The Men’s Race
Denis Vasiliev was the first man out of the water (23:16), leading a group that contained Ospaly (23:32). Al Sultan (24:04) and Raelert (24:12), meanwhile, were nearly a minute back on the early leaders.

Out on the bike and and Vasiliev and Ospaly were joined in the early stages by Bjorn Andersson, with Raelert, Al-Sultan and Cyril Viennot joining that group. Viennot (2:13:45) led Ospaly (2:15:12) into T2 with Raelert further back (2:14:48). Coming out of T2 and Ospaly immediately put his foot down. Opening up a 30-second lead on Viennot by 12km (48 seconds on Raelert), he continued to pull away from the rest of the field. A race-best 1:11:33 half marathon was enough to give him the win in 3:54:45. Raelert was second (3:55:24) with Viennot third (3:56:18).

The Women’s Race
Anja Beranek led the women out of the wet stuff (25:40), a full two minutes ahead of pre-race favourites Caroline Steffen (27:30) and nearly five-minutes up on Natascha Badmann (30:05). Beranek worked hard on the early stages of the bike, opening up a 2:40 gap on Lucie Zelenkova in second. Then Badmann and Steffen made their moves. By 62km the pair were 2:05 and 3:04 down on Beranek respectively and looking strong.

Beranek entered T2 at the head of the field (2:28:23), with Badmann chasing her in second (2:25:09). Julia Gajer, meanwhile, was further back having posted a 2:31:20 bike split. Not that it mattered. As Beranek started the feel the affects of the bike, Badmann took the lead, with Gajer just 30-seconds behind. Just a couple of Kilometers later Gajer had a narrow lead and she never looked back. A 1:20:22 run was enough to give her the win in 4:23:14. Erika Csomor was second (4:24:08), with Badmann third (4:24:24).

Ironman 70.3 Austria
Results

Top 5 Men
1. Filip Ospaly (CZE) 3:54:45
2. Andreas Raelert (GER) 3:55:24
3. Cyril Viennot (FRA) 3:56:18
4. Alessandro Degasperi (ITA) 3:57:35
5. Francois Chabaud (FRA) 3:57:26

Top 5 Women
1. Julia Gajer (GER) 4:23:14
2. Erika Csomor (HUN) (4:24:08)
3. Natascha Badmann (SUI) 4:24:24
4. Sonja Tajsich (GER) 4:25:08
5. Caroline Steffen (SUI) 4:25:35

The Men’s Race
Full-time dentist and part-time pro David Kahn led the men out of the water in 23:29. The surprise package of the race, Francesc Godoy from Barcelona, was on his toes (23:32) before a gap to a second group of the men, which included Lance Armstrong (24:52). Maxim Kriat was eighth out in 25:12.

Out on the bike, there were no surprises. Quickly bridging the gap to the early leaders, Armstrong had a 30-second cushion over Godoy and 60-seconds over Kahn by Mile 15. That lead just grew. In just three miles his lead over Godoy and Kahn had grown by a further minute, while Kriat was running 3:30 down on the leader. Lance continued to blitz the bike, taking a three-minute cushion past the 30-Mile mark and pushing hard. Behind him, the race to come off the bike in second was hotting up. Godoy was holding off Kahn nearing the midway point, but the group behind those two – led by Kriat – was closing in. However, Lance was ripping them to pieces. Sitting at an average of 28.71mph, he was 6:05 up by Mile 38.5. It was a masterclass from the seven-time Tour de France champion, whose 2:01:13 bike split (which was more than ten-minutes faster than the second quickest split, a 2:11:43 from Maxim Kriat) brought him into T2 10:40 up on Godoy, and 10:45 ahead of Kriat.

As the chasers exited T2, Armstrong was almost two miles up the road and averaging 6-minute mile pace. It was quick and it was consistent and neither Kriat nor Godoy – running in second and third – were able to bring the gap down to less than ten-minutes in the first nine miles. And then Lance got quicker. Yes, as he went through Mile 10 he was down to 5:52 pace and Kriat had once again failed to make any sort of a dent on his lead. It was an exceptional performance and in the end Armstrong sealed an easy win with a 1:15:56 half marathon and a finishing time of 3:45:38. Maxim Kriat held on for second (3:56:56), with Francesc Godoy in third (3:59:45).

