We caught up with the Brownlees to talk about their fitness ahead of their ITU homecoming in Leeds, their Rio Olympics prep and what tips they have for us age-groupers…
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JONNY ON… THE WTS IN LEEDS
Leeds being part of the ITU WTS Series in June is something we’re incredibly proud about and supportive of. It should be an amazing event. I’ve been lucky to compete at a home Olympics but to have a truly home, home WTS race is incredible. If 100,000 people come out to watch and support, it’s going to be an amazing thing for triathlon.
As for my own goals, Rio is the big aim and I’m coming into decent shape but I’m not super-duper fit. After Leeds it’s Stockholm and then training at altitude again in St. Moritz for the final bits of training.
JONNY ON… PEAKING FOR YOUR ‘A’ RACE
I learnt last year about getting too fit, too soon. I was in the best shape I’d ever been in at the ITU Gold Coast race last year [where Jonny comfortably won] but I got a stress fracture after that; when you’re lean, running fast and biking hard you’re on that edge when it puts so much stress on your body and the bones to take. The idea for Leeds is to get fit for the Olympics, which are eight weeks around the corner, but not really, really fit.
JONNY ON… HEAT PREP
The Gold Coast was very close to being a really good race. I was very fit and I felt amazing until 8km of the run [Jonny still came third but collapsed at the line and required medical treatment after the race]. But it taught me that I need to do some more heat training before Rio. I went to the 35C Gold Coast from a snowy Leeds, which is too short a time to acclimatise. So St. Moritz will help with the heat training, and if it’s not too hot there we can use the heat chambers there. We arrive in Brazil two weeks before the event, so I should definitely be ready for the heat by then.
ALISTAIR ON… THE ORGANISATION OF TRI
There’s so much co-ordination that goes into organsing tri events. For Leeds, when you’re partially shutting a city down, there’s a huge number of things to be taken into account, like provisions for people who live in a care home. The organisation is incredible and I don’t envy the people putting on the race. It’s given me an appreciation of the kind of work that has to go into organising these races.
ALISTAIR ON… RIO PREP
I’ve had a really good winter of training. Rio is the big goal this season and the course suits me. I had a tough race when I was there last year [Alistair finished 10th], but I knew that I wasn’t fully fit. I’ll be training as hard as I can and racing until then.
ALISTAIR ON… RACE RIVALS AND MAKING HISTORY
I pretty much don’t check any social media, especially not what my rivals are up to. [In terms of becoming the first triathlete to win back-to-back Olympic titles] I’m obviously going into Rio to win that race, that’s the goal and all you can do is stand on the start line and be in the best position you can be in. And that’s what I hope to do.
ALISTAIR ON… MOTIVATION
Training in a group is a really good thing for motivation. It gets you out of the door and there are always people who are really good at brightening the atmosphere and having a laugh with you. Going out to enjoy the countryside and escape being inside banging your head against a brick wall.
ALISTAIR ON… RECOVERY
I always go for protein-heavy foods after a heavy session. I drink a pint of milk when I get home and eat something like chicken with green vegetables and a baked potato.
Jonny and Alistair were speaking at a Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds promotional event. More info on the race, held from 11-12 June in Leeds, is at http://leeds.triathlon.org/
We caught up with the Brownlees to talk about their fitness ahead of their ITU homecoming in Leeds, their Rio Olympics prep and what tips they have for us age-groupers…
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JONNY ON… THE WTS IN LEEDS
Leeds being part of the ITU WTS Series in June is something we’re incredibly proud about and supportive of. It should be an amazing event. I’ve been lucky to compete at a home Olympics but to have a truly home, home WTS race is incredible. If 100,000 people come out to watch and support, it’s going to be an amazing thing for triathlon.
JONNY ON… HIS LEEDS GOAL
As for my own goals, Rio is the big aim and I’m coming into decent shape but I’m not super-duper fit. After Leeds it’s Stockholm and then training at altitude again in St. Moritz for the final bits of training.
JONNY ON… PEAKING FOR YOUR ‘A’ RACE
I learnt last year about getting too fit, too soon. I was in the best shape I’d ever been in at the ITU Gold Coast race last year [where Jonny comfortably won] but I got a stress fracture after that; when you’re lean, running fast and biking hard you’re on that edge when it puts so much stress on your body and the bones to take. The idea for Leeds is to get fit for the Olympics, which are eight weeks around the corner, but not really, really fit.
