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Despite banging shoulders with Henry Beck of Germany, the former Olympic-distance athlete from Leeds led the field into the first transition of the German long-distance event famed for its fast course and fanatic crowds.

>>> Bracht and Carfrae win Challenge Roth 2014

Cannon fire and hot-air balloons were still filling the early morning skies above the swimmers in the Donau-Kanal as Wiltshire pedalled out on to the rolling, high-speed Roth roads. Unfortunately the Brit was unable hold the pace to needed to remain at the front. But few people could, as this year’s race saw a new record bike split set by Andrew Starykowicz.

Well and truly popped from the front bike group, those boys were shifting. I’m going to employ the cliche and sum it up with “learnt lots”

— HarryWiltshire (@harrywiltshire) July 12, 2015

The American blasted round the course churning a 55-tooth chainring to post 4:09:13 for the 180km bike leg – bettering the previous record set by Andreas Raelert in 2011 by more than two minutes.

One of the few people that was just about able to live with the red-hot pace being set by Starykowicz was the German Nils Frommhold. His bike split was only 27secs slower than the American’s, and would have been good enough to be the new benchmark itself were it not for Starykowicz.

While the men were rewriting the record books, the women were also tearing through the German countryside and parting the seas of spectators crowded on the Solarer Berg climb and packed into the village of Obermassing.

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Yvonne van Vlerken and Carrie Lester swap places on the bike leg

Although America’s Laura Bennett had led out of the water, a trio of women – ‘the flying Dutchwoman’ and previous Roth winner Yvanne Van Vlerken, Aussie Carrie Lester and, to the joy of the fans, local girl Anja Beranek – made their way through the top 10 to take up and trade the first three positions on the road. Van Vlerken had the fastest bike split of 4:47:34 but her two closest pursers were both within 30secs of her time.

In the men’s race, the red-hot bike pace took its toll on Starykowicz, and he dropped back during the run, eventually finishing 26th. Frommhold, however, was managing to hold on to the lead despite the runners behind him making up some of the ground they’d lost during the cycling, most notably Germany’s 39-year-old previous Roth winner Timo Bracht and a last-minute Roth entrant David Dellow of Australia. 

Men’s podium

Frommhold had almost 12mins’ advantage on Bracht going into the marathon. The 27-year-old lost more than half of it during the final 42.2km and was clearly suffering as he made his way through the final metres.

As he approached the stadium to take the tape and, with it, his victory, he seemed almost confused by the crowds leaning over the barriers to high-five and cheer him home.

He stopped the clock at the line in 7:51:28 and a little more than five minutes later, Bracht did the same having eased up slightly after realising the gap to Frommhold couldn’t be closed in the remaining distance. 

Dellow meanwhile had to up his pace after hearing via his girlfriend Caroline Steffen and her coach Chris McCormack that he could go under 8hrs if he hurried. Dellow did just that and squeaked home in 7:59:28.

Left to right: Timo Bracht (GER), Nils Frommhold (GER), David Dellow (AUS)

Women’s podium

Less than an hour later the women’s podium would be decided, and while a place on the 2015 men’s podium required a sub-8hr time, a place on the women’s would need an equally impressive sub-9hr time. Van Vlerken took the top step, to gain her third Roth crown, with 8:50: 53, while Lester (8:53:09) and Beranek (8:55:19) followed her home in second and third.

Local hero Beranek was especially happy with her time – a new personal best that also won her the German long-distance championship title – as she had crashed out of last year’s race on the bike leg. “I didn’t think about last year when I was out there. I just thought about all the experiences I had when I was growing up and training here, which are all such good memories.

“My strategy was to try and get away on the bike because I needed to get away from the fast runners but I didn’t have the best legs today and I couldn’t open up as big a gap as I needed… But overall it was a good performance and I’m very happy with it.”

Anja Beranek crosses the line in just under 9hrs

Van Vlerken, who had thought her race might be ruined after a seemingly severe reaction to an insect bite earlier in the week, was just glad to take the win. “My energy was just gone by kilometre 32 on the run. But the spectators on the course were amazing – they really pushed me through. Every time I started to walk they would shout, “No! You can’t walk” So I had to start running again. It was very hard… I suffered out there but when you win you don’t feel it anymore.”