The Women’s Race
Amanda Stevens (25:04) enjoyed a healthy lead over Nina Kraft (26:41) coming out of the water, while eventual winner Jessica Jacobs was way down (33:33). At the start it looked like Kraft had her bike legs on as she quickly ate into Stevens’ advantage. By Mile 15 the gap was down to one minute, with Jennifer Tetrick and Mandy McLane a further 45-seconds down the road. Stevens, who was racing her first event of the year after returning from injury, was clearly keen to see where her fitness was and started to push. She had a 2:09 lead at 38.5 Miles from Tetrick with Nina Kraft a further 4:20 down the road and Stevens was looking comfortable.

But Tetrick was holding firm, and a race best 2:22:01 was enough to bring her in T2 less than a minute down on Stevens (2:26:21). With a 1:30:04 PB, Tetrick looked like the one with the legs to take home the tape and by Mile 5 she had halved Stevens’ lead. It was a sign of things to come. As Stevens began to falter, Tetrick got stronger and by Mile 9 has 2:22 ahead of her fellow American. Then came Jessica Jacobs. The three-time Ironman champion had started the run a minute further back on Tetrick, but with a couple of miles to go she was flying. A 1:21:53 half marathon gave her a 90-second advantage on Tetrick as she crossed the line in 4:24:30. Amanda Stevens held on for third (4:28:19).

Ironman 70.3 Florida
Results

Top 5 Men
1. Lance Armstrong (USA) 3:45:38
2. Maxim Kriat (USA) 3:56:56
3. Francesc Godoy (ESP) 3:59:45
4. Andreas Castillo (COL) 4:01:08
5. Mauro Cavanha (BRA) 4:02:04

Top 5 Women
1. Jessica Jacobs (USA) 4:24:30
2. Jennifer Tetrick (USA) 4:26:09
3. Amanda Stevens (USA) 4:28:19
4. Nina Kraft (GER) 4:28:43
5. Tamara Kozulina (USA) 4:31:14

The Men’s Race
With all eyes on course records, there was one that everyone was pretty sure would not be broken this year: John Flanagan’s blistering 46:20 swim from 2011. With the super swimmer not in attendance this year, Joe Umphenour and Brandon Marsh led the men out of the water in 48:48. They were part of a five man group, including Mathias Hecht (48:54) and Rasmus Henning (48:55), that would leave T1 together. Rapp, meanwhile, was nearly five-minutes down posting a swim split of 53:36.

Before the race there was talk of a Sub-8 men’s time, with a lot of pundits suggesting that Rasmus Henning was the man to do it. At the start of the bike it looked like he might be true to form. The Great Dane joined Mathias Hecht at the front of the field and the two worked hard together to create a gap between themselves and their main rivals (Rapp being one of them). But by the midway point on the bike Hecht had made his move. Breaking away from Henning, Hecht had a 5:27 lead on the Dane by 56-miles, 10:02 on Rapp.

Texas enjoys a straight out-and-back bike, and with the winds picking up it was day that promised to favour the stronger cyclists. But while Hecht continued to push a big gear at the front, Rapp was starting to close down Henning in second. By the time the pair had hit T2, Rapp had ten seconds on the Dane, but had surrendered 12:29 to Mathias Hecht, whose 4:18:17 set a new course record.

Rapp and Henning emerged from T2 together and started trying to chase down Hecht. And it was Henning who looked the stronger in the early stages of the race, pulling away from the American. Rapp, however, was just getting started. While Hecht was comfortably in front at Mile 9, by Mile 12 the gap to Rapp was a mere 1:26. By Mile 14 he had the lead. Henning, meanwhile, had closed to within 60-seconds of the pair, but was starting to fade. Rapp was in sublime form. He had extended his lead to 3:28 by Mile 18 and seven minutes by Mile 20. And all the time he looked in complete control. A 2:46:56 marathon (new course record) gave Rapp the win in 8:10:44. Justin Daerr ran his way into second (8:22:15) after an epic battle with Mathias Hecht (8:22:58), while Henning faded to seventh.

“I felt great on that run,” Rapp explained. “I’ve been wanting to break the 2 hour and 50 minute barrier in the marathon, to show that I’m not a one-trick pony. Now I want to go to Kona and run with the big boys.”

