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With a significantly larger turnout than last year, Ian Smith was the cream of the crop, taking the victory in the men’s category. Lindsay Romecin saw off the competition in the ladies’ category and crossed the line first.

A new perpetual trophy was introduced at this year’s race, which was to be awarded to the first club team. Rugby Tri Club, who were using the event as their Standard Distance Club Championships, won the first award.

Coming from behind

After leaving the water third, men’s winner Ian Smith came roaring out of the reservoir, excelling on the bike and run, and posting splits of 1:03:13 and 39:21mins respectively – the fastest times of the day.

Men’s podium at Pitsford Triathlon 2015

Second-placed James Beechy, from Army Triathlon Association, matched Smith’s time on the bike and they went into the run almost neck-and-neck. Despite pushing Smith hard, Beechy couldn’t keep up and finished just under three minutes behind the winner.

Matthew Glenn rounded off the top three, and last year’s champion Jordon Simmonds, who was the fastest swimmer with a time of 18:19, finished fourth.

Lindsay Romecin had to wait until the cycle until she took the lead in the women’s category. Martine Crofts emerged from the water 50 seconds ahead of the eventual winner but was to finish 11 places behind Romecin.

Women’s podium (winner Lindsay Romecin far right)

With a confident run and cycle, Lindsay Romecin finished 4mins ahead of the second-placed Katie Beckett. The runner-up posted the fastest run in the women’s category – a 45:12mins split.

Beckett had to work hard for her second place, seeing off a formidable challenge from Sarah Ashcroft. The pair were just a minute apart when Beckett got to the T2, but Ashcroft couldn’t close the gap any further and had to settle for third place.

Number of relay teams nearly doubled

This year’s triathlon saw nine relay teams take part, four more than the event’s first year.

Mark Hazle, Steve Woods and Tom Greeves took the win, finishing five minutes ahead of second-placed Martyn Lever, Richard Jones and Eddie Smith. Lever was part of the winning relay team in last year’s event.

Pitsford Triathlon 2015 champions (1.5k/ 40km/ 10km)

Men’s individual

Ian Smith – 2:03:45 

Women’s individual

Linsay Romecin – 2:37:18

Relay

Mark Hazle, Steve Woods Tom Greeves – 2:18:27

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Carolina Routier (ESP) led out of the water in 9:43, with Brit Sophie Coldwell emerging close behind in 4th, starting impressively as she did in Hyde Park last month.

The relentless Gwen Jorgensen (USA) made the front pack and a large group of 13 formed after the first lap of the bike, including her fellow American Sarah True. Vicky Holland and Non Stanford were also up there, pushing the favourite Jorgensen every step of the way.

Jodie Stimpson found herself down from the front pack after a disappointing swim, but was pushing the pace and had closed the gap to 23 seconds by lap 3 of 6 on the bike – however Stimpson’s bike was shunted in the back wheel by another athlete and the bike’s back derailleur ceased to work. Frustratingly Stimpson had no option but to withdraw from the race.

Katie Zafires (USA) wasn’t in the front pack as has been usual this series, and instead headed the chasing pack going into the last lap of the bike at 20 seconds down.

Going out onto the run, Vicky Holland and Non Stanford both surged to the front, With Jorgensen taking her time and lingering behind. Sarah True, Rachel Klamer (NED), and Laura Lindemann (GER) made up the front group.

It didn’t last for long, and Jorgensen made her move after 3km of the run. Vicky Holland bravely went with her with Stanford and True left trailing. The other early front-runners slipped down the pecking order, and Vicky Holland continued to take on Jorgensen with less than a mile to go.

Jorgensen was visibly working far harder than in her other victories this year, and made a surge just before she reached the mat with Holland. She pushed the whole way and made numerous glances behind her, not slowing down until she broke the tape.

Non Stanford beats Sarah True to the finish tape at WTS Hamburg

Non Stanford made it clear her injury worries are behind her, taking 3rd place ahead of Sarah True. 

Results – WTS Hamburg elite women

1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 00:57:08
2. Vicky Holland (GBR) 00:57:13
3. Non Stanford (GBR) 00:57:24
4. Sarah True (USA) 00:57:25
5. Rachel Klamer (NED) 00:57:38
6. Katie Zafires (USA) 00:57:43

Overall standings

1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 4000 points
2. Katie Zafires (USA) 3645 points
3. Sarah True (USA) 2951 points
4. Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 2910 points
5. Vicky Holland (GBR) 2126 points
6. Barbara Riveros (CHI) 2100 points

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Favourite Gomez wasn’t far behind and a front group of 11 formed early on the bike, which also included Luis and Henri Schoeman (RSA). The chasing pack were only around 6 seconds behind after the first lap of the bike, with Joao Silva (POR) and another contender for the win Richard Murray (RSA) helping to push the pace.

