2017 Ironman World Championship Recap

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The world’s best triathletes competed in the 2017 Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii.

Known world-round as one of the most challenging and strenuous athletic competitions anywhere, the 2017 Ironman World Championship was also one of the most exciting.

This year’s competition was Hawaii’s 41st time hosting the event and it was one for the record books.

German native Patrick Lange finished first in the men’s competition and with the gold medal he also laid claim to the course record, which was previously set by Australia’s Craig Alexander in 2011 with a final time of 8:03:56. Lange beat that mark by more than two minutes with a final time of 8:01:40.

“I’m overwhelmed and this is my life dream coming true,” said Lange, a 31-year old Frankfurt native in his second ever Ironman World Championship. Lange battled mostly with Canadian Lionel Sanders at the final leg of the marathon and fed off the energy of the crowd to keep the lead for the final 2.8 miles.

Patrick Lange riding his bike near the Kona Airport during the 2017 Ironman World Championship

Patrick Lange

Sanders would finish second in the pro men’s competition with a time of 8:04:07, with Great Britain’s David McNamee joining them third on the podium with a final time of 8:07:11. The previous record holder, Tim Don of Great Britain, suffered a back injury three days before the October 14th race, forcing him to withdraw from the competition, offering an opportunity for other upper-level athletes to try and claim the top spot this year.

In the women’s competition, Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf continued her dominance, capturing the gold medal for the third straight year and her first appearance since her record-setting performance during last year’s competition.

Daniela Ryf

Great Britain’s Lucy Charles earned second place with a time of 8:59:38; and Australia’s Sarah Crowley came in third, with a strong finish just two minutes later.

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