The Women’s Race
As would be the tale for much of the race, Mary Beth Ellis led the women out of the water in 53:32. She was joined in T1 by Tami Ritchie (53:33), Amy Marsh (53:33) and Sandra Soldan (53:37). Top-ranked Brit Connie Abraham was more than ten minutes off the pace at this stage, hitting T1 in 1:04:06.

Much like the men’s race, two women set the pace at the front of the field and worked together to build a lead. By the midway point of the race the pair were running 9:12 ahead of Australian Ironman Champion Christie Sym, with a 13:34 lead over fifth-placed Caitlin Snow. In fact, Amy Marsh and Mary Beth Ellis traded top spot for the entirety of the bike, entering T2 with almost identical bike split times. Ellis recorded a 4:45:52, Marsh a 4:45:51, giving them an 18:41 lead over third-placed Christie Sym (4:58:48).

It was a familiar pattern on the run. The pair worked together for many of the early miles until Ellis made her break. By Mile 12 she had a two-minute lead on Marsh and it looked like she was running away with it. But Marsh was holding firm, and Ellis had only been able to take another 50-seconds out of her fellow American by Mile 18. But Ellis kept chipping away and her lead continued to grow. Meanwhile, Caitlin Snow was showing the run form that she is famous for and eating into Marsh’s lead. Three minutes back from Marsh at Mile 23, she flew through the remainder of the run to take an impressive second spot with a 2:51:47 marathon – smashing the previous course record. But the day belonged to Ellis, whose 8:54:58 laid down a new benchmark on the Texas course.

Ironman Texas
Results

Top 5 Men
1. Jordan Rapp (USA) 8:10:44
2. Justin Daerr (USA) 8:22:15
3. Mathias Hecht (SUI) 8:22:58
4. Jozsef Major (HUN) 8:27:19
5. Brandon Marsh (USA) 8:30:18

Top 5 Women
1. Mary Beth Ellis (USA) 8:54:58
2. Caitlin Snow (USA) 9:01:32
3. Amy Marsh (USA) 9:04:00
4. Corinne Abraham (GBR) 9:18:39
5. Charisa Wernick (USA) 9:27:43

Women’s Race
Lesley Paterson came from behind with a late surge and passed Melanie McQuaid in the final lap of the run to win gold at the Shelby County ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships & XTERRA Southeast Championship. McQuaid, the defending champion who led for much of the race, took silver and Carla Van Huysteen, bronze.

“I feel great. Training has gone well, prep went well,” said Paterson. “I was feeling energized and ready to rumble. Everything went to plan really. I had a little mechanical on the bike. My chain came off. Everything else went pretty smooth.”

As the afternoon heat descended upon the women, they entered the water with McQuaid leading the first pack after lap 1. By the second lap, South Africa’s Van Huyssteen had overtaken the lead heading into T2 with Michelle Flipo (MEX), Suzie Snyder (USA), McQuaid, and Paterson, following close behind.

Shortly into the first lap of the bike, McQuaid moved ahead and built a significant lead which put her more than two minutes ahead of her contenders by the third lap of the bike. Van Huyssteen, Snyder and Paterson remained in the second group behind McQuaid on the bike course heading into the run.

The tide began to turn on the run when Paterson got in stride and inched to 23 seconds off leader McQuaid in the first lap, creating a large margin between her and the second pack which included Van Huyssteen, Snyder and Shonny Vanlandingham. Moving well into the second lap, Paterson shot past McQuaid and never looked back to claim her first ITU World Championship

“I knew I had to try to catch Melanie and I had to take a lot of time out of her as quickly as possible,” said Paterson.

Paterson crossed the finish line with a 3-minute lead on McQuaid but smiles were all around for the silver medallist.

“I was happy with my race. I had a pretty good day but it just wasn’t quite as good as Leslie’s,” said McQuaid. “I’m happy she got it. It’s well deserved.”

Bronze medallist Van Huyssteen, who travels to Sardinia next, realized her vision in the race.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming into the race and the podium was my ultimate goal,” said Van Huyssteen. “I am really, really happy with my race.”

Earlier today in the junior women’s race, 16-year old Hannah Rae Finchamp (USA) ran to a powerful finish and a gold medal. Securing silver was compatriot Jocelyn Vides (USA) and Charne Prinsloo (RSA) took the bronze.

