The IRONMAN 70.3 Ruegen was a great opportunity to test the fitness for the IRONMAN World Championship. It was not a surprise that Germany’s Patrick Lange and Anja Beranek crossed the finish line with huge smiles. Obviously, the two are in great shape for Kona.
Lange just dominated men’s race: he was at the front in the water and embarked on a hard ride with his compatriot Nils Frommhold. Getting onto the run course, he dropped an early-suffering Frommhold and all other opponents by far. Although Lange slowed down a bit on the final kilometers to enjoy the sunny atmosphere, it's clear he's ready for Kona. After a season of ups and downs with injuries, it looks like the Kona run record holder is prepared for a big showdown in Hawaii.
Beranek thinks about Kona in an optimistic way, too. She celebrated not only a start-to-finish-victory in Binz, but she demonstrated as well that she has improved her the run in the past months. The 32-year-old nailed the best swim and bike, and she maintained her speed on the final half marathon. Daniela Saemmler tried hard to catch up with 2016's Kona fourth-place finisher, but she had no chance to do get closer. Beranek now has a clear goal for the big race on the Big Island: She wants to improve her 2016 ranking.
Top 5 Pro Men
1 Lange, Patrick DEU 3:43:46
2 Loeschke, Franz DEU 3:49:48
3 Kalaszczynski, Lukasz POL 3:51:08
4 Herbst, Marcus DEU 3:51:22
5 Haller, Adrian SUI 3:52:07
Top 5 Pro Women
1 Beranek, Anja DEU 4:16:37
2 Sämmler, Daniela DEU 4:19:41
3 Svensk, Sara SWE 4:25:59
4 Jensen, Pernille DEN 4:28:41
5 Baranovska, Lilia UKR 4:31:48