JONNY ON… HEAT PREP
The Gold Coast was very close to being a really good race. I was very fit and I felt amazing until 8km of the run [Jonny still came third but collapsed at the line and required medical treatment after the race]. But it taught me that I need to do some more heat training before Rio. I went to the 35C Gold Coast from a snowy Leeds, which is too short a time to acclimatise. So St. Moritz will help with the heat training, and if it’s not too hot there we can use the heat chambers there. We arrive in Brazil two weeks before the event, so I should definitely be ready for the heat by then.
ALISTAIR ON… THE ORGANISATION OF TRI
There’s so much co-ordination that goes into organsing tri events. For Leeds, when you’re partially shutting a city down, there’s a huge number of things to be taken into account, like provisions for people who live in a care home. The organisation is incredible and I don’t envy the people putting on the race. It’s given me an appreciation of the kind of work that has to go into organising these races.
ALISTAIR ON… RIO PREP
I’ve had a really good winter of training. Rio is the big goal this season and the course suits me. I had a tough race when I was there last year [Alistair finished 10th], but I knew that I wasn’t fully fit. I’ll be training as hard as I can and racing until then.
ALISTAIR ON… RACE RIVALS AND MAKING HISTORY
I pretty much don’t check any social media, especially not what my rivals are up to. [In terms of becoming the first triathlete to win back-to-back Olympic titles] I’m obviously going into Rio to win that race, that’s the goal and all you can do is stand on the start line and be in the best position you can be in. And that’s what I hope to do.
ALISTAIR ON… MOTIVATION
Training in a group is a really good thing for motivation. It gets you out of the door and there are always people who are really good at brightening the atmosphere and having a laugh with you. Going out to enjoy the countryside and escape being inside banging your head against a brick wall.
ALISTAIR ON… RECOVERY
I always go for protein-heavy foods after a heavy session. I drink a pint of milk when I get home and eat something like chicken with green vegetables and a baked potato.
Jonny and Alistair were speaking at a Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds promotional event. More info on the race, held from 11-12 June in Leeds, is at http://leeds.triathlon.org/
Spaniard Mario Mola has earned his third WTS victory this season with a win at the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Yokohama in Japan. While silver went to Mexico’s Crisanto Grajales and bronze to Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt, both of whom graced the WTS podium for the very first time.
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Their medals also meant that Mexico and Norway were represented on a World Triathlon Series podium for the first time in history.
After surviving the masses during the swim and bike legs that saw more than 60 men enter the second transition together, Mola executed on his run right out of the T2 gate and was able to stride his way into his third WTS victory of the season.
Mola said: “I am very happy with how things went today. I think I managed to do a good swim. I was able to stay among the front of the pack; the British guys did a great job in front so it made it a bit easier to stay there. And then on the run I felt great, so I could not be happier.”
“I am very pleased with how things are going. I know it is a long time until Rio, but my goal at the beginning of the season was to keep working and keeping racing as I did in the past, which has worked so why change what normally works. So now I will keep working in the next couple of months toward the Olympics, but of course with Javi racing it is going to be a different game.”
Also capitalizing on the run was Grajales who captured the silver medal, when he overtook Blummenfelt in the final kilometres of the course to advance into second place, while Blummenfelt was left to finish off the day with an impressive third.
“I am very happy. It is my first podium in the WTS, so I am very happy for me, for my coach, for my family and my country. It was a hard course, but I just am happy. It was an amazing race, but I am waiting for Rio so now I will go home for two weeks to relax and train for the Olympic Games,” Grajales said.
Adam Bowden was the best of the British squad, finishing in 12th place in a time of 01:47:24, just under a minute behind Mola.
In the swim the men stuck together with no obvious leader. USA’s Ben Kanute and Henri Schoeman (RSA) managing to exit the choppy waters in the lead, but they were followed by the masses, which created a busy first transition.
It was a similar scene on the bike leg with a pack of 50 contenders heading into T2 at the same time.
However, it was Mola who was able to avoid executed a swift and quick exit lead lead out onto the run. He immediately took control out front, setting the pace. But Blummenfelt would not let Mola escape alone, as the Norwegian powerhouse surprised by running right on Mola’s heels.
Halfway through the run, Mola was able to step it up a gear and eventually drop Blummenfelt, finishing the race with a comfortable lead that brought him into the finish chute first.
A group of men that included Grajales, Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS), Fernando Alarza (ESP), Pierre Le Corre (FRA) and Schoeman grouped together right off the bat and ran together chasing Mola and Blummenfelt. Not until the final kilometres did Grajales seize the opportunity to get away from the others and chase down Blummenfelt.