Approaching the half way point on the bike the front group all stayed together and the lead had grown. A huge chase pack formed behind, and were around 30 seconds down going through lap 3. The only British entrants Mark Buckingham and European Games champion Gordon Benson were also both in the chasing pack.

11 became 9 going out onto the run, with Luis heading out first and Gomez a second behind. Aaron Royle (NZL) and Tommy Zafires (USA) also both made that top group.

Unsurprisingly Gomez broke away from the rest quickly, but Luis followed him and it looked like it was shaping up to be a two-horsed race after just the first kilometre of the 5km run.

Dorian Connix (FRA) took 3rd place from Aaron Royle on lap 2 of the run, but an inspired Mario Mola (ESP) was quickly catching them up.

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Back at the front, Gomez and Luis were still going elbow-to-elbow with just over 1km to go – Luis looked the more comfortable of the two, but the relentless Gomez soldiered on and continued to make surges in an effort to break Luis down.

Vincent Luis celebrates winning WTS Hamburg

In one of the most thrilling finishes of the World Triathlon Series 2015, Vincent Luis had the race of his life to break away with around 250m to go, and left Gomez to settle for 2nd. Mola impressively took 3rd place with the fastest 5km run split in the history of triathlon (13:55). This was confirmed by worldtriathlon.org. 

Gordon Benson had a solid race finishing in 28th place, and Mark Buckingham was 32nd.

Gomez consolidated his lead at the top of the WTS standings after this race, but with both Brownlee brothers saving themselves for the final three stops on the tour and Vincent Luis hot on his heels, the winner of the 2015 Series could be very hard to call.

Results – WTS Hamburg elite men

Vincent Luis (FRA) 51:54
Javier Gomez Noya (ESP) 51:58
Mario Mola (ESP) 52:20
Dorian Connix (FRA) 52:30
Aaron Royle (NZL) 52:37
Henri Shoeman (RSA) 52:40

Overall standings

Javier Gomez Noya (ESP) 3705 points
Mario Mola (ESP) 3374 points
Fernando Alarza (ESP) 2961 points
Vincent Luis (FRA) 2910 points
Richard Murray (RSA) 2857 points
Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 2340 points

(Images: Janos Schmidt)

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>>> Gallery: Ironman UK 2014

In the men’s race, Scottish duo David McNamee and Fraser Cartmell quickly built a substantial lead over their rivals despite the wind chill and horizontal rain, leaving Denis Chevrot (FRA) and Victor Del Corral (ESP) in their wake over the 180km bike course that included 1,500m of climbing. 

Cartmell decided to test the relatively novice Ironman bike legs of McNamee and managed to gain a 3.5 minute lead into T2. It was a lead he held until about the 10km mark knowing that McNamee is a strong runner over the half but less experienced over the full distance.

McNamee continued to push through the 42.2km marathon run in 2:51:49, some 8mins faster than Fraser, to cross the finish line with his maiden Ironman title in a time of 08:46:37.

Scotland’s David McNamee wins Ironman UK

David McNamee said on the finish line: “I knew there was an outside chance to make the podium but to come out on top is fantastic. I lost a nutrition bottle and one of my aero bars so struggled at the back of the bike, however I found my run legs! I didn’t even expect to be doing an Ironman last year – I’m struggling to put it into words how pleased and proud I am.” 

Meanwhile, pre-race favourite Joe Skipper didn’t get the result he was hoping for, but struggled on through the field from the rear of the swim pack, to take 3rd place finishing in a time of 08:55:38.

Joe Skipper on the finish chute at Ironman UK

An emotional Joe Skipper who had his heart set on winning said, “All I wanted was the win, but I just suffered all day – it was horrendous. I was outclassed today and I’m just really happy to have finished it and just sorry my friends and family who came here today couldn’t see me get this win I wanted so badly.”

“I’ve never wanted something so much”

The competition that Michelle Vesterby (DEN) was looking to pose to Gossage (GBR) and the other UK favourites didn’t materialise in the women’s pro race, due to taking a wrong turn on the bike course, leaving Gossage to produce one of the best bike and run splits of her career. 

