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Raelert wins Ironman in record time

Staff photo by CHRIS COYNER

Athletes race across the Memorial Causeway Bridge in Clearwater during the bicycle phase of the triathlon.

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By CHRIS ERRINGTON

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 14, 2009

CLEARWATER BEACH - Forget about the competition, Germany's Michael Raelert never gave the course record a chance Saturday.

Raelert, 29, overcame a slow swimming start, took the lead just two miles into the run portion of the race and was never threatened in capturing the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 in a course record 3:34.04. Italy's Daniel Fontana finished second at 3:36.44, while Matthew Reed was the top US finisher, placing third in a time of 3:37.50. Raelert's time shattered the course record by more than six minutes set last year by New Zealand's Terenzo Bozzone. In fact, the top five finishers Saturday all bested that mark.

Great Britian's Julie Dibens won her third race this season after finishing fourth here a year ago, taking a commanding lead into the run and never allowing the U.S.'s Mary Beth Ellis to challenge, winning in a time of 3:59.33 – more than 4 minutes ahead of Ellis.

"There was such a strong field here that I expected to be in the top 10 and if I had a really good day, maybe a top 5," said Raelert, who credited his training regimen with brother and last year's second-place finisher, Andreas as the key to winning. "I've been training for this event from the first race of the year until now. This is the greatest feeling ever. I never thought I'd be a world champion.

"Today I stepped out of his shadow."

While Raelert, who fell behind the lead pack several times during the opening swimming portion, appeared to get stronger as the run progressed, Reed knew this was where he lost his chance at victory.

"Today was a race when whoever could draft the best and save their legs would win and I just didn't have any legs," Reed said. "Michael played the game well. He ran a good race and deserved to win."

More than 1,600 competitors from around the world competed for the fourth consecutive year in a race that features a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run throughout Clearwater Beach and Clearwater.

For Dibens, who's finished no worse than second in all eight series races she's entered this year and won the Guam Xterra and 5430 Long Course, Saturday's race was over once the run began.

"[Dibens] had a lot of time and I knew the way she's racing now, unless she blew up it was going to be tough to catch her," said Ellis.

"I've faded out before and struggled in the past in the heat, so you always have those doubts in your mind," said Dibens, who trained the past two weeks in St. Petersburg to acclimate her body to the heat of race day. "But when I got to mile 9 and wasn't cramping, I knew it would take a meltdown to lose the race.

"It's so hard to explain, but anyone who's focused so hard on a race, knows the feeling that I have now."

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