Men’s Race
South Africa’s Conrad Stoltz stormed through the bike and run to win the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships in Shelby County, Alabama. Craig Evans of the USA finished a strong race for silver and Christopher Legh of Australia, took home the bronze.

This is Stoltz’s second consecutive ITU Cross Triathlon World Championship win after he took the inaugural title in Spain last year, as well as his sixth consecutive XTERRA win on the Shelby County course.

“I am really really proud, “ said Stoltz. “It is something to achieve so I am really proud to do this for my country.”

The sun was at full strength as the men entered the water for the swim. Richard Stannard (GBR) took a sharp lead in the first lap and carried through heading into T2 with a strong field of contenders behind him in a tight second pack. Sergio Sarmiento (MEX), Leandro Lobo (VEN), Jean-Phillipe Thibodeau (CAN) and Sean Bechtel (CAN) hung on to their positions heading into T2 with Stoltz coming out of the water at just over a minute behind the leader.

After the first bike leg, Stoltz had not only catapulted up the ranks but was in a neck to neck battle with Craig Evans (USA) for first place.

“I didn’t realize I was making gaps as big as that on the bike,” said Stoltz. “Normally I really wouldn’t consider this my course because I am so tall. I don’t see myself as the king of corners.”

Stoltz continued to gain momentum on the bike and drove more of a time wedge between he and the ensuing pack, consisting of Evans, Stannard, Branden Rakita (USA), Bechtal and Legh. Heading in to the run, Stoltz remained a minute ahead of the pack.

On lap 1 of the run, Stoltz remained strong with Evans coming up the rear. A possible setback arose for Legh as he was called in the penalty box on a helmet violation while Rakita and Josiah Middaugh (USA) moved closer to narrowing the gap to third position.

Coming through on the stretch with a 30 second lead, Stoltz powered his way to victory with Evans, in second place, crossing the finish line exuberantly.

“There were a lot of things going through my mind in this race. I had goose bumps the entire race,” said Evans. “What a celebration and second place is beyond a dream….I can’t put this one into words, it is beyond exciting.”

In the men’s junior race earlier in the day, taking a commanding lead in the swim and bike, South Africa’s Bradley Schuit powered through the run to win gold. Nicholas Alvarez (MEX) coasted through to take silver and bronze went to Robbie Deckard of the USA.

Bradley Weiss of South Africa won the U23 division, and posted the fastest time among all age-group racers at 2:11:23. Weiss and Slovakia’s Tomas Kubek stayed near each other for most of the course, and Weiss was finally able to forge a lead early in the run. Karsten Madsen finished third.

ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships
Results

Top 5 Men
1. Conrad Stoltz 2:12:11
2. Craig Evans 2:12:58
3. Christopher Legh 2:14:11
4. Josiah Middaugh 2:15:47
5. Richard Stannard 2:16:10

Top 5 Women
1. Lesley Paterson 2:24:39
2. Melanie McQuaid 2:27:25
3. Carla Van Huysteen 2:28:34
4. Suzanne Snyder 2:29:14
5. Shonny Vanlandingham 2:29:15

At the head of that field was Daniel Halksworth, who led out of the water in 47:56. He was followed by fellow Brits Phil Graves (47:59) and Stephen Bayliss (48:02). Meanwhile, one of the pre-race favourites, Bert Jammaer, was more than a minute back (49:41).

Out on the bike, one man dominated proceedings: Phil Graves. In 2009 he blitzed the first 130km of the course before bonking and dropping out in the early stages of the run. Had he learned his lesson? While Graves rode with Bayliss for the first few kilometres of the bike, it wasn’t long before the talented Brit (who has been training with the Brownlee brothers of late) started to build up a lead. He had two-minutes over Bayliss by 50km (four-minutes on Jammaer), and that had increased to 6:30 by 90km. It was an utterly dominant performance from the young Brit, a 4:48:40 bike split the second fastest in the history of the race. Meanwhile, behind him Spain’s Victor del Corral (4:54:31) entered T2 in second, 10:26 down on Graves, with Stephen Bayliss (5:05:40) 16:34 down on the leader.

