Ironman Hawaii 2017: Patrick Lange won the Ironman Hawaii for the first time. The 31-year-old set a new course record with a time of 8:01:39, relegating Canada's Lionel Sanders and Britain's David McNamee to second place. Last year's winner Jan Frodeno dragged himself far behind with back problems to the finish.
A dramatic Ironman Hawaii is behind us. In the end Patrick Lange from Hesse won almost sensationally with a new record time of 8:01:39. It was only the second participation in the Ironman World Championship for the 31-year-old and he showed that his very good debut was not a flash in the pan and that he will also be a factor in the years to come. At the finish he says "The head is the key" and alludes to a short phase during cycling when the marathon specialist even briefly toyed with the task.
After a solid swim and an extremely hard-fought bike ride, he was a long way behind in 5th place and his body threatened to go on strike. However, in his favorite discipline, the marathon, he found the second air and was able to improve again when the strength in the others in front of him began to dwindle. With the tenacity and consistency of a Swiss watch, Lange gradually worked his way up until he finally overtook the Canadian Lionel Sanders, who had been leading up to that point.
Only when he had the finish line in sight did he slow down a bit and stumble across the finish line, completely exhausted. record time. Iron Man World Champion. At the second participation. All these achievements are lost in the pain of his body at this moment. He pulls himself together, cheers, smiles and says to the camera: "Everyone who finishes here is a hero to me!" First up are Lionel Sanders and David McNamee, followed by Sebastian Kienle in fourth place. But where is last year's winner, triathlon exceptional talent and main favorite Jan Frodeno? He's fighting his own battle in Kona today.
Jan Frodeno drags himself to the finish with back problems - "That was a shitty day!"
All eyes were on 'Frodo' after the starting gun – would he get his third Kona triumph in a row? After swimming, the 36-year-old was on course. 1:19 behind after the swim, so he is on target. But already in the second half of the bike race it becomes clear that Jan Frodeno has to compete more against his own body than against the other athletes. The agony and pain are written all over his face again and again - otherwise Frodeno is one of those people who still have a smile on their face even when they are very exhausted.
However, he is holding up well. The bike race is extremely fast this year. The Australian Cameron Wurf is the first to start, Jan Frodeno is a little more than two minutes behind in fourth place. Everything is still possible for 'Frodo' - but this hope is given a decisive damper after just a few kilometers. With a pained face he stops, holding his back. Then he takes a few more steps and stops again.
Victory is no longer an issue, now it's just a matter of somehow getting to the finish line. At the finish, Frodeno will later quote the honorable finisher thought in triathlon. This now drives him in the direction of his goal – mostly walking, there are rarely a few faster steps in between. The spectators cheer him on, encourage him and he actually makes it. Far behind, he drags himself to the finish.