Hard work

She wasn’t the only victor to suffer. Men’s winner Frommhold also had to toil harder than he’d hoped in the closing stages. “My bike performance was pretty strong and that was why I suffered on the run quite a lot. From about the 12km mark I had to start taking some short walking breaks and I wasn’t really able to enjoy the last 3km and take in the support of the spectators… It might take a few days for what I did here to sink in but I’m very proud of what happened today.”

Second-placed Bracht was pleased to show there’s still life in him yet. “All the stories this weekend have been about ‘Timo Bracht is turning 40 in days’ time, he’s an old man’. But it’s not bad going under 8hrs. I said I will end my career with my best race performance and today I was 30secs too slow so I need anther year of training before I can think about stopping.”

Australia’s David Dellow on the bike at Challenge Roth

It had not only been an eventful day for third-place finisher Dellow, as the Australian’s last seven days had been filled with drama. “I was racing in Ironman Frankfurt last weekend and punctured on the bike. So that was disappointing.

“But the next day at breakfast my friends said, ‘well why not try Roth?’ So we got on the phone and the guys here were kind enough to give me a slot and that puncture turned out to be a blessing in disguise.”

For full results head here.

(All images: Getty)

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With a number of professional triathletes present, it was no surprise that this year’s event was a fiercely competitive one. Iain Robertson and Kimberly Morris retained their crowns in the Olympic distance while Joe Skipper and Becky Schofield were first to cross the line in the two sprint distances.

Over the two days, an estimated 220 participants were taking part in their first triathlon with a growing percentage of those being women.

Records fall in the Sprint Distance

Before the Sprint Distance on the Saturday evening, Joe Skipper was singled out as one of the sprinters to watch and he duly delivered – winning the event in record time.

Joe completed the 750m swim, 18km bike and 5km run in 0:55:58, just 01:48 ahead of second placed Sean Watson.

The former Notre Dame pupil didn’t have it all his own way. Sean, a GB athlete running for Leeds Triathlon Centre, was first out of the water and onto the bike. Unfortunately for Sean, who was returning to Norwich during the university holidays, he couldn’t keep up his pace and finished second.

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Left to right: Joe Skipper 1st (with dog Massie), Sean Watson 2nd and Simon Brierley 3rd. (And no, Joe didn’t race with his dog, nor was it his prize)

Simon Brierley, representing Seychelle’s, completed the top three and pushed both Joe and Sean all the way. The top three all finished the course in under an hour.

The women’s sprint winner, Becky Schofield, also had to come from behind in order to win. Becky, representing the Tri-Anglia Club, had to close a one minute gap after Zoe Cresswell raced ahead following a strong swim.

Becky overtook Zoe to win the race with just a second gap between the two. Amy Pressland completed the top three. On her way to taking the women’s sprint distance crown, Becky broke the ladies’ sprint bike and run records.

Left to right: Amy Pressland 3rd, Becky Schofield 1st, Zoe Cresswell 2nd

Old guard reign supreme in the Olympic Distance

Iain Robertson returned to the Norwich Triathlon and added another victory to the two he already owns on this course.

It was however Sam Proctor, of Tri-Harder, that emerged first from the swim. Sam set a new record of 20:26 in the 1.5km swim but he lost the lead when both GB athlete Jay Lingwood and the 2014 champion Iain overtook him on the bikes.

Left to right: Tri-Anglia Chairman Paula Lee, Simon Proctor 2nd, Iain Robertson 1st (Torq), Jay Lingwood 3rd (Rock Estate)

Sam was able to re-take second place from Jay on the run, however Iain’s lead was insurmountable and the two-time champion was first past the post.

Things were a lot more straightforward for the women’s standard distance champion. Kimberly Morrison, who hails from Fakeham, dominated proceedings and finished 12mins ahead of second place Verity Smith.

On her way to an emphatic victory, Kimberly broke the ladies’ run record and the ladies’ overall time record across the standard distance.

Norwich Olympic Triathlon 2015 champions

Sprint Distance (750m/ 18km/5km)

Joe Skipper – 0:55:58
Becky Schofield – 1:06:43

Olympic Distance (1.5km/ 38km/10km)

Iain Robertson – 1:57:49
Kimberly Morrison – 2:10:57

Taking place at Whitlingham Country Park, the event is fast becoming an established fixture on both the local and national calendars, gaining a reputation as a fantastically organised and friendly event, encouraging entries from top level racers, seasoned athletes and weekend warriors to first time novices.