But had Graves gone too hard? Immediately Del Corral started to eat into the Brits’ lead. 5km into the run and the gap was down to 8:36, and as the marathon progressed the lead kept on falling. Bayliss, meanwhile, was holding a steady gap between himself and the leader of around 15-minutes (both men running 2:50 marathon pace). But Del Corral kept coming. By 15km the lead was down to 5:23 and by 25km there was a new leader in Ironman Lanzarote. Graves had decided to call it a day, saying that his legs were not used to running on pavement. He will be back at Ironman Austria. With the race in his grasp Del Corral continued to build a lead over Bayliss. A 2:50:10 marathon was enough to seal Del Corral’s first Ironman title in 8:44:40. Bayliss posted a 2:54:07 run for second (8:53:38) with Sergio Marques in third (9:02:59) .

The women’s race was a very different affair, with Michelle Vesterby dominating things from start to finish. The Dane led the women out of the water (51:44), nearly three-minutes ahead of the second-placed Saleta Castro (54:36). Bella Bayliss, who was making a much-anticipated return to Ironman racing following the birth of her son, was third (56:13).

25km into the bike Vesterby had extended that lead to five minutes over Nicole Woysch, with Bella Bayliss a further minute back. Woysch continued to maintain the gap to Vesterby, while the rest of the field struggled to match her impressive pace. But as the mountains kicked in, so did Vesterby. At 120km Vesterby’s lead was still five minutes, by 165km the Dane had a ten-minute lead over second-placed Saleta Castro. A 5:39:25 bike was enough to bring the Dane into T2 with the 10-minute cushion that she had said that she needed before the race.

With Vesterby running alone out front, the race for second place was warming up (as was the course). Heleen Bij de Vaate had taken over from Castro in second, with Bella Bayliss running fourth. Vesterby, meanwhile, wasn’t taking any chances. With Bayliss moving at three-hour marathon pace, Vesterby managed to maintain her lead by running a 3:13 marathon pace – seven minutes quicker than her PB. Bayliss continued to eat into Vesterby’s lead, but was slowly running out of time. Despite the Dane visibly tiring she had more that eight-minutes over the Iron-Mom with 7km to go, and held on to take the win (9:58:07) with a 3:20:16 marathon. Bayliss was second (10:06:13) with Bij de Vaate third (10:17:34).

Ironman Lanzarote
Results

Top 5 Men
1. Victor Del Corral (ESP) 08:44:40
2. Stephen Bayliss (GBR) 08:53:38
3. Sergio Marques (POR) 09:02:59
4. Bert Jammaer (BEL) 09:04:42
5. Patrick Jaberg (SUI) 09:06:26

Top 5 Women
1. Michelle Vesterby (DEN) 09:58:07
2. Bella Bayliss (GBR) 10:06:13
3. Heleen Bij de Vaate (NED) 10:17:34
4. Veerle D´haese (BEL) 10:25:13
5. Nicole Woysch (GER) 10:37:20

This will be the first year the event won’t take place on the grounds of Walt Disney World in Orlando. Instead, athletes will swim in Lake Eva, bike through Polk County and finish with a three-lap run around the lake’s park.

The Florida race will be Armstrong’s first time entering a 70.3 event as the favorite to win. The American has so far competed in three half-iron-distance races, finishing second at Ironman 70.3 Panama on Feb. 12, seventh at Ironman 70.3 Texas on April 1 and third at Ironman 70.3 St. Croix on May 6.

Last year’s 70.3 Florida winner Andy Potts (who also beat Armstrong at 70.3 St. Croix two weeks ago) has decided not to race. Armstrong will have to contend with the other two podium finishers from last year. American David Kahn is skilled at all three sports and may challenge Armstrong on the run if he can stay within striking distance. Ukraine’s Maxim Kriat has faced Armstrong twice this year and finished behind him both times (11th at Ironman 70.3 Texas and seventh at Ironman 70.3 St. Croix).

Armstrong will likely be experimenting with a couple of things as he works toward Ironman 70.3 Hawaii on June 2 and his Ironman debut in Nice, France on June 24. He’s expressed the need to hone in on a nutrition plan that will help him feel strong through the entire 70.3-mile race. The cycling star is also still learning how to balance the need to gain time on the bike with the desire to have fresh legs heading onto the half-marathon.

The Ironman 70.3 Florida race is a P-500 event, the lowest possible rating on the Kona Pro Ranking scale. The winner will bank 500 points toward Kona qualification, with 440 going to second and third earning 390.