In a final surge, Grajales pushed past Blummenfelt to capture the silver and his first WTS podium. Blummenfelt was then left to finish his day also earning a medal with the bronze.
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“I have been training hard the last couple of weeks so I thought I had a good chance on the run, I have been in good running shape and I have had some good sessions. But I am a bit surprised that I was able to get a medal after there was like 40 guys getting off the bike together. Running felt quite easy in the beginning, so I thought I would just try to hang on for a good seven or eight kilometres and see what could happen, but suddenly I hit a wall and just had to survive for the last five kilometres.”
Spaniard Mario Mola has earned his third WTS victory this season with a win at the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Yokohama in Japan. While silver went to Mexico’s Crisanto Grajales and bronze to Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt, both of whom graced the WTS podium for the very first time.
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Their medals also meant that Mexico and Norway were represented on a World Triathlon Series podium for the first time in history.
After surviving the masses during the swim and bike legs that saw more than 60 men enter the second transition together, Mola executed on his run right out of the T2 gate and was able to stride his way into his third WTS victory of the season.
Mola said: “I am very happy with how things went today. I think I managed to do a good swim. I was able to stay among the front of the pack; the British guys did a great job in front so it made it a bit easier to stay there. And then on the run I felt great, so I could not be happier.”
“I am very pleased with how things are going. I know it is a long time until Rio, but my goal at the beginning of the season was to keep working and keeping racing as I did in the past, which has worked so why change what normally works. So now I will keep working in the next couple of months toward the Olympics, but of course with Javi racing it is going to be a different game.”
Also capitalizing on the run was Grajales who captured the silver medal, when he overtook Blummenfelt in the final kilometres of the course to advance into second place, while Blummenfelt was left to finish off the day with an impressive third.
“I am very happy. It is my first podium in the WTS, so I am very happy for me, for my coach, for my family and my country. It was a hard course, but I just am happy. It was an amazing race, but I am waiting for Rio so now I will go home for two weeks to relax and train for the Olympic Games,” Grajales said.
Adam Bowden was the best of the British squad, finishing in 12th place in a time of 01:47:24, just under a minute behind Mola.
In the swim the men stuck together with no obvious leader. USA’s Ben Kanute and Henri Schoeman (RSA) managing to exit the choppy waters in the lead, but they were followed by the masses, which created a busy first transition.
It was a similar scene on the bike leg with a pack of 50 contenders heading into T2 at the same time.
However, it was Mola who was able to avoid executed a swift and quick exit lead lead out onto the run. He immediately took control out front, setting the pace. But Blummenfelt would not let Mola escape alone, as the Norwegian powerhouse surprised by running right on Mola’s heels.
Halfway through the run, Mola was able to step it up a gear and eventually drop Blummenfelt, finishing the race with a comfortable lead that brought him into the finish chute first.
A group of men that included Grajales, Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS), Fernando Alarza (ESP), Pierre Le Corre (FRA) and Schoeman grouped together right off the bat and ran together chasing Mola and Blummenfelt. Not until the final kilometres did Grajales seize the opportunity to get away from the others and chase down Blummenfelt.
In a final surge, Grajales pushed past Blummenfelt to capture the silver and his first WTS podium. Blummenfelt was then left to finish his day also earning a medal with the bronze.
“I have been training hard the last couple of weeks so I thought I had a good chance on the run, I have been in good running shape and I have had some good sessions. But I am a bit surprised that I was able to get a medal after there was like 40 guys getting off the bike together. Running felt quite easy in the beginning, so I thought I would just try to hang on for a good seven or eight kilometres and see what could happen, but suddenly I hit a wall and just had to survive for the last five kilometres.”
It is gold for USA’s Gwen Jorgensen at the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Yokohama, her first WTS victory of 2016.
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Producing a consistently strong performance throughout the whole competition that saw her among the leaders in the swim and bike that set her up for her signature unbeatable run execution, Jorgensen was able to reclaim her spot on the top of the WTS podium. The victory also granted her the Yokohama title for the fourth consecutive year, a feat that no other elite athlete has done been able to do at the same venue.
Jorgensen said: “I really like it here in Japan, the crowd is always cheering, there is always a ton of people out so it makes it really exciting. There is one goal for the year and that is the Olympics on August 20th, I have been working towards that for four years, so I am just going to keep working towards that.”
