New Zealand’s Terenzo Bozzone and Australian Melissa Hauschildt took advantage of idyllic conditions to smash course records on the way to victories in IRONMAN Western Australia at Busselton.
Both former IRONMAN 70.3 World Champions failed to finish the recent IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii with leg injuries, and both wanted to get things right and quickly.
They achieved that in spades with the 31-year-old Bozzone claiming the men’s honours in 7:51:25, nearly five minutes inside Luke McKenzie’s record set last year, while Hauschildt overcame cramps to win also in a new course record.
Bozzone Dominates Men’s Race
Terenzo Bozzone left Hawaii determined to find the cause of swelling that brought a premature end to his Hawaii campaign.
Buoyed with answers from his medics, he decided on a pre-Christmas IRONMAN journey and received the ultimate reward with his first win over the distance in emphatic fashion.
Even second placed Andy Potts (USA) got under the old record as he limped across the line in 7:55:11 while Australian Nick Kastelein enjoyed his first IRONMAN podium in third.
"Some of my workouts leading in had been outstanding by my own standards. My legs felt good. I’ve had my physio with me and he’s been able to flush out all the lactate acid after every work out and that has been a big help," says Bozzone.
"And we seemed to get the sodium levels right today, but of course the temperatures were not like Kona.
"This is a huge tick for me today. IRONMAN New Zealand is always on the cards for me to do a big race. I’ve felt I was on the brink of breaking through in IRONMAN racing and kept knocking on the door and finally the door opened.
"I’ve learned a lot today and hopefully this will put me in good stead for the Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand in March."
Kastelein led Queensland’s Clayton Fettell out of the swim, both recording 46:09 for the 3.8km swim in glassy conditions, to better the previous swim record and signal what was to follow.
Bozzone and Kastelein, who were training mates with IRONMAN World Champion Jan Frodeno this year, opened a telling early lead on the bike. By 55kms they were nearly five minutes clear before the Kiwi made his move, establishing a 3:37 advantage over his friend at the halfway mark which he extended to over nine minutes into transition after the 180km journey.
American Andy Potts worked his way through the field into second, taking time out of Bozzone, but the result was never in doubt as he won in 7:51:25, well inside McKenzie’s record of 7:55:58 with a time that sees him enter into IRONMAN’S rarefied air.
Potts limped over the line in second in 7:55:11, also under the old mark, while Kastelein was rewarded for a strong day with his first IRONMAN podium.
Hauschildt Overcomes Cramps for Victory
It was telling in the women’s race when the outstanding bike-runner, and current European IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 champion, Melissa Hauschildt was fourth out of the 3.8km swim.
More so that her other pre-race favourites, defending champion Sarah Piampiano (USA), three-time runner-up Mareen Hufe (DEU) and Sweden’s Asa Lundstrom were over six minustes adrift.
Hauschildt took no time in assuming control on the bike, ahead by four minutes by midway through the bike before Hufe made her move, ultimately grabbing the lead with 15kms left and taking a near three-minute buffer on to the 42.2km marathon run.
That advantage did not last long against the might of Hauschildt who regained the lead before the 10km mark and while it was not a vintage display of bounce and beauty on the run, the Queenslander was never seriously threatened.
However the main threat came with serious leg cramps over the final 15kms, even cramping up as she ventured down the finish chute but still managed to win in 8:54:38 to better Britta Martin’s 2014 course record by two minutes.
"I was so nervous out there from around 25kms when I got the first cramp and I’ve never had cramps like that. It was so debilitating I didn’t think I could get through it," says Hauschildt.
"I felt really good on the bike. I had a leg issue in Kona, but I got through that and I was really happy to win. And I was pretty happy to get the record as well, it was a really tough last half of the marathon."
Hufe held on strongly for her fourth straight runners-up effort at Busselton with Piampiona bagging the best run of the day for third, all three going under the magical nine hour barrier.
PRO MALE
1 BOZZONE, Terenzo NZL 0:46:23—4:10:49—2:50:38—7:51:26
2 POTTS, Andy USA 0:46:21—4:20:05—2:44:41—7:55:12
3 KASTELEIN, Nick AUS 0:46:10—4:22:12—2:53:01—8:05:24
4 PETERSEN-BACH, jens DNK 0:49:54—4:28:34—2:48:45—8:11:20
5 CHEVROT, Denis FRA 0:46:22—4:28:39—2:56:03—8:15:23
6 HOVGARD, Esben DNK 0:50:02—4:25:31—2:58:21—8:18:00
7 FOX, Michael AUS 0:46:17—4:29:58—2:57:55—8:18:07
8 BACHOR, Konstantin DEU 0:49:59—4:18:17—3:07:02—8:19:51
9 OGDEN, Courtney AUS 0:50:03—4:31:00—3:01:45—8:27:46
10 MAXWELL, Levi AUS 0:53:08—4:38:11—2:52:59—8:28:28
PRO FEMALE
1 HAUSCHILDT, Melissa AUS 0:54:29—4:48:46—3:06:39—8:54:39
2 HUFE, Mareen DEU 0:59:12—4:41:32—3:12:25—8:57:36
3 PIAMPIANO, Sarah USA 0:59:11—4:49:29—3:05:13—8:58:51
4 LUNDSTROM, Asa SWE 1:00:55—4:47:23—3:13:20—9:06:08
5 GRUBER, Alexabeth AUT 1:00:50—5:04:40—3:05:17—9:15:59
6 COOGAN, Kym AUS 0:57:53—5:09:21—3:23:50—9:36:36