Vanhoenacker, Granger win IM Malaysia
Belgium’s Marino Vanhoenacker won his 7th Ironman title with a dominating 8:22:31 performance in typical Malaysian heat while Australia’s Belinda Granger took her third straight win in Langkawi and her 12th Ironman distance career triumph by 12 minutes over Italian Edith Niederfriniger.
Vanhoenacker, a teammate on Normann Stadler’s Commerzbank squad, added to his four Ironman Austria victories and wins at Ironman South Africa and Ironman Florida with a 4th-best 52:25 swim, a race-best 4:21:01 bike that broke it open, and a second-best 3:06:44 run to top runner-up Hiroyuki Nishiuchi of Japan by 28 minutes and 21 seconds.
Vanhoenacker’s bike split topped race record holder Chris Lieto’s 2006 mark by 2 minutes 20 seconds. Vanhoenacker’s overall time topped all previous winners except Bryan Rhodes’ 8:10:35 clocking in 2002.
Belinda Granger’s 55:17 swim trailed former Team TBB teammate Hillary Biscay out of the water by six seconds and topped Edith Niederfriniger by 33 seconds. After that, Granger’s red-hot 4:53:50 bike split, still five minutes off her best time in Langkawi, essentially put the race out of reach of Niederfriniger’s 5:09:46 and Biscay’s 5:26:18. While Niederfriniger cut 5 minutes out of Granger’s 16-minute lead with a race-best 3:26:14 marathon, the 40-year-old Ironman star held on for an 11-minute 29-second margin of victory.
Ironman Malaysia saw the debut of new Ironman Pro Membership rules that cut the organizers’ advertised maximum purse from $50,000 to $39,500, left fifth place men’s finisher Andres Venhorst (9:12:03) and third, fourth and fifth place women’s finishers Hillary Biscay (10:10:59), Ariane Monteceli (10:15:17) and Jocelyn Wong (10:20:32) without paychecks. In addition, second place men’s finisher Hiroyuki Nishiuchi (8:50:52) also finished outside of the allotted time behind the winner to be eligible for the advertised second place professional Kona slot.
The new Pro Membership regulations state that athletes must finish within 8 percent of the winner’s time to be eligible for posted prize money and finish within 5 percent of the winner’s time to be eligible for Kona slots. In addition, each professional must pay a $750 annual fee to compete in WTC Ironman events. According to the WTC’s Paula Newby-Fraser, the membership fees go to pay for increased drug testing at WTC events worldwide.
The percent-behind-the-winner exclusion rules have long been applied to marathon purses and to ITU short course points. Most recently, Desiree Ficker was denied $500 prize money for her 10th place finish at the New York City Marathon because she finished a short time outside the percentage rule.
The stated purpose of such rules is to raise the level of professionalism in the sport. Critics say that Ironman races take a big physical toll on the professionals and the sport has too little prize money to attract large quality fields in faraway places. The loss of lower echelon prize money hits hardest on pros struggling to make a living. Critics point to the 40 to 50 deep prize money awarded at the Hy-Vee Triathlon as a move in the right direction.
Lotto Ironman Langkawi
Langkawi, Malaysia
February 27, 2010
S 2.4 miles/ B 112 miles/ R 26.2 miles
Results
Top 10 Men
1. Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) 8:22:31 — $10,000
2. Hiroyuki Nishiuchi (JPN) 8:50:52 — $6,000
3. Romaine Guillaume (FRA) 8:54:38 — $4,000
4. Justin Granger (AUS) 9:01:08 — $3,500
5. Andres Venhorst (NED) 9:12:03 — $2,000
6. Hirotsugu Kuwabara (JPN) 9:17:26
7. Miklos Vatai (HUN) 9:22:06 * M30-34
8. Freddy Lampret (ZAF) 9:41:18
9. Jens Wilkens (GER) 9:46:32 * M30-34
10. Jozef Vrabel (SVK) 10:01:01
Top 10 Women
1. Belinda Granger (AUS) 9:23:33 — $10,000
2. Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) 9:35:02 — $6,000
3. Hillary Biscay (USA) 10:10:59 — * More than 8 percent behind the winning time
4. Ariane Monteceli (BRA) 10:15:17 *
5. Jocelyn Wong (USA) 10:20:32 *
6. Kimiko Senzai (JPN) 10:26:24 * F25-29
7. Inge Vancauwenberghe (NED) 10:47:07
8. Emma Bishop (MYS) 11:05:58 * F35-39
9. Sueli Braz (BRA) 11:07:43 * F35-39
10. Belinda Harrison (AUS) 11:14:43