Earning the silver medal was Aussie Ashleigh Gentle. After composing a very tactical and necessary doing after starting out on the bike with over 30 seconds down from the main pack, Gentle constructed a monster of a race to come from behind and ultimately take the second spot on the podium. Her silver medal also allowed her to demonstrate a strong case going forward with her national federation’s Olympic selection for the final two Australian women’s spots.
“I was disappointed with that, I was a little displaced in the swim and it was really choppy and I knew I could swim so much better than that in the pool, but I need to improve there, there are no excuses, but I worked hard on the bike and really pushed the pace those first few laps to get in the game again,” said Gentle.
“ Ai Ueda is a fantastic runner and I knew with the home crowd support she was going to put up a fight, so I really just tried to stick with her. At the end I tried to hold back just a little bit so hopefully I could have the legs for the sprint.”
The bronze then was awarded to Japan’s own Ai Ueda, who was able to enjoy a WTS podium in front of a home crowd.
It would be the run that would prove crucial as despite USA’s Summer Cook and New Zealand’s Nicky Samuels exiting the waters first, the swim saw no stand alones and that carried into the bike. After only one lap of the nine-lap total course, a massive pack tallying over 40 women was created and it never changed.
While Gentle and Ueda found themselves down by over 30 seconds coming out of the water, they initially were placed in the chase group. However, it only took Gentle only three laps to put the work in and close the gap and push herself and the chase group into the lead pack.
In the run leg it wasn’t long however that Jorgensen took to her signature pace and catapulted herself into the lead position. Her lead only gained more space and she was able to comfortably carry herself into the finish chute uncontested. Her run split time of 32:15 also became the fastest 10 kilometre run time on the Yokohama course.
The battle was on then to complete the podium, Ueda pushed ahead, but the group did not start to space out until the second half of the discipline. Ultimately however, Ueda and Gentle were able to get a wide enough gap and stride away from the others. Sticking together until the final metres, Gentle had a little bit more left in her legs to get ahead of Ueda and grab the silver. While Ueda followed behind in third.
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After winning the first three WTS races of the season the British girls were not in Japan and their next race will be on home soil at WTS Leeds. Bring it on…
It is gold for USA’s Gwen Jorgensen at the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Yokohama, her first WTS victory of 2016.
Advertisement
Producing a consistently strong performance throughout the whole competition that saw her among the leaders in the swim and bike that set her up for her signature unbeatable run execution, Jorgensen was able to reclaim her spot on the top of the WTS podium. The victory also granted her the Yokohama title for the fourth consecutive year, a feat that no other elite athlete has done been able to do at the same venue.
Jorgensen said: “I really like it here in Japan, the crowd is always cheering, there is always a ton of people out so it makes it really exciting. There is one goal for the year and that is the Olympics on August 20th, I have been working towards that for four years, so I am just going to keep working towards that.”
Earning the silver medal was Aussie Ashleigh Gentle. After composing a very tactical and necessary doing after starting out on the bike with over 30 seconds down from the main pack, Gentle constructed a monster of a race to come from behind and ultimately take the second spot on the podium. Her silver medal also allowed her to demonstrate a strong case going forward with her national federation’s Olympic selection for the final two Australian women’s spots.
“I was disappointed with that, I was a little displaced in the swim and it was really choppy and I knew I could swim so much better than that in the pool, but I need to improve there, there are no excuses, but I worked hard on the bike and really pushed the pace those first few laps to get in the game again,” said Gentle.
“ Ai Ueda is a fantastic runner and I knew with the home crowd support she was going to put up a fight, so I really just tried to stick with her. At the end I tried to hold back just a little bit so hopefully I could have the legs for the sprint.”
The bronze then was awarded to Japan’s own Ai Ueda, who was able to enjoy a WTS podium in front of a home crowd.
It would be the run that would prove crucial as despite USA’s Summer Cook and New Zealand’s Nicky Samuels exiting the waters first, the swim saw no stand alones and that carried into the bike. After only one lap of the nine-lap total course, a massive pack tallying over 40 women was created and it never changed.
While Gentle and Ueda found themselves down by over 30 seconds coming out of the water, they initially were placed in the chase group. However, it only took Gentle only three laps to put the work in and close the gap and push herself and the chase group into the lead pack.
In the run leg it wasn’t long however that Jorgensen took to her signature pace and catapulted herself into the lead position. Her lead only gained more space and she was able to comfortably carry herself into the finish chute uncontested. Her run split time of 32:15 also became the fastest 10 kilometre run time on the Yokohama course.
