Who were the speedy amateur athletes at IRONMAN Wales on Sunday?
As you’ll have read in all of the reports coming from Tenby (including – hopefully – OURS!), the 2017 edition of IRONMAN Wales was something of an epic race, with the worst of the British weather combining with the challenging Pembrokeshire course to deliver a race that was quite simply a massive achievement to make it to the finish line.
It was a day for which finish times really should be taken with a pinch of salt – with Thorsten from TriRating.com ranking it, statistically, as the “second slowest ever in an Ironman-branded race”. Such analysis will likely not come as a surprise to those who were there on Sunday.
It's a little but WINDY here at #IMWales pic.twitter.com/hbWXIBobce
— Kate Comber (@KateComber) September 10, 2017
That aside, times are only a part of an Ironman story, and while Cameron Wurf (AUS) and Lucy Gossage (GBR) walked away with the Pro wins and $8,000 in prize money, there was still fierce racing across the Age-Group ranks, where it is positions that determine podium awards and Kona slots.
Here are the overall top five AG times, followed by all of the category winners.
IRONMAN UK Tenby 2017: Fastest Age-Group athletes
FEMALE
1st – Josie Rawes (GBR) – 11:23:43 – AG 25-29
2nd – Zoe Smith (GBR) – 11:26:43 – AG 35-39
3rd – Rebecca Bennett (GBR) – 11:38:15 – AG 30-34
4th – Caoimhe Ni Murchu (IRL) – 11:51:52 – AG 35-39
5th – Helena Hayes (IRL) – 11:56:05 – AG 18-24
MALE
1st – Jens Groenbek (DEN) – 9:50:47 – AG 35-39
2nd – Mariusz Olenjniczak (POL) – 10:00:12 – AG 35-39
3rd – Markus Stohr (GER) – 10:04:11 – AG 25-29
4th – Robert Fryer (GBR) – 10:04:11 – AG 30-34
5th – Simon Lovelock (GBR) – 10:06:36 – AG 30-34
After a few years of near misses I'm finally off to the big island. #kona pic.twitter.com/Ieyk4HHmAV
— Simon Lovelock (@simon_lovelock) September 11, 2017
IRONMAN Wales Tenby 2017: Age-Group winners
FEMALE
18-24: Helena Hayes (IRL) – 11:56:05
25-29: Josie Rawes (GBR) – 11:23:43
30-34: Rebecca Bennett (GBR) – 11:38:15
35-39: Zoe Smith (GBR) – 11:26:43
40-44: Joanna Shallcross (GBR) – 12:05:15
45-49: Heike Funk (GER) – 11:59:26
50-54: Joanna Grundle (GBR) – 12:30:25
55-59: Jane Wiley (GBR) – 12:38:28
60-64: Judith Dutton (GBR) – 15:37:49
65-69: Linda Spillane (GBR) – 16:22:26
MALE
18-24: Silas Kohn (GER) – 10:51:39
25-29: Markus Stohr (GER) – 10:04:11
30-34: Robert Fryer (GBR) – 10:04:32
35-39: Jens Groenbek (DEN) – 9:50:47
40-44: Marin Koceic (CRO) – 10:14:43
45-49: Paul Lewis (GBR) – 10:18:04
50-54: Michael Noll (GER) – 10:41:04
55-59: Martin Beare (GBR) – 11:58:30
60-64: Jean-Luc Miffand (FRA) – 12:52:59
65-69: William Picton (GBR) – 15:34:51