Search
shop

70.3 Dubai: Anne Haug wins, Lewis and Lawrence complete podium

Germany's Anne Haug stormed to victory on the run today at IRONMAN 70.3 Dubai - with a breakthrough performance from Sarah Lewis for second
Chief Correspondent
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Advertisement

Germany’s Anne Haug runs to victory in Dubai

Career-best performance from Great Britain’s Sarah Lewis? Almost certainly…

[CLICK HERE FOR THE MEN’S REPORT FROM DUBAI]

For much of this morning’s women’s Pro race at IRONMAN 70.3 Dubai, I had sense of deja vu, as a Holly Lawrence was being hunted down on the run by Germany’s Anne Haug. That battle went right to the finish straight at IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain in November, with the British IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion in 2016 just getting the better of the German by ten seconds. We didn’t quite end up with the same result today.

With winner for the past two seasons, Daniela Ryf, absent this year, Lawrence hit the front from the start, clocking a swift 23:54 for the 1.9km swim to lead Ellie Salthouse (AUS) and Haug by 1:52 as she reached the Jumeirah Beach shore. The British pair of Sarah Lewis and Kimberley Morrison, along with Agnieszka Jerzyk (POL) were just 20 seconds further back, with Nikki Bartlett 5:12 down already on the speedy Lawrence.

Last year, Morrison was the breakthrough star on the bike and during the opening quarter of the ride, she did move through the field into second, reducing her deficit on Holly by 40 seconds. Lawrence would return the favour slightly over the remainder of the ride, with a net impact over the 90km of almost nothing – 2:14:01 split for Lawrence, 2:14:14 for Morrision. While they did lose a little more time during the cycle leg, Haug, Salthouse and Lewis were still only around 3:30 in arrears at the end of the ride, and with Haug’s running pedigree in particular, that was very much within her capability to close down.

Lawrence appeared to be running quite strongly in the early stages – but she could do little versus the pace of Haug – and by the 10km mark, the German had moved into the lead. As she made the turn to head out on to the second (shorter) run lap, Lawrence was starting to look significantly more fatigued and any battle with Haug was clearly over. It was Sarah Lewis, running strong in third, who was her new danger. As they reached the 10-mile point, Haug was cruising and her win was not in question, but Lewis (the winner of IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin), was not fading and moved past Lawrence into second place. Holly was clearly struggling, looking behind frequently, but fortunately her now third place was not under threat.

Haug continued her march to a victory margin of 4:53 via a 1:14:11 run split (I’m going to guess that the run course was, perhaps, a little short…?), while Lewis clocked 1:18:42 to take second place. In my eyes that performance ranks higher than her efforts in Dublin last year and sets her up for a great season. A shattered Holly Lawrence left it all out there on the course, collapsing to the floor as she crossed the welcome sight of the finish line.

After wins at IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote, second at 70.3 Bahrain and now another win in Dubai, make no mistake, Anne Haug will be a serious podium contender by the time of the World Championship in South Africa.

IRONMAN 70.3 Dubai – Friday 2nd February 2018
1.9km / 90km / 21.1km

PRO WOMEN

1st – Anne Haug (GER) – 4:00:25
2nd – Sarah Lewis (GBR) – 4:05:19
3rd – Holly Lawrence (GBR) – 4:07:36
4th – Ellie Salthouse (AUS) – 4:11:11
5th – Agnieszka Jerzyk (POL) – 4:15:16
6th – Kimberley Morrison (GBR) – 4:16:20
7th – Nikki Bartlett (GBR) – 4:20:19
8th – Asa Lundstrom (SWE) – 4:23:18
9th – Minna Koistinen (FIN) – 4:24:28
10th – Annah Watkinson (RSA) – 4:31:53

John Levison
Written by
John Levison
TRI247's Chief Correspondent, John has been involved in triathlon for well over 30 years, 15 of those writing on these pages, whilst he can also be found commentating for events across the UK.
Discover more
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumHow to pace a triathlon to leave it all out there WITHOUT blowing up
FORM Smart Swim 2 PRO lens close up
FORM Smart Swim Pro 2 Goggles review: can these high tech goggles actually help you to train smarter and swim faster?
Premium‘The difference from triathlon is so big – there’s no comparison’: Maya Kingma on life in the Women’s WorldTour peloton
Laura Siddall Challenge Roth 2025 finish line
PremiumLaura Siddall: 10 things I’ve learned from my professional triathlon career
TRIFIT VORTEX tri suit
The small but mighty tri brand you NEED to know about: Why TRI-FIT are on a mission to disrupt the triathlon apparel scene
latest News
Julia Skala end of Norseman 2025
“A fight for self-worth, strength and healing,” Julia Skala on world’s toughest triathlon
Steve McKenna got the win at the 40th edition of IRONMAN New Zealand.
Star IRONMAN athlete clocks a sub-2:20 marathon – and says there’s more to come
Sam Long St George 2024 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
‘Yo Yo Yo – London is calling’ – Sam Long the latest big name added to stellar T100 start lists
Kristian Grue wins Norseman 2025
Norseman 2025: Grue and Skala conquer ‘Zombie Hill’ and the world’s TOUGHEST triathlon
Hayden Wilde happy T100 Singapore 2025
Hayden Wilde – is he BACK for T100 London after injury nightmare?
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...