The battle was on then to complete the podium, Ueda pushed ahead, but the group did not start to space out until the second half of the discipline. Ultimately however, Ueda and Gentle were able to get a wide enough gap and stride away from the others. Sticking together until the final metres, Gentle had a little bit more left in her legs to get ahead of Ueda and grab the silver. While Ueda followed behind in third.
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After winning the first three WTS races of the season the British girls were not in Japan and their next race will be on home soil at WTS Leeds. Bring it on…
Would you like the chance to race with Chrissie Wellington at Challenge Galway? Challenge Ireland are giving 2 very lucky athletes (1 male and 1 female) the once in a lifetime chance to race with this triathlon legend on her Half Distance relay team at Challenge Galway this coming June
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Four-times Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington holds, or held, all three world championship records relating to iron distance races; including the overall world record, the Ironman World Championship course record, and the official world record for all Ironman branded triathlon races over the full Iron distance.
She won the World Championship in three, consecutive years (2007–2009)., and was the first British athlete to hold the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, and was undefeated in all thirteen of her races over the iron distance. She is the only triathlete, male or female, to have won the World Championship less than a year after turning professional.
She lowered the world record on all three occasions (2009–2011) she raced Challenge Roth in Bavaria, Germany. Her current record of 8 hours 18 minutes 13 seconds is more than 32 minutes faster than the record which stood from 1994 to 2008.
Chrissie is one of only three women to have achieved three consecutive victories at the Ironman World Championships, the other two being Natascha Badmann and Paula Newby-Fraser.
To be in with a chance just fill out the following application here, and answer the question: “I want to race with Chrissie and TYR at ChallengeGalway 2016 because…….”
Winners to be announced in the next 2 weeks. Good luck!
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We named Chrissie as third in our top 10 female triathletes of all time – do you agree wth our choices or should Chrissie be higher?
Would you like the chance to race with Chrissie Wellington at Challenge Galway? Challenge Ireland are giving 2 very lucky athletes (1 male and 1 female) the once in a lifetime chance to race with this triathlon legend on her Half Distance relay team at Challenge Galway this coming June
Four-times Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington holds, or held, all three world championship records relating to iron distance races; including the overall world record, the Ironman World Championship course record, and the official world record for all Ironman branded triathlon races over the full Iron distance.
She won the World Championship in three, consecutive years (2007–2009)., and was the first British athlete to hold the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, and was undefeated in all thirteen of her races over the iron distance. She is the only triathlete, male or female, to have won the World Championship less than a year after turning professional.
She lowered the world record on all three occasions (2009–2011) she raced Challenge Roth in Bavaria, Germany. Her current record of 8 hours 18 minutes 13 seconds is more than 32 minutes faster than the record which stood from 1994 to 2008.
Chrissie is one of only three women to have achieved three consecutive victories at the Ironman World Championships, the other two being Natascha Badmann and Paula Newby-Fraser.
To be in with a chance just fill out the following application here, and answer the question: “I want to race with Chrissie and TYR at ChallengeGalway 2016 because…….”
Winners to be announced in the next 2 weeks. Good luck!
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We named Chrissie as third in our top 10 female triathletes of all time – do you agree wth our choices or should Chrissie be higher?
Flying in the day before from Gatwick with a complexion translucent enough to make the Invisible Man jealous makes attempting a half-iron distance race in Antigua as sensible as facing local fast bowler Curtly Ambrose without wearing a helmet. In other words, it can do your head in.
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SoI don’t. I throw in the beach towel, not the tribars, borrow a bike from the local cycle club in St John’s and opt for the SuperSprint-ish 500m swim, 10km bike and 2km run instead. It might be the only other multisport option, but in a world of braggarts where longer always equals better, this is a dramatic come down – both in distance (and social media standing) – and as the 11, yes, count them ELEVEN, triathletes stand high-fiving in the waist-deep waters of Morris Bay before the start, my guilt is tinged with envy that I’m not among them. It doesn’t last long.
To describe the AUA Rohr Tinman triathlon as a mere 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and 21.1km run, hardly does it justice. It’s more throwback to tri in its infancy when it cost a pittance to enter and you sweated over whether mind, body and frameset would emerge intact. This isn’t to say the road surface is poor but Neil Armstrong (whose first lunar broadcast was first picked up in Antigua) would have dismissed the moon’s craters as innocuous divots had he stood on this coastal highway.
