PANAMA CITY BEACH – A cool breeze elevated Yvonne van Vlerken into rarefied air Saturday at Ironman Florida.
Van Vlerken captured her third consecutive women's championship at the triathlon, covering the race in 8 hours, 1 minute, 47 seconds. She is the first athlete, man or woman, to win three straight Ironman Florida races.
Bella Comerford won five Ironman Florida titles between 2002 and 2008, but she never won more than two in a row. Jessica Jacobs finished as the women's champion in 2010 and 2011 but couldn't lock down another. In an unfortunate twist, van Vlerken likely will not return in 2015 as the race transitions to an age group-only event.
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"It was my last chance to get another win here, and it definitely motivated me,” said van Vlerken, a native of the Netherlands.
Race officials scrapped the 2.4-mile swim portion of the race after conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, including stiff winds and dangerous rip currents, were deemed too hazardous both for the athletes and emergency personnel. Race director Ben Rausa said cancelling the swim “was an easy decision to make.”
The race, originally scheduled to begin at 6:50 a.m., began with the 112-mile bike ride at 8 a.m. Van Vlerken tore through the bike course in 4:55:57 to build an insurmountable 18-minute lead over Camilla Lindholm, who ultimately placed second in 8:36:28.
Van Vlerken suffered what she described as a collarbone “smashed to pieces” earlier this year, and she acknowledged that the absence of the swim was beneficial. Even so, temperatures in the low-40s early in the day and the ever-present wind made for a grueling race.
"It was ridiculously difficult out there,” she said. “Oh my gosh, I suffered.”
Canadian Lionel Sanders dominated the men's race from start to finish and claimed the men's championship with a final time of 6:58:46, the only athlete to complete the race in under 7 hours. Ironman Florida was Sanders' first-ever triathlon as a professional.
"I'm speechless,” said Sanders, who noted that racing has helped him overcome substance abuse problems in his past. “It's been a dream of mine for a long time to win of these.”
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Sanders raced out to first place by the first checkpoint on the bike course, and he amassed a lead of more than 12 minutes by the time he transitioned into the run. He then turned in the fastest marathon time of the day (2:44:12) to end his race 19 minutes ahead of second-place finisher Tom Lowe of Great Britain.
Sanders, too, said the cancellation of the swim benefited him. He finished first in a field that included Ben Hoffman, who placed 15th after finishing second at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, three weeks ago. Max Kriat, a former runner-up at Ironman Florida, placed third overall.
Top 10 men:
- Lionel Sanders 6:58:46; Tom Lowe 7:17:53; Max Kriat 7:24:50; Joerie Vansteelant 7:29:31; Pedro Gomes 7:29:45; Per Bittner 7:33:47; David Nasvik 7:46:30; Alexander Mileev 7:49:37; Artem Parienko 7:51:19; Carlos Moncada 7:52:19.
Top 10 women:
- Yvonne van Vlerken 8:01:47; Camilla Lindholm 8:36:28; Ashley Clifford 8:36:55; Rachel Jastrebsky 8:39:43; Grin Humsi 8:45:39; Michelle Bozarth 8:50:13; Stacey Stern 8:52:46; Jennifer Pinto 8:53:02; Leslie Lamacchia 9:10:59; Tami Ritchie 9:13:29.