See the complete start list below:

Men’s Start List
1 David Kahn
2 Ed Donner
3 Tyler Lord
4 Lance Armstrong
5 Zach Ruble
6 Jimmy Archer
7 Andres Castillo
8 Pablo Montoya
9 Josh Seifarth
11 Fabian Rahn
12 Jim Lubinski
13 Andrew Hodges
14 Michael Poole
15 Chris Huff
16 Julien Biboud
17 Raymond Botelho
18 Jason Watson
19 Andrew Langfield
20 Stephen Dyke
22 Flo Kriegl
23 Mauro Cavanha
24 Martin Lamonatgne-Lacasse
25 Francesc Godoy
26 Chris Bagg
28 Bojan Maric
29 Maxim Kriat

Women’s Start List
36 Nina Kraft
37 Ashley Clifford
38 Mandy McLane
39 Heather Leiggi
41 Andrea Hutchins
42 Amber Ferreira
43 Erica Urquiola
45 Fiorella Dcroz
46 Angela Axmann
47 Missy Kuck
48 Terra Castro
49 Natasha Yaremczuk
50 Paolina Allan
51 Jessica Jacobs
52 Amanda Stevens
53 Melody Ramirez
54 Jennifer Tetrick
55 Tamara Kozulina

Focused on environmental protection, social responsibility and lots of healthy, active fun, this 2nd edition of the race in Split will not be as challenging as the 1st race. The Athletes will be able to discover the beauty of the landscape during the bike ride through Split’s hinterland and surrounding villages, and the hilly run from the first edition will be replaced by a flat run along the Adriatic see on the recently restored promenade, guiding the Athletes towards the refreshing pine forest of the Marjan peninsula.

The Participants competing in the race will swim in the beautiful harbor, after which they will head to the transition area and go on a 50 km recurring loop bike stage. The third and final leg will take the athletes on a 5 km run around the beautiful peninsula of Marijan at which point they will turn around and head back to the finish line located before the Expo zone on Split’s promenade, just a stone’s throw away from the famous Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace.

New this year is the format TriStar 55.5. This is compared to TriStar111 half the distance in the same race. Both distances are also offered as a relay. Besides the physical, challenges of social responsibility and environmental protection will play an important role, which will manifest itself in various side events.

Overall, the race features a beautiful and picturesque course steeped in history and draped across fabulous views of the timeless Adriatic.

Jammaer said: “I’m totally focused and ready for tomorrow. It’s one of the best organised races and it’s totally unique with an amazing atmosphere.”

Great Britain’s Phil Graves, the youngest ever Ironman winner, returns after not finishing the race in 2010 when he rode like a demon but faded and dropped out early in the run. He looks leaner and lighter than ever, and more importantly seems to be approaching the race from a far more sensible perspective.

Graves said: “I’m more prepared coming into this race than any other Ironman. I don’t plan to hit the bike as hard as last time and want to do an intelligent race. It’s more important that I finish than smash everyone to pieces in the first 40K of the bike. I want to finish and get through the race in decent shape because I want to race Ironman Austria and New York. Hopefully I’ll come out of the other end alive.”

Another man to look out for is rising Danish star Esben Hovgaard who came third here last year. We have seen him deliver consistent results over the past year and he races well in the heat. Plus he spends a lot of time training here.

Hovgaard said: “It’s going to be tougher this year with some faster guys here. The important thing when racing here is mental strength because you spend a lot of time alone and need to be confident in your own pace.”

When it comes to rest of the field Great Britain’s Daniel Halksworth is one to watch. This will be his first Ironman and after making the top 10 at the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon and coming second to Rasmus Henning at the recent Half Challenge Fuerteventura he certainly comes into the race with good form. Expect to see our dark horse lead out the swim before delivering a strong bike and run. Others to look out for include two-time Ironman winner Stephen Bayliss from Great Britain, Estonia’s Kirill Kotsegarov, Petr Vasbrousek from the Czech Republic and Great Britain’s Oliver Simon

In the women’s race our money is on rising Danish triathlete Michelle Vesterby who was ninth in a stacked field at Ironman Melbourne in March. We expect to see a confident Vesterby first out of the water before delivering a strong bike and solid run.

Vesterby said: “I’m really confident about the race and I’m here to win. The biggest challenge will be the run. I will probably be the first out of the swim and hopefully the first out on to the run course as well. My plan is to be in the front from the start to the end.”

It’s exciting to see the return of Scotland’s Bella Bayliss who took a break while she had a baby. She’s won 15 Ironman races including two at Lanzarote in 2008 and 2009. Bayliss proved she’s back on form when she delivered a solid race at the recent Challenge Fuerteventura event despite being ill and in our opinion is stronger over the full Ironman distance.

Bayliss said: “I’m feeling good but racing is different now with a baby. There are more important things to be thinking about now and we’re busy, but we’re organised and everything is working well.”

Other women to look out for include Holland’s Heleen Bij de Vaate who came second here last year and Katja Meyers from the USA who was fifth at Ironman Wisconsin in 2011. We wish all of the competitors a great day.

The Advance, with an RRP of £99, is based on the design of some of the other Zone3 wetsuits, which have some of the highest rated reviews on the market. Subtle changes to the material and thickness of the suit has enabled the cost to be kept down and gives great value for money.

2012 is a momentous year for the UK and with an elite triathlete, James Lock, at the Zone3 helm it is keen to make sport more accessible to all by offering a complete range of wetsuit, from the World’s most exclusive – the MMXII – to the world’s most affordable performance suit – the Advance.

The Advance wetsuit, predominantly aimed at those new to the sport, comes with great flexibility around the shoulders and arms for a comfortable and energy efficient swim. This is key to the novice, who will be grateful to save energy over longer distance swims or races. It also has a ‘core support system’ built in which gives extra buoyancy on the torso and thighs to help maintain streamlined swimming and increase efficiency. The thickness of 2mm around the shoulders and underarms, 3mm on the chest and upper back and 4mm on the torso, legs and side panels to give you a great balance and natural feeling swim.  In addition, 70 per cent of the wetsuit used Zone3’s ‘SpeedFlo’ coating which minimises any drag through the water, increasing speed and improving durability. The remaining 30 per cent is made from a fully rubberised smooth skin neoprene.

The wetsuit also comes complete with the Zone3 trademark Pro-Speed Cuffs on the lower legs and a high quality YKK downwards zipper to help increase speed of removal; another area novice triathletes need to get to grips with in Transition 1. It is fully stitched and glue bonded increasing flexibility and comfort.

James Lock, founder of Zone3 says:  “Wetsuits are usually one of the more expensive purchases triathletes and open water swimmers make for their sport. The swim sets your race up and struggling with cheaper wetsuits can have a negative effect on the rest of your race. However, novice or not, some do not want to spend the money on top of the range wetsuits, but nor do they want to end up with something that is sluggish, inflexible and hinders their performance. The Zone3 Advance is the perfect balance between price and quality. We’ve worked hard to ensure the Advance contains all the features required for an enjoyable swim; from flexibility to buoyancy to being able to get it off quickly. And looking the part is just as important.”

The Advance wetsuit is also available to hire via the Zone3 website. You can hire the wetsuit for various periods, from one week to the whole season and should you wish to keep it at the end, you have the chance to buy it. See www.RaceZone3.com for more details.

Zone3 wetsuits, worn by novices to professionals, have already achieved multiple 10/10 reviews and ‘Top Value’ awards. The Aspire also received runner up at this year’s 220 Awards in the ‘Wetsuit of the Year’ category. 

Those interested in purchasing an Advance can find more information at www.RaceZone3.com. Price: £99. It is available from May 21st 2012.

When a recovering arm is completely out of the water, it is not moving the swimmer forward in the water. Swimmers should use as little energy as possible during the recovery. Try to relax all unnecessary shoulder, arm and hand muscles. Let the arm lift out of the water as if the elbow was attached to a puppet string. Relax the shoulder and arm as the hand swings forward in an arc.

Novice swimmers can suffer from sore shoulders and fatigued muscles from keeping their hand close to their body during recovery. This is an example of unnecessarily expended energy that does not help with forward propulsion. Each athlete will have a natural recovery path based on personal flexibility.

When the arm is almost fully straight in front of the head, let it drop into the water with a splash and a plunk. Once the arm is submerged, the strong catch phase begins and the relaxed recovery is over.