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Kailua
Kona, Hawaii - October 10th 2015: Daniela Ryf of Switzerland celebrates winning
the 2015 IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro on October 10th 2015 in
Kailua Kona, Hawaii. (Photo by Nils Nilsen/IRONMAN) IRONMAN Triathlon consists
of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a
marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run. IRONMAN is considered one of the most
difficult endurance events in the world.
Jan Frodeno (GER) and Daniela Ryf (SUI), both of whom stood on the podium in Kailua-Kona in 2014, capped off impressive seasons to capture the male and female titles at the 2015 IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro. Fresh off of wins at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Zell am See-Kaprun less than two months ago, Frodeno and Ryf, became just the third and fourth athletes in IRONMAN history to accomplish the double win with their victories today. Frodeno is also the first Olympic Gold Medalist to also win the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship and the IRONMAN World Championship.
Frodeno, last year’s third place finisher, took control of the race at the beginning of the bike course, and ran away with the victory, completing his race in 8:14:40 as he beat out fellow German Andreas Raelert, who finished in 8:17:43. Tim O’Donnell (USA) stayed at the top of the leaderboard throughout the day with a strong and steady race, ultimately finishing third. Andy Potts (USA) equaled his result from last year with a fourth-place finish helping to mark the second year-in-a-row that two American men finished in the top five. Tyler Butterfield (BMU) had his best day as a professional finishing fifth while last year’s champion, Sebastian Kienle (GER), finished in eighth place with a time of 8:29:43.
Ryf bested her runner-up finish from 2014 as she used the fastest bike and third fastest run splits of the day for the women to capture the championship with a time of 8:57:57. Ryf’s overall time marked the fifth fastest winning time in the women’s race as she became just the second woman in IRONMAN history to win both the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship and the IRONMAN World Championship in the same year. Rachel Joyce (GBR) battled her way into second place with a time of 9:10:59 marking the third consecutive year with a finish on the podium. Liz Blatchford (AUS) improved upon her 10th place finish a year ago regaining her podium form from 2013, capturing third with a time of 9:14:52. Michelle Vesterby (DEN) earned the fourth spot with a strong swim and solid bike effort in one of the top performances of her career.
Heather Jackson (USA) fought back from a significant swim deficit with a steady bike and a quick run to claim fifth in her rookie pro start in Kona to round out the top five women. Women’s back-to-back IRONMAN World Champion Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) unfortunately needed to drop from the race during the bike portion due to injury.
More than 2,300 athletes representing more than 62 countries and 49 states started the 2015 IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro, which consisted of a 2.4-mile (3,8km) swim, 112-mile (180,2km) bike and 26.2-mile (42,2km) run on the Island of Hawai`i. The diverse field of competitors included the American star of blockbuster films “Rudy” and “The Lord of the Rings,” Sean Astin, competing on behalf of Run3rd; Italian CART racing legend and Paralympic handcycle champion Alex Zanardi who finished in an impressive 9:40:37; and U.S. Representative Kyrsten Sinema, the first sitting member of Congress to participate in the IRONMAN World Championship.
Triathletes ranging in age from 19 to 85 took on the world’s toughest endurance event which was the culmination of 37 global qualifying IRONMAN® events. The swim started and finished at Kailua Pier, the bike took cyclists through the lava fields of the Kona and Kohala Coasts and the run course traveled through Kailua-Kona. Athletes finished the 140.6 miles to the cheers of thousands of spectators on Ali’i Drive. Each year, over 110,000 athletes vie for slots to the IRONMAN World Championship. The race offered a professional prize purse of $650,000. The Emmy Award-winning IRONMAN World Championship NBC broadcast will air in the United States on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. ET (other regions check local listings and www.ironman.com for details).
IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro Media Team
Ellie Seifert, Dan Berglund, Erika Wigley, Daniel Hoy, Stefan Jaeger
Frodeno, last year’s third place finisher, took control of the race at the beginning of the bike course, and ran away with the victory, completing his race in 8:14:40 as he beat out fellow German Andreas Raelert, who finished in 8:17:43. Tim O’Donnell (USA) stayed at the top of the leaderboard throughout the day with a strong and steady race, ultimately finishing third. Andy Potts (USA) equaled his result from last year with a fourth-place finish helping to mark the second year-in-a-row that two American men finished in the top five. Tyler Butterfield (BMU) had his best day as a professional finishing fifth while last year’s champion, Sebastian Kienle (GER), finished in eighth place with a time of 8:29:43.
Ryf bested her runner-up finish from 2014 as she used the fastest bike and third fastest run splits of the day for the women to capture the championship with a time of 8:57:57. Ryf’s overall time marked the fifth fastest winning time in the women’s race as she became just the second woman in IRONMAN history to win both the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship and the IRONMAN World Championship in the same year. Rachel Joyce (GBR) battled her way into second place with a time of 9:10:59 marking the third consecutive year with a finish on the podium. Liz Blatchford (AUS) improved upon her 10th place finish a year ago regaining her podium form from 2013, capturing third with a time of 9:14:52. Michelle Vesterby (DEN) earned the fourth spot with a strong swim and solid bike effort in one of the top performances of her career.
Heather Jackson (USA) fought back from a significant swim deficit with a steady bike and a quick run to claim fifth in her rookie pro start in Kona to round out the top five women. Women’s back-to-back IRONMAN World Champion Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) unfortunately needed to drop from the race during the bike portion due to injury.
More than 2,300 athletes representing more than 62 countries and 49 states started the 2015 IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro, which consisted of a 2.4-mile (3,8km) swim, 112-mile (180,2km) bike and 26.2-mile (42,2km) run on the Island of Hawai`i. The diverse field of competitors included the American star of blockbuster films “Rudy” and “The Lord of the Rings,” Sean Astin, competing on behalf of Run3rd; Italian CART racing legend and Paralympic handcycle champion Alex Zanardi who finished in an impressive 9:40:37; and U.S. Representative Kyrsten Sinema, the first sitting member of Congress to participate in the IRONMAN World Championship.
Triathletes ranging in age from 19 to 85 took on the world’s toughest endurance event which was the culmination of 37 global qualifying IRONMAN® events. The swim started and finished at Kailua Pier, the bike took cyclists through the lava fields of the Kona and Kohala Coasts and the run course traveled through Kailua-Kona. Athletes finished the 140.6 miles to the cheers of thousands of spectators on Ali’i Drive. Each year, over 110,000 athletes vie for slots to the IRONMAN World Championship. The race offered a professional prize purse of $650,000. The Emmy Award-winning IRONMAN World Championship NBC broadcast will air in the United States on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. ET (other regions check local listings and www.ironman.com for details).
IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro Media Team
Ellie Seifert, Dan Berglund, Erika Wigley, Daniel Hoy, Stefan Jaeger