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>>> Gwen Jorgensen wins WTS Hamburg 2014

>>> Alistair Brownlee back on top at WTS Hamburg 2014

Spanish men round out the first three positions on the starters’ list this Saturday (18 July): 2014 series winner Javier Gomez missed WTS London but still holds the number one spot with 3507 points, followed by compatriot Mario Mola with 2979 points. Fernando Alarza is ranked third after his silver medal in London, and holds 2961 points.

With the Brownlees out, the path to the podium widens: Vincent Luis (FRA) has also been having an amazing year with a podium in every WTS race in which he has competed in this season, most recently with a bronze medal in London, as the sprint distance suits the Frenchman well. 

Richard Murray (RSA) demolished the run in London on the sprint course and scored his first WTS win in Hamburg back in 2012, giving him fond memories to prop his race up this weekend. London also saw Ryan Bailie (AUS) just miss out on a podium, sharpening his hunger for a first-time WTS medal.

Britain’s top-ranked male at WTS Hamburg is Mark Buckingham, who is number 20 on the start list. He’ll be joined by Gordon Benson, currently riding on a high after winning gold at the Baku European Games last month. 

The men’s race will take place at 5:45pm local time (4.45pm UK time). Live TV coverage can be found on the BBC’s Red Button service for UK viewers, and on triathlonlive.tv (£).

Men’s start list here.

Women’s race

It’s no surprise that Gwen Jorgensen (USA) will sport the golden number in the women’s race, after utterly dominating the 2015 WTS series so far: with a perfect season to her name, she sits top of the table with 4000 points.

Gwen Jorgensen after winning WTS Hamburg 2014

Joining Jorgensen on the start list are compatriots Katie Zaferes (3645 points) and Sarah True (2632 points), who will be hoping to make it a third USA podium sweep. The trio controlled all three medals in two races this season (Gold Coast and London), a feat that no other country has accomplished in a single season.

Jodie Stimpson (GBR) returns to the circuit after injury for her first WTS race since Abu Dhabi back in March, where she posted 17th. Likewise, Kirsten Sweetland (CAN) is back in action after suffering from an illness that has kept her out of the mix since Auckland. Last year, Sweetland took home the bronze medal in Hamburg after coming up short in a head-to-head sprint finish with Emma Jackson (AUS).

Vicky Holland on her way to victory at WTS Cape Town

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Vicky Holland will be top-ranked British female in Hamburg with 1386 points, thanks to her imperious win in Cape Town, and 2013 world champion Non Stanford will likewise be looking to make up for lost time after missing out on the first four races this season, placing seventh at WTS Yokohama. 2015 debutante Sophie Coldwell will hope to repeat her perfect start to WTS London, where she led out of T2.

The women’s race will take place at 3:45pm local time (2.45pm UK time). Live TV coverage can be found on the BBC’s Red Button service for UK viewers, and on triathlonlive.tv (£).

Women’s start list here.

Don’t forget…

WTS Hamburg will also see 11,000 age-groupers are expected to compete, along with the Mixed Relay World Championships set on Sunday. The one-lap swim, six-lap bike, two-lap run sprint distance course will be jam-packed with star-studded elites all eager to compete (full start list here).

The Mixed Relay World Championship will begin at 3.45pm local time (2.45pm UK time) on Sunday 19 July. Live TV coverage can be found on the BBC’s Red Button service for UK viewers, and on triathlonlive.tv (£).

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The 2015 BananaMan Triathlon offered up six different triathlon events, meaning something for everyone. If that wasn’t enough, for the first time in the event’s history there was a duathlon for competitors who didn’t fancy a swim.

Those participating could choose from a selection of disciplines ranging from team time trials to relay, sprint to the complete triathlon distance. The triathlon distance known as the Whole Banana (800m/31.8km/7.5km) proved to be the most popular and the men’s category had to be split into over-40’s and under-40’s.

Matt Clarkson and Carol Bridge recorded the fastest individual times over the triathlon distance, while James Repper and Kate Sharland won the inaugural duathlon.  

