Search
shop

Andreas Dreitz, Laura Philipp win 70.3 Marbella

Fastest swim and fastest run - but a bike mechanical impacted Alistair Brownlee at IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella today, leaving a German Team ERDINGER double on top of the podiums in Spain
Chief Correspondent
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Second for Alistair Brownlee after early bike mechanical while leading

It all started so well for Alistair Brownlee today at IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella in Spain. It actually finished pretty well too, to be fair. If it hadn’t been for that pesky bike issue…

Pro Men

First out of the water in a swift 22:31, Brownlee was on his own, 39 seconds clear and with a hilly bike course ahead, surely a game of ‘catch me if you can’ (but you probably can’t…), was about to begin? Not so. Half an hour later, he was outside of the top-10 and more than six and a half minutes down having suffered a technical issue – exactly what we are not sure at the current time – with his bike.

While Brownlee was having his problems, Germany’s Andreas Dreitz was showing his own class on two wheels, moving from fourth out of the water to a solo lead which, by halfway, put him almost four minutes clear of Domenico Passuello (ITA). Brownlee was back in the race, but still only in eighth position and more than eight and half minutes back.

The Dreitz charge continued until T2 where he clocked a 2:11:48 bike split over the challenging Marbella terrain, building himself a surely race winning lead of 6:30 over Passuello, with Kevin Rundstadler (FRA) next 10 minutes back, just ahead of the chasing group of Brownlee, Kevin Vandendriessche (BEL), Johann Ackermann (GER) and Adrian Haller (SUI).

Brownlee was soon into third place early in the run, but still almost 10 minutes down on Dreitz and 3:30 down on Passuello with 20km to go. Pre-race, I’d suggested that Alistair preference would have been a hard swim-bike followed by, in relative terms, an ‘easy’ run given his longer-term focus on maintaining and building fitness through the season, as he told me recently. If he still had any designs on recovering from that dreadful start on the bike to win, that approach wasn’t going to be possible. Even a great run was surely not going to threaten the lead of Dreitz anyway.

Alistair made up time on Dreitz and Passuello at every split, eventually passing the Italian to move into second place around the 12km mark, before continuing to close on the German. While the gap was closing consistently – and the double Olympic Champion would finish with a race best 1:11:03 half marathon, it was never going to be enough. Dreitz added a 1:17:01 run to his speedy bike leg and take the win by just over four minutes.

A frustrating day perhaps for the Brit, but at the very least, his qualification for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Nice – his key target for the year – is now assured.

Pro Women

Pre-race, Germany’s Laura Philipp was the overwhelming favourite to repeat her victory of 12 months ago. She did just that – by more than 10 minutes.

Malgorzata Otworowska (POL) lead the way on the swim, her 24:32 more than two minutes clear of the chase group headed by Philipp.

The defending champion was almost two and half minutes clear by midway, with Otworowska still moving well in second place. Fast forward another hour and Philipp reached T2 5:15 clear of Nina Derron (SUI), with Otworowska now third at +7:09.

That trio remained in place until 16km into the run, where Marta Bernardi (ITA) was able to take over third position, remaining there until the finished. Laura Philipp added a best run split (1:21:01) to her fastest bike ride of 2:36:32.

IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella – Saturday 27th April 2019
1.9km / 90km / 21.1km

MEN

1st – Andreas Dreitz (GER) – 3:56:48
2nd – Alistair Brownlee (GBR) – 4:01:00
3rd – Domenico Passuello (ITA) – 4:03:40
4th – Kenneth Vandendriessche (BEL) – 4:05:21
5th – Aleksey Kalistratov (RUS) – 4:05:41

DNF – Robert Brundish (GBR)

WOMEN

1st – Laura Philipp (GER) – 4:28:56
2nd – Nina Derron (SUI) – 4:39:13
3rd – Marta Bernardi (ITA) – 4:44:09
4th – Malgorzata Otworowska (POL) – 4:47:58
5th – Tine Deckers (BEL) – 4:49:14

IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella 2019 - Laura Philipp

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
PremiumTriathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
Hayden Wilde bike supertri Boston 2024 photo credit supertri
Premium10 ways to make your road bike faster and more aero for triathlons
Kristian Blummenfelt photo credit: PTO Canadian Open
PremiumIs your gut health impacting your performance? The untapped potential of good gut health for triathletes
Laura Philipp and Kat Matthews on the run at the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship
PremiumHas triathlon reached peak performance? Tri experts and legends on how much faster triathletes could get
latest News
Hayden Wilde bike supertri Boston 2024 photo credit supertri
Hayden Wilde’s comeback moving closer – and why he’s inspired by Clarkson’s Farm
Paris 2024 Women's Triathlon podium - Cassandre Beaugrand, Julie Derron, Beth Potter
GOLDEN opportunity for the sport as first medals of LA2028 will be women’s triathlon
Gordon Ramsay 703 Luxembourg 2025
‘I’M BACK and Cooking!’ – Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay celebrates triathlon return
Danielle Lewis (USA) takes the win in Lake Placid.
Start list for IRONMAN Lake Placid REVEALED – and it’s stacked with world class names
Julie Derron wins T100 San Francisco 2025
IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz 2025: Olympic star wins by MORE than half an hour for first full-distance win
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

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...