Viennot, Ellis golden in Sweden
Cold water temperatures caused organizers to shorten the swim from 4k to 1k, then there were some great efforts on the 120k bike, but when it was all said and done after the closing 30k of running – Cyril Viennot and Mary Beth Ellis had taken the Gold. Viennot with a chase and Ellis wire to wire.
The men
The defending champion Bertrand Billard was not at the start, and Dirk Bockel got injured leading up to this race, but there were plenty other strong contenders at the start to make this race interesting.
Josh Amberger led the men out of the water and soon after Martin Jensen took the lead on the bike. Jensen rode alone pushing past age groupers and steadily pulled away from the other competitors to reach T2 alone after a race best 2:38:55. But Cyril Viennot had stayed in striking distance after a 2:40:43 on the bike and then ran with a time of 1:51:11 to catch an pass Jensen to take the 2015 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Motola, Sweden in a time of 4:54:33. Jensen held on to second place 13 seconds behind the winner, and Joe Skipper ran to third place from well back after the bike segment just 38 seconds behind the new champion from France.
Viennot had finished 3rd in 2014 and this title found him very well.
"At the beginning I thought it would be quite easy to catch Jensen, because the French team gave me the differences between me and him, and I was much faster than him. I took back over 2 minutes in [the opening] 10km. But during the second lap, Jensen was a little faster and I a little slower, and I thought it would be more complicated to catch him! Finally after 18km I saw him ahead – about 50 seconds, and it helped me a lot. When I passed him at km 23/24, I was completely dead. But I used all the energy I had left to cross the line in first position," said Viennot to slowtwitch. "For me, this victory means a lot. In France, ITU World Champs are very important for the federation, for sponsors, for the minister, and this year the pro field was amazing. So this race is a very important step in my career, and in my life too! It is a dream that came true."
Rasmus Henning also started the race in the Elite division but he ended up with a time of 5:23:42 in 23rd place overall, just one spot ahead of female champion Mary Beth Ellis.
The women
Mary Beth Ellis was first out of the water in 18:47 and Annie Thorén and defending champion Camilla Pedersen were next in 19:19 and 19:21 respectively, but all other competitors needed at least 20 minutes for the 1.5k swim.
Ellis then showed her bike prowess and used a race best 2:58:41 split to steadily extend her advantage over Pedersen and the rest of the field. Pedersen rode 3:02:18 and that gave her still a chance to catch the leading American, but Ellis also ran well and pulled even further away. With a 2:03:49 closing run she captured the 2015 ITU LD Worlds title in 5:24:25 and was rewarded with an $11,250 check for her effort. Pedersen finished second in 5:31:48 and Kaisa Lehtonen third in 5:33:41.
"Over the past year, I have struggled to race up to my potential. To finally execute on the biggest stage at a world championships representing the USA and carrying the American flag across the finish line for the first time in my career was not only a validation of all the hard work but also a dream come true,” said Ellis to slowtwitch.
ITU Long Distance World Championships
Motola, Sweden / June 27, 2015
1.5k swim* / 120k bike / 30k run
Top men
1. Cyril Viennot (FRA) 4:54:33
2. Martin Jensen (DEN) 4:54:46
3. Joe Skipper (GBR) 4:55:10
4. Ruedi Wild (SUI) 4:55:42
5. Patrik Nilsson (SWE) 4:56:41
6. Ronnie Schildknecht (SUI) 4:58:23
7. Joe Gambles (AUS) 4:58:51
Top women
1. Mary Beth Ellis (USA) 5:24:28
2. Camilla Pedersen (DEN) 5:31:48
3. Kaisa Lehtonen (FIN) 5:33:41
4. Gurutze Frades Larralde (ESP) 5:48:25
5. Eva Nystrom (SWE) 5:50:04
6. Camilla Lindholm (SWE) 5:52:36
7. Hanna Maksimova (BLR) 5:54:23
* The swim was shortened from 4k to 1.5k because of cold water temperatures.