The Whole Banana

As previously mentioned the men’s category had to be split into two age groups – the over-40’s and the under-40’s. The course consisted of an 800m swim, a 31.8km bike and 7.5km run in the sunny Buckinghamshire sun.

The over-40’s kicked off the Whole Banana and, showing the youngsters how it’s done, Matt Clarkson finished the course in the fastest time of the day with 1:33:56 – two seconds ahead of Michael Marzetti. Scott Forsyth completed the top three.

Mark Chamberlain, from Southampton Tri Club, won the under-40’s individual triathlon finishing ahead of Mark Furth and Jack Knight. Chamberlain’s finishing time was three minutes behind the over-40’s winner Matt Clarkson.

With the men’s event done and dusted it was the turn of the women to take to the lake. The women’s category wasn’t split into the two age groups so all competitors raced together.

Carol Bridge, from Rhondda’s Triathlon Club, finished 14mins ahead of her nearest competitor. Bridge not only recorded the best swim, bike and run times of any women, but also beat any of the men’s swim time – delivering a split of 10:03mins.

The inaugural duathlon (5km/21.2km/2.5km)

James Repper and Kate Sheppard were the first winners of the event’s duathlon, named the Banana Fritter. Repper’s run was the stand-out performance and the decisive factor in his victory. He posted a 17:54mins split over the first 5km and then a 9:21mins slit for the final 2.5km, the quickest in the field.

Repper finished ahead of Gerold Tudor, who posted the best bike split in the duathlon, two minutes faster than Repper. Tudor couldn’t make that advantage stick though and he finished second. Jonathon Walker rounded off the top three.

Kate Sharland was the clear winner of the ladies’ duathlon, finishing 4mins ahead of Amanda Peart and 5mins ahead of third-placed finisher Cathy Taylor.

Sharland posted the quickest first and second run, 22mins and 11:22mins respectively. Her bike time was also the fastest out of the women, posting a 45:15mins split over the 21.2km bike ride.

The rest of the action

For those who wanted a shorter triathlon distance than the Whole Banana, there was a shorter distance known as the Banana Fritter (400m/ 21.2km/ 5km). Again the men’s category was divided into two age groups – the over-35’s and under-35’s.

Jason Emmet, from the Evolution Tri club in Windsor, took the victory in the over-35’s win despite not having the best splits in the race. Tom Scott won the under-35’s race and Sonia Spearing won the women’s category (which wasn’t split up).

Glen Barlow (M25-29) racing the Banana Fritter

Team Bumblebee from Berkshire Tri Squad won The Team Time Trial, beating fellow Berkshire Tri Squad team Windsor Old Boys. Team Bumblebee posted the quickest bike split of the whole race of 49:33mins. Feegle, Bingo & Snorky, also representing the Berkshire Tri Squad, completed the top three. 

Team Banana Cake, also from Berkshire Tri Club, won the women’s relay race. The Ultimate Threesome team claimed second and Team Bloomberg Women took third spot.

Berkshire Tri Club also featured heavily in the Bunch of Bananas Relay, taking both first and second. Team Simple Minds won the race, 38secs ahead of their Tri Club partners Team Woodland Animals. Team Turning Horse School took third place, ensuring that the podium wasn’t completely Berkshire Tri Squad.

For the athletes who prefer running, the BananaMan Triathlon offered a 200m swim, 5.3km bike ride and 25km run. Sam Atkins won the men’s category and Anja Heijnen won the women’s.

Young teens were given the chance to have a go on a course consisting of a 200m swim, 5.3km bike ride and a 1.5km run. Harry Gurney took the title completing the 200m swim in just 2:29, the quickest swim over 200m.