Caroline Livesey (GBR) confirmed her status as a pro athlete backing up her 3rd in Lanzarote with a brilliant second place finishing in 10:05:21.

Alice Hector produced an incredible run to secure third place in the Pro Field, finishing in a time of 10:18:46. Special mention should go to the first age-group female athlete Kate Comber, who had a stunning race and crossed the line in 10:15:32.

On her win an ecstatic Lucy Gossage said: “I’ve never wanted something so much. This was my goal  – I wanted it so much and I’m so pleased. It was really tough and so so cold. I caught the girls quickly on the bike and I felt amazing on the run – probably my best ever. The UK crowds and support can’t beat any other race.

“Kona is my next goal but for now just savouring every moment – this has been an amazing year and I’m really happy.”

For full results head here.

(Images: Getty)

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On a cloudy, cold day the French team of Jeanne Lehair, Dorian Coninx, Audrey Merle and Vincent Luis edged out a tight race, finishing just nine seconds ahead of Team Australia.

The Great British team, who beat the French team to the World Title last year, took the bronze medal following a 10-second penalty for the German team.

Racing in teams of four, competitors each raced one lap through the city of 300m swim, 6.6km bike and 1,600m run:

GB’s Vicky Holland in action

Vicky Holland of Great Britain started the strongest, recording a 20:38mins split on the first leg, despite falling after dismounting from her bike.

Gordon Benson, European Games Champion, had the lead going into the second leg but the lead was a narrow one and eventually Australia and Germany caught up.

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France’s Dorian Coninx clawed back a 17-second deficit from the first leg to put France back amongst the top three and back into contention. 

From there on it was a heated race with all four nations jostling for position. GB’s Non Stanford put in a stellar performance and was quickest on the third lap, giving Mark Buckingham a small advantage going into the final lap. 

Love @worldtriathlon mixed relay! Super fast racing and triathlon at its best and most exciting… @iamspecialized https://t.co/u15zb1qoDR

— Non Stanford (@NonStanford) July 19, 2015

Buckingham held the lead in the water but lost the advantage at the first transition as the teams from Germany, Australia and France joined him. All four teams set off at roughly the same time.

Luis and Bailie sprinted out of the second transition leaving Buckingham and Germany’s Gregor Buchholz to battle for third.

Luis, who won the World Triathlon Hamburg Men’s individual race on Saturday, was able to find another gear and fend off any challenge by Bailie, who had to settle for second.

Buchholz sprinted ahead of Buckingham in the battle for third, however due to a 10-second penalty, which was picked up after a mistake by Germany’s Rebecca Robisch in a transition, Great Britain finished third and took the bronze medal.

Knowing the Germans had to serve a penalty, Buckingham said after the race: “I made sure I kept him in sight. I struggled so much on the run. We’ve just come down from altitude, the four of us, Gordon and myself especially are struggling with the running at the moment. It was a really hard race.”

Podium finishers (left to right: Team Australia, Team France, Team GB)

ITU Mixed Relay World Championship 2015 results (300m/6.6km/1.6km)

1.    France, 1:20:33
2.    Australia, 1:20:42
3.    Great Britain, 1:20:52

For full race results please click here. 

(Images: Janos Schmidt)

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Challenge has been tracking the earnings of every pro triathlete for the past 28 weeks across Challenge, WTC and ITU events, together with key independent races, after the idea was suggested at the Pro Athlete Forum it ran at Challenge Bahrain last December.

Daniela Ryf wins Ironman Frankfurt

Most impressively, Ryf is easily the highest-paid triathlete of all, with Challenge estimating she has earned $109k to date from five races – well above the men’s leader, Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) who’s earned $84k from six races. Gwen Jorgensen also fares very well after her incredible run of six consecutive WTS wins this year. Don is believed to have won $58k from four races, while Jodie Swallow is just behind with $57k from five races. 

Don’s wins this year to date include Ironman 70.3 Monterrey, Ironman 70.3 Latin American Champs Brasilia and the Ironman 70.3 North American Champs St. George. He also came second at Ironman 70.3 Boulder. Many believe he could be a serious contender at the Ironman World Champs in Kona this October, and he told us in the April issue of 220 Triathlon magazine that he plans to swing his focus from 70.3 to Hawaii in mid-July.

Jodie Swallow on her way to winning Ironman South Africa

For her part, Swallow has already won the Ironman African Champs and 70.3 South Africa, and came third in St. George. Always a supremely strong swimmer and biker, Swallow only just missed out on a medal at Kona last year, coming fourth with a time of 9:10:19.

