Cartmell, Rabe top South Africa 70.3
Great Britain’s Fraser Cartmell used a strong swim and bike to outlast South African James Cunnama’s race record run, while home country favorite Mari Rabe broke the women’s run and overall race records to overtake Germany’s Sandra Wallenhorst by 67 seconds to win the Spec Savers Ironman 70.3 South Africa Sunday.
Cartmell combined a fourth-best 23:15 swim, a race-best 2:23:48 bike and a second-best 1:17:41 run to hit the line in 4:07:54, holding off the 1:14:29 half marathon of runner-up James Cunnama by 1 minute 39 seconds. Cunnama started the bike 1:49 behind Cartmell, gave up another 2:49 on the bike, then stormed back to second with a 1:14:29 run which gained back 3:12 and broke 2006 ITU World Champion Tim Don’s 2009 race record for the 13.1 miles by 19 seconds. Brad Storm, who emerged from the rough waters of the Indian Ocean at Buffalo City’s Orient Beach in second place behind his brother Anton, hit T2 just seconds ahead of Cartmell, and fell out of contention with a 1:25:11 run to finish third in 45:36.
Cartmell has made steady progress at Ironman 70.3 South Africa, starting with a third place in 2008, a second place in 2009. He now adds this South Africa title to wins at the UK 70.3 in 2008 and 2009.
"Yeah I think I was on good form yesterday, considering it's January. I'm pleased that I pushed the pace as well as I could across all 3 disciplines …. the bike is very demanding on this course and on the back 45K heading home myself and Brad Storm really turned the screw and opened up a good few extra minutes on the boys behind," said Cartmell to slowtwitch.
Rabe, who won the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study finance and mathematics at Oxford University and placed third at the 2008 ITU Under 23 World Championship in Vancouver, won a tough battle with top Ironman star Sandra Wallenhorst of Germany. Rabe beat top swimmer and defending champion Lucie Zelenkova out of the water, 25:03 to 25:07, with Wallenhorst trailing by 5:27. On the bike, Wallenhorst got all that back and more with a red-hot 2:36:53 bike that smashed Desiree Ficker’s 2008 split record by six minutes. Wallenhorst’s bike out performed Rabe by 10 minutes 58 seconds and Zelenkova by 8:22, giving her a three-minute lead starting the run. Undaunted by her deficit, Rabe stormed back with a 1:19:35 run, passing Wallenhorst (1:25:39) at the 18 kilometer mark and breaking Zelenkova’s 2009 split record by 8:51.
The top three women broke Zelenkova’s 2009 race record of 4:46:40. Rabe topped the pack with a 4:35:54, Wallenhorst next with 4:37:01 and Zelenkova third at 4:43:01.
Rabe, just 23, was the first South African woman to earn an ITU World Championship medal with her Under 23 third place at Vancouver, and made the South African 2008 Olympic team, finishing 43rd in Beijing. Wallenhorst, 38, a relatively late bloomer in triathlon, burst into prominence in 2008 with a sizzling 8:47:26 win at Ironman Austria and a third place at Ironman Hawaii. She also scored wins at Ironman Germany in Frankfurt and Ironman 70.3 Austria last year.
2010 Spec Savers Ironman 70.3 South Africa
Buffalo City, South Africa
January 17, 2010
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Men
1. Fraser Cartmell (GBR) 4:07:54
2. James Cunnama (RSA) 4:09:34
3. Brad Storm (RSA) 4:15:36
4. Kent Horner (RSA) 4:17:00
5. Michael Davidson (RSA) 4:21:12
6. Toby Jameson (GBR) 4:25:28
7. Balazs Csoke (HUN) 4:25:42
8. Rob Woestenborghs (BEL) 4:27:03
9. Freddy Lampret (RSA) 4:28:47
10. Marsel Roos (RSA) 4:29:52 * M 25-29
Women
1. Mari Rabe (RSA) 4:35:54
2 Sandra Wallenhorst (GER) 4:37:01
3. Lucie Zelenkova (CZE) 4:43:01
4. Vanessa Paolieri Giannini (BRA) 4:47:20
5. Diana Riesler (GER) 4:47:50
6. Claire Horner (RSA) 4:51:41
7. Heleen bij de Vaate (NED) 4:54:43
8. Natasha Gorrie (RSA) 4:55:24 * F25-29
9. Caroline Koll (RSA) 4:56:17
10. Helen Buley (RSA) 4:58:08