No confirmed sightings of Eric though…

BananaMan Triathlon 2015 champions
Men’s Whole Banana (800m swim/31.8km bike/7.5km run)

Matt Clarkson – 1:33:56 (Over 40’s)

Mark Chamberlain – 1:36:03 (under 40’s)

Women’s Whole Banana

Carol Bridge – 1:36:08

Men’s Duathlon (5km run/ 21.2km bike/ 2.5km run)

James Repper – 1:08:40

Women’s Duathlon

Kate Sharland – 1:21:04

Men’s Banana Fritter (400m swim/ 21.2km bike/ 5km run)

Jason Emmet – 1:01:53 (over 35’s)

Tom Scott – 1:08: 57 (under 35’s) 

Women’s Banana Fritter

Sonia Spearing – 1:06:45 

Men’s Team Trial Race

Team BumbleBee – 1:34:34 

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Women’s Team Trial

Girls Going Banana’s – 1:56:04 

Men’s Relay Race

Team Simple Minds – 1:34:00

Women’s Relay Race 

Team Banana Cake – 1:40:00

Full results of all races can be found here.

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>>> New champions crowned at Ironman UK 2014

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The pro start list includes some big names like Joe Skipper, who recently broke bike records at Ironman Texas, ex-ITU racer David McNamee and Lucy Gossage, winner of last month’s Ironman 70.3 Staffs. Both of the 2014 winners are absent though, with neither Cyril Viennot nor Tamsin Lewis racing this weekend. 

The race begins at 6am at Pennington Flash, Wigan for the 3.8km swim, where the water temperature is expected to be around 20°C. Athletes will then head off through the Lancashire countryside for a 180km two-lap bike course, then finish with a 42.2km run from the Macron Stadium (home of Bolton Wanderers) to Bolton town centre for a raucous finish. The leading pro men are expected to arrive around 2.30pm.

Pro athletes starters
Men

– Fraser Cartmell (GBR)
– Joe Skipper (GBR)
– Oliver Simon (GBR)
– David McNamee (GBR)
– Simon Brierley (SYC)
– Denis Chevrot (FRA)
– Sam Clark (NZL) 
– Victor Del Corral Morales (ESP)
– David Dellow (AUS)
– Dominic Rohan-Gates (GBR)
– Yu Shinozaki (JPN)
– Brad Williams (USA)

Joe Skipper runs down the finish chute at Ironman UK 2014

Women

– Lucy Gossage (GBR)
– Amy Forshaw (GBR)
– Joanna Carritt (GBR)
– Jana Candrova (CZE)
– Eleanor Haresign (GBR)
– Alice Hector (GBR)
– Anne Jensen (DEN)
– Kathryn King (GBR)
– Shiao-Yu Li (TWN)
– Caroline Livesey (GBR)
– Suzie Richards (GBR)
– Keiko Tanaka (JPN)
– Michelle Vesterby (DEN)

Female podium at Ironman UK 2014

To reflect the growth of Ironman UK, the organisers have tripled its prize purse from $25,000 in 2014 to $75,000 this year, and there will also be qualifying points for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii on the line.

Out of the age-groupers racing, an astonishing 51% are Ironman first-timers, with more than 40 countries represented across the field. There will be 40 qualifying spots for Kona 206 up for grabs this year.

The action begins however with the world’s largest IronKids race on Saturday (18th July), with around 2,500 kids aged 3-14 expected to take part in this fun run in Bolton’s town centre. 

For more info on this year’s race head here.

(Images: Getty)

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With a significantly larger turnout than last year, Ian Smith was the cream of the crop, taking the victory in the men’s category. Lindsay Romecin saw off the competition in the ladies’ category and crossed the line first.

A new perpetual trophy was introduced at this year’s race, which was to be awarded to the first club team. Rugby Tri Club, who were using the event as their Standard Distance Club Championships, won the first award.

Coming from behind

After leaving the water third, men’s winner Ian Smith came roaring out of the reservoir, excelling on the bike and run, and posting splits of 1:03:13 and 39:21mins respectively – the fastest times of the day.

Men’s podium at Pitsford Triathlon 2015

Second-placed James Beechy, from Army Triathlon Association, matched Smith’s time on the bike and they went into the run almost neck-and-neck. Despite pushing Smith hard, Beechy couldn’t keep up and finished just under three minutes behind the winner.

Matthew Glenn rounded off the top three, and last year’s champion Jordon Simmonds, who was the fastest swimmer with a time of 18:19, finished fourth.

Lindsay Romecin had to wait until the cycle until she took the lead in the women’s category. Martine Crofts emerged from the water 50 seconds ahead of the eventual winner but was to finish 11 places behind Romecin.