“Triathlon needs to move into line with premier sports like golf and tennis with a world ranking system,” said Challenge CEO, Zibi Szlufcik. “It not only rewards the best performed athletes, but provides a simple explanation to non-traditional media and the general public.”

By way of comparison, the top earner in tennis is Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who’s earned $10m so far this year, including $2.8m from Wimbledon alone. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is golf’s highest earner right now, having earned an estimated $4m this year to date.

Alistair Brownlee celebrates winning WTS Cape Town

Elsewhere in the Challenge rankings, Alistair Brownlee sits fifth behind Tim Don with $48k to date, while younger brother Jonathan is thought to have earned $40k. Among the women, Liz Blatchford is second-highest British earner with $32k from five races, while Lucy Gossage and Vicky Holland have both earned $23k.

– To download the top 20 men, click here
– To download the top 20 women, click here

(Images: Ironman / Getty)

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Other highlights in the latest issue include:

A day at the races: we celebrate Sunday 14 June, the UK’s biggest-ever day in tri participation history when well over 10,000 racers got involved

Gear focus: race wheels get the 220 analysis

Run strategies to avoid injury

Recover faster: beat fatigue and race strong

Train with Chrissie: comp winner Katy reports from her Bristol Tri experience

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Tested and rated: Cervélo P5 and Quintana Roo PRSix tri bikes

Find 220 Triathlon on sale at newsagents across the UK, and the digital edition can be picked up via the iTunes store, Google Play and Zinio.

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Bonus digital content includes: go behind-the-scenes at the Dave Scott/220 training days; discover more about the Quintana Roo PRSix tri bike; watch Blenheim race highlights.

>>> Dave Scott on how to build a long-distance training plan

The triathlon, which takes place on August 8th of this year, consists of a 1.9km swim in a freshwater glacial lake, followed by a 90km bike on the old main road, finishing with a 21km run on asphalt and gravel.

Most triathlons based in Iceland have been pool swims or short-distance triathlons because the Iceland’s sea and lake temperatures are low, however organisers have extended the distance because of the increase in interest.

“I am delighted to come to Iceland and participate in this race,” said McCormack. “I have wanted to come to Iceland for many years, this is a great opportunity to race there and discover the country. I am bringing my whole family, I think it’s going to be amazing.” 

The course is located 50km away from the capital Reykjavik, and takes participants through the lake Medalfellsvatn, into Hvalfjordur Bay and through Iceland’s scenic country roads.

Competitors will have to tackle a 770m elevation on the bike and face temperatures of14°C in the lake, which consists of water straight from a glacier.  

Registration costs £45 and ends on August 7. If you’re interested in registering, or for more information please visit their website.

(Images: Viðar Þorsteinsson)

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>>> Gallery: Outlaw Triathlon 2014

The event, now six years old, starts at the National Water Sports Centre at 6am with competitors facing a 3.8km swim in the Regatta Lake at sunrise.

From there competitors move onto the 180km bike ride, a relatively flat surface which features the popular cheering point at Car Colston and looping round Southwell. All athletes must be back at T2 for the 4pm cut-off before starting the marathon run along the River Trent.

Once running the marathon, athletes will be treated to views of famous Nottingham stadia including Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, Meadow Lane and Trent Bridge.

Spectators should keep an eye out for the four former champions, 2010 winner Paul Hawkins, 2012 winner Harry Wiltshire, 2013 winner Eugene Grant and last year’s winner Craig Twigg, who are all tipped to do well. Karl Alexander, who won the 2015 Outlaw Half, will also be competing as he tries to become a double Outlaw champion.

Craig Twigg wins The Outlaw 2014

Twigg led last year’s men’s race from nearly start to finish and is hoping to continue that form this years. “My best iron distance time is 8:50hrs in Barcelona in 2013, and the aim for the Outlaw is to defend the title and win!”

Jenny Bosman, last year’s Outlaw women’s champion, will not be competing in the event this year, guaranteeing a new women’s champion and leaving that race wide open. Jenny Latham and Claire Shea-Simonds look to be the key contenders in the women’s race.

Joel Jameson’s 2011 track record of 8:47:47 is still the time to beat in the men’s distance while the women’s record stands at 9:50:58, which was set by Vicky Gill in 2013.

The event is free for spectators, including free parking but local supporters are being encouraged to commute by bike to avoid any disruption.

(Images: Ross Grieve / Dirty Green Trainers)

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