Not that this is meant as criticism of a unique event now in its fifth edition that is less race and more heartfelt memorial to one of its founders. Jonathan Rohr, a medical student at the American University of Antigua, tragically died in 2011 at just 25 from a rare heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Race director and friend Rory Butler says next year’s contest will have a name-change to Rohrman in his honour and Jonathan’s father in handing out the awards also pledged to compete every year in the shorter
distance events. “It’s the best memorial you could ever give a great kid,” Jonathan Snr says. “He wanted to prove to everybody he could be successful at triathlons and go to medical school at the same time.”
The two-lap swim is uneventful apart from the sight of France’s former professional Benji Sanson rounding the final buoy before heading for the wrong shoreline and adding a couple of hundred metres to his effort. He still emerges 6mins clear of his nearest – and let’s be honest – only rival, Francky Favre, of Martinique. After both deliver solid bike rides, Favre claws back nine minutes on the run to win in 4:20:26. The enigmatic Sanson, who coaches in Bordeaux is magnanimous in defeat: “Listen my bro, he’s the Caribbean champion. Respect. Christmas was yesterday and I was on the wine, the foie gras and the oysters.”
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Over the next few hours the rest troop in. It’s attritional stuff. Andy Croft from sunny Lincoln flies the GB flag with a credible fourth in 6:33:18 and last man barely standing Jerome Henry completes a long day in 8:12:02. By this time the relays, the kids races, my supersprint tri (completed just in time to duck into the 5km fun run too) are all done and dusted, the reggae tunes are pumping and the rum punch is flowing. For more information visit: http://www.antiguatinmantriathlon.com/
Flying in the day before from Gatwick with a complexion translucent enough to make the Invisible Man jealous makes attempting a half-iron distance race in Antigua as sensible as facing local fast bowler Curtly Ambrose without wearing a helmet. In other words, it can do your head in.
Advertisement
SoI don’t. I throw in the beach towel, not the tribars, borrow a bike from the local cycle club in St John’s and opt for the SuperSprint-ish 500m swim, 10km bike and 2km run instead. It might be the only other multisport option, but in a world of braggarts where longer always equals better, this is a dramatic come down – both in distance (and social media standing) – and as the 11, yes, count them ELEVEN, triathletes stand high-fiving in the waist-deep waters of Morris Bay before the start, my guilt is tinged with envy that I’m not among them. It doesn’t last long.
To describe the AUA Rohr Tinman triathlon as a mere 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and 21.1km run, hardly does it justice. It’s more throwback to tri in its infancy when it cost a pittance to enter and you sweated over whether mind, body and frameset would emerge intact. This isn’t to say the road surface is poor but Neil Armstrong (whose first lunar broadcast was first picked up in Antigua) would have dismissed the moon’s craters as innocuous divots had he stood on this coastal highway.
Not that this is meant as criticism of a unique event now in its fifth edition that is less race and more heartfelt memorial to one of its founders. Jonathan Rohr, a medical student at the American University of Antigua, tragically died in 2011 at just 25 from a rare heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Race director and friend Rory Butler says next year’s contest will have a name-change to Rohrman in his honour and Jonathan’s father in handing out the awards also pledged to compete every year in the shorter
distance events. “It’s the best memorial you could ever give a great kid,” Jonathan Snr says. “He wanted to prove to everybody he could be successful at triathlons and go to medical school at the same time.”
The two-lap swim is uneventful apart from the sight of France’s former professional Benji Sanson rounding the final buoy before heading for the wrong shoreline and adding a couple of hundred metres to his effort. He still emerges 6mins clear of his nearest – and let’s be honest – only rival, Francky Favre, of Martinique. After both deliver solid bike rides, Favre claws back nine minutes on the run to win in 4:20:26. The enigmatic Sanson, who coaches in Bordeaux is magnanimous in defeat: “Listen my bro, he’s the Caribbean champion. Respect. Christmas was yesterday and I was on the wine, the foie gras and the oysters.”
Advertisement
Over the next few hours the rest troop in. It’s attritional stuff. Andy Croft from sunny Lincoln flies the GB flag with a credible fourth in 6:33:18 and last man barely standing Jerome Henry completes a long day in 8:12:02. By this time the relays, the kids races, my supersprint tri (completed just in time to duck into the 5km fun run too) are all done and dusted, the reggae tunes are pumping and the rum punch is flowing. For more information visit: http://www.antiguatinmantriathlon.com/