Women’s podium (winner Lindsay Romecin far right)

With a confident run and cycle, Lindsay Romecin finished 4mins ahead of the second-placed Katie Beckett. The runner-up posted the fastest run in the women’s category – a 45:12mins split.

Beckett had to work hard for her second place, seeing off a formidable challenge from Sarah Ashcroft. The pair were just a minute apart when Beckett got to the T2, but Ashcroft couldn’t close the gap any further and had to settle for third place.

Number of relay teams nearly doubled

This year’s triathlon saw nine relay teams take part, four more than the event’s first year.

Mark Hazle, Steve Woods and Tom Greeves took the win, finishing five minutes ahead of second-placed Martyn Lever, Richard Jones and Eddie Smith. Lever was part of the winning relay team in last year’s event.

Pitsford Triathlon 2015 champions (1.5k/ 40km/ 10km)

Men’s individual

Ian Smith – 2:03:45 

Women’s individual

Linsay Romecin – 2:37:18

Relay

Mark Hazle, Steve Woods Tom Greeves – 2:18:27

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Carolina Routier (ESP) led out of the water in 9:43, with Brit Sophie Coldwell emerging close behind in 4th, starting impressively as she did in Hyde Park last month.

The relentless Gwen Jorgensen (USA) made the front pack and a large group of 13 formed after the first lap of the bike, including her fellow American Sarah True. Vicky Holland and Non Stanford were also up there, pushing the favourite Jorgensen every step of the way.

Jodie Stimpson found herself down from the front pack after a disappointing swim, but was pushing the pace and had closed the gap to 23 seconds by lap 3 of 6 on the bike – however Stimpson’s bike was shunted in the back wheel by another athlete and the bike’s back derailleur ceased to work. Frustratingly Stimpson had no option but to withdraw from the race.

Katie Zafires (USA) wasn’t in the front pack as has been usual this series, and instead headed the chasing pack going into the last lap of the bike at 20 seconds down.

Going out onto the run, Vicky Holland and Non Stanford both surged to the front, With Jorgensen taking her time and lingering behind. Sarah True, Rachel Klamer (NED), and Laura Lindemann (GER) made up the front group.

It didn’t last for long, and Jorgensen made her move after 3km of the run. Vicky Holland bravely went with her with Stanford and True left trailing. The other early front-runners slipped down the pecking order, and Vicky Holland continued to take on Jorgensen with less than a mile to go.

Jorgensen was visibly working far harder than in her other victories this year, and made a surge just before she reached the mat with Holland. She pushed the whole way and made numerous glances behind her, not slowing down until she broke the tape.

Non Stanford beats Sarah True to the finish tape at WTS Hamburg

Non Stanford made it clear her injury worries are behind her, taking 3rd place ahead of Sarah True. 

Results – WTS Hamburg elite women

1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 00:57:08
2. Vicky Holland (GBR) 00:57:13
3. Non Stanford (GBR) 00:57:24
4. Sarah True (USA) 00:57:25
5. Rachel Klamer (NED) 00:57:38
6. Katie Zafires (USA) 00:57:43

Overall standings

1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 4000 points
2. Katie Zafires (USA) 3645 points
3. Sarah True (USA) 2951 points
4. Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 2910 points
5. Vicky Holland (GBR) 2126 points
6. Barbara Riveros (CHI) 2100 points

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Favourite Gomez wasn’t far behind and a front group of 11 formed early on the bike, which also included Luis and Henri Schoeman (RSA). The chasing pack were only around 6 seconds behind after the first lap of the bike, with Joao Silva (POR) and another contender for the win Richard Murray (RSA) helping to push the pace.

Approaching the half way point on the bike the front group all stayed together and the lead had grown. A huge chase pack formed behind, and were around 30 seconds down going through lap 3. The only British entrants Mark Buckingham and European Games champion Gordon Benson were also both in the chasing pack.

11 became 9 going out onto the run, with Luis heading out first and Gomez a second behind. Aaron Royle (NZL) and Tommy Zafires (USA) also both made that top group.

Unsurprisingly Gomez broke away from the rest quickly, but Luis followed him and it looked like it was shaping up to be a two-horsed race after just the first kilometre of the 5km run.

Dorian Connix (FRA) took 3rd place from Aaron Royle on lap 2 of the run, but an inspired Mario Mola (ESP) was quickly catching them up.

