Macca goes sub8 in Frankfurt

Chris McCormack sprinted down the finish chute to beat the course record and finished with the first Sub8 time ever in Frankfurt in 07:59:55.

Spanish Eneko Llanos placed second with a strong time of 08:00:49, also beating the old course record of 2007.

It was the first time for McCormack to claim the title of the European Champion.

Fastest Men of 2007

First: 7:54:23 Chris McCormack - Roth

Second: 8:06:00 Patrick Vernay - Ironman WA

Third: 8:06:06 Eneko Llanos - Roth

Fourth: 8:06:39 Marino Vanhoenacker - Austria

Fifth: 8:09:15 Timo Bracht - Germany

Roth - The Fastest Course

The race in Roth, which was part of the WTC circuit until 2001, is home to the world records for Ironman distance events. In fact, the world records for men and women together have been set six times at Roth.

In 1996, Lothar Leder became the first triathlete to finish sub8 in 7:57:02. One year later, Luc van Lierde lowered the world record to 7:50:27. It still stands.

On the women's side, the current race and world record was set by Paula Newby Fraser in 1994 in 8:50:53.

In 2007, one man went sub8: Chris McCormack in 7:54:23. It was his fourth win in a row and third sub8 finish.

In 2007, two women went sub9: Yvonne van Vlerken in 8:51:55 and Joanna Lawn in 8:58:25.

*Results from the Challenge Roth website

Fastest WTC race courses 2007

For the men, the fastest races courses based on the top three finishing times were WA, Germany and Austria.

Top 10 Fastest WTC Iron Men - 2007

First: 8:06:00 Patrick Vernay - WA

Second: 8:06:39 Marino Vanhoenacker - Austria

Third: 8:09:15 Timo Bracht - Germany

Fourth: 8:09:20 Raynard Tissink - WA

Fifth: 8:11:50 Michael Göhner - Germany

Sixth: 8:12:20 Mitch Anderson - WA

Seventh: 8:13:34 Frank Vytrisal - Germany

Eighth: 8:15:34 Chris McCormack - Kona

Ninth: 8:19:58 Norbert Langbrandtner - Austria

Tenth: 8:20:13 Max Longree - Austria

Podiums - WTC Ironman 2007

Most wins - Patrick Vernay
He won both events in Australia, Port Macquarie and Busselton.

Most podiums - three - Raynard Tissink
He won in Korea and had second place finishes in South Africa and Busselton.


Other multiple podiums:

Craig Alexander - Australia 3rd, Kona 2nd *his debut race in Kona

Byung Hoon Park - Japan 1st, Korea 2nd

Michael Lovato - Arizona 3rd, Coeur d'Alene 3rd

Stephan Vuckovic - Lanzarote 3rd, Florida 1st

Torbjorn Sindballe - NZ 3rd, Kona 3rd

The Sub Eight Group

2007
Chris McCormack (Roth 7:54:23)

2005
Chris McCormack (Roth 7:58:45)

2004
Chris McCormack (Roth 7:57:50)
Faris al Sultan (Roth 7:58:57)

1999
Jurgen Zack (Roth)

1997
Luc van Lierde (Roth 7:50:27)
Thomas Hellriegel
Lothar Leder
Jurgen Zack

1996
Lothar Leder (Roth 7:57:02)


*this list is a work in progress as there appears to be no definitive site

**please forward any updates to triathleteranking@yahoo.com

Who am I?

I'm an editor and journalist with two decades of experience in observing, deciphering and analysing the economy, financial markets and companies.

My approach is simple: turn numbers into words. Except for this brief comment, I'll be keeping a low profile. The story is the athletes.

As for triathlon, I fell into it seven years ago. Since then, I've raced Ironman events in Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Malaysia and in 2007 I debuted in Kona.

Let me be clear: I am not a pro, nor do I have any illusions of turning pro. However I've been fortunate to train with some superb triathletes including a number of pros both women and men.

Part of the reason to set up this blog was to provide a forum for their success. The Sub Nine bog is focused on women. Moore's Triathlete Rankings is a way for me to keep track of who is among the most consistent.

Tim

triathleteranking@yahoo.com