[Updated to reflect the performances of Jessica Jacobs (USA) at Ironman Florida 2011 plus Leanda Cave and Linsey Corbin at Ironman Arizona 2011]

It was - and will continue to be - widely written and reported that Chrissie Wellington "re-wrote the record books" at Challenge Roth in 2010, recording a breathtaking time of 8:19:13 for ironman distance. A year later, she did it again!

Well, here is one of those "record books", and it has been re-written - yet again - to reflect another two sub-nine hour iron-distance performances from a quite brilliant Kona 2011. That is the first time that two ladies have finished under nine hours in the same Kona race - and now means that Chrissie Wellington, Mirinda Carfrae and Paula Newby Fraser have two 8:XX Kona clocking's each of the six instances it has ever been achieved on the big island. It also means that Mirinda becomes only the thirteenth female athlete to have recorded more than one sub-nine iron-distance finish.

Ironman Austria 2011 saw an all-time World Record from Marino Vanhoenacker in the men's race, which slightly overshadowed a fantastic win in the ladies race from Mary Beth-Ellis. Her 8:43:35 replaces the 2009 8:48:11 of Catriona Morrison (Challenge Roth) as the fastest debut iron-distance time ever and is currently ranked as the seventh fastest iron-distance time ever. She was followed home by Erika Csomor, Diana Rielser and Heleen Bij de Vaate who all broke the nine hour mark. Thus, Austria 2011 becomes only the third time ever (after Roth 2008 and 2009), that four ladies have recorded sub-nine hour times in one event, while Erika joins a select group of six that have recorded three or more sub-nine times.

In total, 29 ladies have now finished an iron-distance triathlon with an 8:XX:XX clocking, and with three sub-9's at Challenge Roth 2011, the amazing events of Kona 2011, Jessica Jacobs at Ironman Florida 2011 plus Cave/Corbin at Ironman Arizona, we now have 57 sub-9 female finishes recorded.

Number of sub-nine hour ladies iron-distance finishes?

Sport and numbers seem to be a perfect marriage. Whatever your sport, or whatever your ability, sooner or later you'll invariably be creating targets based on time. Whether that's making the 17-hour Ironman cut-off, running a sub-three hour marathon or beating 25 minutes in your club '10', everyone likes to break a barrier and set a personal best.

And, following the excitement from Quelle Challenge Roth (2009), and the fantastic world best figures of Chrissie Wellington, I thought it was a great opportunity to look, in depth, at ladies iron-distance performances. Recording a 'sub-nine' (hours) time for ladies, is a natural goal for many of the elite athletes in our sport, (just as going 'sub-eight' is for men), but, how often has it been done?

I didn't know. I researched extensively, and as far as I could see, nobody else knew either. I even found websites dedicated to this very subject - and realised I knew more than them anyway!

And so, it started... many hours of head-scratching, web surfing and historic magazine research - too many hours! - and I realised, not quickly enough, that I'd embarked on an "I'd started, so I had to finish mission". This definitely comes with a 'don't try this at home' warning. But I digress.

What follows is a result of that mission. Should you think I've missed any, please send me the details (editor@tri247.com), as my aim is to create the definitive list of sub-nine hour female iron distance finishes. The only downside of all of this work? I then had to do the same task for the sub-eight hour men!

Sub-Nine Hour Female Iron Distance Finishes

Fastest Female Iron Distance Athletes (Best Time)

Athlete / Race Analysis

Commentary

Not surprisingly, Roth wins in terms of course speed. Fifteen sub-nine's in the past five races (2007-2011), 20 in total and of course the three fastest absolute times ever from Chrissie, plus six of the top-10... However Ironman Austria (Klagenfurt) comes close now with 13 following the 2011 edition. Roth was also the venue of the first ever sub-nine clocking from Thea Sybesma (NED) in 1991.

Following Chrissie's quite staggering performances at Roth 2009, Roth in 2010 and Roth 2011, added to her figures from Ironmans Arizona and South Africa, Chrissie now holds the five fastest iron-distance times ever and is the only athlete with more than one in the top ten. Those top five times, along with her Kona course record (2009) were all achieved in consecutive races...which she followed up with arguably her greatest performance ever at the 2011 Ironman World Championships, even if it wasn't (quite!) a Kona record. Quite a form line...

Want some more Chrissie stats? 2011 is the second time (2009 being the first) that Chrissie has achieved three sub-nine hour finishes in one year. Indeed, you have to go back three years to Kona 2008 for the last time Chrissie didn't finish with 8:XX on the clock - and that was the year that she spent 10+ minutes on the side of the road with a puncture... and still won with a finish time of 9:06:23. It's now eight consecutive sub-nine finishes 2009-2011 inclusive. Raising the bar for sure.

Chrissie also now stands alone as the head of the most sub-9's list; her 8:33:56 at Ironman South Africa 2011 - the fastest M-Dot Ironman time to date - added to her absolute World Best at Roth 2011 plus 2011 Kona victory means nine times (in her thirteen unbeaten attempts at the distance), that Chrissie has crossed the line to see 8:XX on the clock nine times.

In 2008, Chrissie Wellington received much comment about celebrating 'too much' on the run-in to the line in Frankfurt, and thus missing the then world best of Paula Newby-Fraser (8:50:53). Things have moved on so quickly that Chrissie's 8:51:24 from that race doesn't even make the top 15 now anyway...

The performance of Cat Morrison at Roth 2009 has now been surpassed by Mary Beth Ellis as the fastest debut iron-distance performance following Klagenfurt 2011.

American Krista Whelen missed out on this list my just one second - she recorded nine hours exactly in 1992 at Roth. Ironically, for 17 years her bike time of 4:45:59 that day was the fastest women's Ironman bike split - smashed by Chrissie with a 4:40:28 at Roth 2009, and then again (4:36:33) in 2010. Chrissie's marathon (2:48:54) was also a world's best... until 10th July 2011 when she improved that yet again to 2:44:35.

Though somewhat lost in the majesty of the world best ahead of her at Roth in 2010, Rebekah Keat in second place (8:52:10) still recorded what is currently the 20th best time in history, and she also became one of just 11 (at the time, it's now 13...) athletes to have broken the nine hour mark more than once, to which she then added another at Challenge Copenhagen just weeks later. Another sub-9 at Challenge Roth 2011 brought her total to four and with a second consecutive win at Challenge Copenhagen 2011 (8:52:42), she has now moved passed the legendary Paula Newby Fraser and into sole second place on the 'most sub-9's' rankings with five.

Erica Csomor made it three sub-nine clocking's at Ironman Austria 2011, and thus makes it a half a dozen ladies with three or more sub-9's to their race CV's.

Tri247 Iron-Distance Statistics Library

• Sub-9 iron ladies: a history
  the definitive list of sub-nine hour female iron distance finishes
• Sub-8 iron men: a history
  the definitive list of sub-eight hour male iron distance finishes
  
• British Ironman success: Ladies
  the definitive record of Ironman® podium finishes by British female athletes
• British Ironman success: Men
  the definitive record of Ironman® podium finishes by British male athletes
• Home Nations Iron Distance Records
  the fastest ironman distance times achieved by each of the Home Nations (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales)
• Fastest British Iron Ladies
  every sub-nine hour 15 minute iron-distance finish by British female athletes ever recorded.
• Fastest British Iron Men
  every sub-eight hour 30 minute iron-distance finish by British male (and female...) athletes ever recorded

Do you believe there is a performance missing here? If so, please do let me know via editor@tri247.com.