Back at the front, Gomez and Luis were still going elbow-to-elbow with just over 1km to go – Luis looked the more comfortable of the two, but the relentless Gomez soldiered on and continued to make surges in an effort to break Luis down.

Vincent Luis celebrates winning WTS Hamburg

In one of the most thrilling finishes of the World Triathlon Series 2015, Vincent Luis had the race of his life to break away with around 250m to go, and left Gomez to settle for 2nd. Mola impressively took 3rd place with the fastest 5km run split in the history of triathlon (13:55). This was confirmed by worldtriathlon.org. 

Gordon Benson had a solid race finishing in 28th place, and Mark Buckingham was 32nd.

Gomez consolidated his lead at the top of the WTS standings after this race, but with both Brownlee brothers saving themselves for the final three stops on the tour and Vincent Luis hot on his heels, the winner of the 2015 Series could be very hard to call.

Results – WTS Hamburg elite men

Vincent Luis (FRA) 51:54
Javier Gomez Noya (ESP) 51:58
Mario Mola (ESP) 52:20
Dorian Connix (FRA) 52:30
Aaron Royle (NZL) 52:37
Henri Shoeman (RSA) 52:40

Overall standings

Javier Gomez Noya (ESP) 3705 points
Mario Mola (ESP) 3374 points
Fernando Alarza (ESP) 2961 points
Vincent Luis (FRA) 2910 points
Richard Murray (RSA) 2857 points
Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 2340 points

(Images: Janos Schmidt)

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>>> Gallery: Ironman UK 2014

In the men’s race, Scottish duo David McNamee and Fraser Cartmell quickly built a substantial lead over their rivals despite the wind chill and horizontal rain, leaving Denis Chevrot (FRA) and Victor Del Corral (ESP) in their wake over the 180km bike course that included 1,500m of climbing. 

Cartmell decided to test the relatively novice Ironman bike legs of McNamee and managed to gain a 3.5 minute lead into T2. It was a lead he held until about the 10km mark knowing that McNamee is a strong runner over the half but less experienced over the full distance.

McNamee continued to push through the 42.2km marathon run in 2:51:49, some 8mins faster than Fraser, to cross the finish line with his maiden Ironman title in a time of 08:46:37.

Scotland’s David McNamee wins Ironman UK

David McNamee said on the finish line: “I knew there was an outside chance to make the podium but to come out on top is fantastic. I lost a nutrition bottle and one of my aero bars so struggled at the back of the bike, however I found my run legs! I didn’t even expect to be doing an Ironman last year – I’m struggling to put it into words how pleased and proud I am.” 

Meanwhile, pre-race favourite Joe Skipper didn’t get the result he was hoping for, but struggled on through the field from the rear of the swim pack, to take 3rd place finishing in a time of 08:55:38.

Joe Skipper on the finish chute at Ironman UK

An emotional Joe Skipper who had his heart set on winning said, “All I wanted was the win, but I just suffered all day – it was horrendous. I was outclassed today and I’m just really happy to have finished it and just sorry my friends and family who came here today couldn’t see me get this win I wanted so badly.”

“I’ve never wanted something so much”

The competition that Michelle Vesterby (DEN) was looking to pose to Gossage (GBR) and the other UK favourites didn’t materialise in the women’s pro race, due to taking a wrong turn on the bike course, leaving Gossage to produce one of the best bike and run splits of her career. 

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Caroline Livesey (GBR) confirmed her status as a pro athlete backing up her 3rd in Lanzarote with a brilliant second place finishing in 10:05:21.

Alice Hector produced an incredible run to secure third place in the Pro Field, finishing in a time of 10:18:46. Special mention should go to the first age-group female athlete Kate Comber, who had a stunning race and crossed the line in 10:15:32.

On her win an ecstatic Lucy Gossage said: “I’ve never wanted something so much. This was my goal  – I wanted it so much and I’m so pleased. It was really tough and so so cold. I caught the girls quickly on the bike and I felt amazing on the run – probably my best ever. The UK crowds and support can’t beat any other race.

“Kona is my next goal but for now just savouring every moment – this has been an amazing year and I’m really happy.”

For full results head here.

(Images: Getty)

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