to see 42-year-old Canadian Tom Evans make the podium with his third place finish in a time of 8:49:54.
Julie continues to hold a 20 minute lead over Cait Snow in the late miles of the marathon. Cait has a 14 minute lead over Haley-Cooper.
Great Britain’s Julie Dibens holds on to win after a very tough marathon. Here 30+ minute lead coming off the bike was a big help. Julie had a 52:36 swim, 4:5218 bike and a 3:27:09 marathon, for a total time of 9:16:40.
Her bike and finish times were both course records and this was only her second Ironman.
Their is no doubting her strength and with more endurance she could be among the best in the world.
Cait Snow was second and set a new course record of 3:03:12 for the marathon.
TOP TEN WOMEN IRONMAN COEUR D'ALENE RESULTS 2011
1. Julie Dibens (GBR)................9:16:40
2. Caitlin Snow (USA)................9:29:18
3. Haley Cooper-Scott (USA)..........9:56:21
4. Caroline Gregory (USA)............10:05:53
5. Desiree Ficker (USA)..............10:10:42
TOP TEN MEN IRONMAN COEUR D'ALENE RESULTS 2011
1 Craig Alexander...............8:19:48
2 Maik Twelsiek.................8:24:59
3 Tom Evans.....................8:49:54
4 Brian Hadley..................9:02:44
5 Adam Jensen...................9:05:42
6 Tim Snow......................9:12:04
7 Billy Edwards.................9:13:13
8 Kyle Pawlaczyk................9:19:50
9 Oly Piggin....................9:22:24
10 Scott Tremblay...............9:23:36
TOP FIVE MEN AGE-GROUPERS
1 9:19:09.................Douglas MacLean Boulder CO USA
2 9:23:21.................Steve Johnson Boulder CO USA
3 9:25:11.................Chad Johnston Calgary AB CAN
4 9:25:19.................Patrick Wheeler Worcester MA USA
5 9:26:53.................Kevin Coady Pleasanton CA USA
6 9:29:51.................Jeremiah Mushen Seattle WA USA
7 9:29:56.................Mirek Boruta Oakland CA USA
8 9:30:55.................Grant Bovee Englewood CO USA
9 9:31:31.................Sam Picicci Spokane WA USA
10 9:31:52................Ivan O' Gorma Limerick IRE
TOP TEN WOMEN AGE-GROUPERS
1 10:03:37..........Sarah Piampian New York NY USA
2 10:16:02..........Cathleen Knutson Seattle WA USA
3 10:30:19..........Lilia Paradis Seattle WA USA
4 10:35:43..........Kendra Lee Denver CO USA
5 10:38:04..........Samantha Mazer Ridgeland MS USA
6 10:45:29..........Brianna Cash Washington DC USA
7 10:47:07..........Pamela Schultz Spokane WA USA
8 10:48:13..........Kara Nielsen Missoula MT USA
9 10:48:17..........Sydney Running Corvallis OR USA
10 10:49:31.........Cortney Haile Santa Monica CA USA
http://www.triathlon-ironman-myfirstironman-ironstruck.com/ironman-coeur-d-alene-results-2011.html
http://ironmancda.com/
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario