Collins, Hector take Israman 113
Ben Collins won the 2016 Israman 113 triathlon and Alice Hector grabbed the women's title. Bart Candel and Antonina Reznikov earned long course 226 honors.
Triathlon is both ancient and modern. A newer sport where invocation has always been welcomed, yet the most iconic races, like Kona, test us against the oldest places where it once again comes down to the timeless struggle of man vs nature. Israel mirrors triathlon, a modern country built within the ancient history of the land and history here. You can visit Timna Park near the race venue and see Egyptian temples, or visit Jerusalem and step back in time to see people practice the worlds main three religions, much in the same way they did hundreds or thousands of years ago.
The races, Half (113) and Full (226), take place in Eilat on the Red Sea, the setting of the story of Moses parting the Red Sea. But today was a story, filled with an enormous field of athletes that took to the warm, clear waters. The swim is much like St. Croix or Kona where the water is so clear that you can see all of the sea life around you, including schools of fish.
The 113 race saw Evert Scheltinga, blaze to a 22-minute-flat swim and lead the contenders out of the water. 45 seconds back was Ben Collins with defending champ Massimo Cigana in arrears another 4 minutes, but the former Italian road cyclist wasn't counted out as this course is defined by the brutal 20k climb that starts the bike course taking athletes up into the Eilat mountains.
Despite expectations, it was not Massimo this year who used the climb to secure the victory but American, Ben Collins, who rode the 90k course faster than everyone else; with the sun rising over the Jordan Mountains the moon set over Egypt, both visible from the bike course. He entered T2 with a commanding lead of five minutes over the next athlete and fifteen minutes over Massimo.
The run is a brutal, punishing, and sublime affair that takes athletes on a 13k descent out of the mountains with views 1000 feet above the Red Sea. While it kills the legs, the view does much to take your mind off the pain.
How they entered T2 was the final finishing order with Ben Collins taking the win, Evert Scheltinga taking second place and Evert's brother, Diederik Scheltinga, taking third. However, it wasn't easy as Collins hobbled off the bike and was stumbling out of T2, but he found his legs and the strength before the 21k run was over and looked reborn at the finish.
The woman's race saw Alice Hector of Scotland go wire to wire for the win. "I thought looking at the profile this run would be really fast" said the newly crowded champion. "But in the last 5k, I came undone and really struggled. I even did special downhill running repeats to prepare. Also, my training has been going really well. This race is just hard."
"I love this race. Everyone is so friendly. It's one of the friendliest race atmospheres I have ever experienced," added the Scotswoman.
Second place was the defending champ Martina Dogana, who raced with a toughness that the course requires but also with the communal feel that the race provokes and was seen cheering other athletes as she passed them on the run. Third place was the multiple time winner of the 226 event Dora Heller of Israel.
The full distance event saw defending champ, Holland's Bart Candel, take the lead early on and by the end of the first lap of the bike was well ahead of second place and two time past champion Petr Vasbrousek. If you attend a full distance race chances are Vasbrousek is racing it, as the pro is known for his massive race calendar, preferring racing over training. These two were the only ones to break 10 hours going 9:46 and 9:57, evidence of just how hard this course is. Third place was Hywel who finished in 10 hours even.
The pre-race worry for 2016 Israman was the unusually cool temperatures, but the Red Sea is a constant 22c, and by the time athletes swam and climbed the mountain on their bikes the day turned pleasant and near perfect for the run. The run leg offered a bright and sunny 65f degrees.
The conditions and course couldn't keep female winner Antonina Reznikov from breaking 11 hours, dominating the field, and winning by over a half-hour in the 2016 edition of Israman. Her winning time of 10:59 is a testament to the fact that this course is surely among the hardest in the known cosmos. Second place was Vanessa Pereira who finished 11:31 and the podium was finished off by Israeli Inbar Zahavi in 12:02.
2016 Israman Garmin Eilat 113
Top men
1. Ben Collins (USA) 4:27:12
2. Evert Scheltinga (NED) 4:36:37
3. Diederik Scheltinga (NED) 4:41:09
Top women
1. Alice Hector (GBR) 5:14:58
2. Martina Dogana (ITA) 5:25:59
3. Dora Heller (ISR) 5:41:50
2016 Israman Garmin Eilat 226
Top men
1. Bart Candel (NED) 9:46:16
2. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) 9:57:55
3. Hywel Davies (GBR) 10:00:31
Top women
1. Antonina Reznikov (ISR) 10:59:15
2. Vanessa Pereira (POR) 11:31:52
3. Inbar Zahavi (ISR) 12:02:09
Complete results can be found here.
John Hirsch is a pro athlete and the head coach of the charity team www.teamcontinuum.net
Follow him on Twitter @j_hirsch
