PRO athletes give race accounts at IMSA Post-Race Press Conference
11 April 2011
The Top 9 PRO athletes of the race came together to give accounts of their races. Present at the conference were the Top 4 male athletes Raynard Tissink (RSA), Andreas Böcherer (GER), James Cunnama (RSA) and Daniel Fontana (ITA) as well as the Top 5 female athletes Chrissie Wellington (GBR), Rachel Joyce (GBR), Diana Riesler (GER), Silvia Felt (Balbach) (GER) and Amanda Stevens (USA).
Local hero Raynard Tissink (RSA) took home the title of the 2011 Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa and in the process broke the course record with an incredible time of 08:05:36 as well as the bike record with a time of 04:19:41. “I worked hard and it definitely paid off. It was a great day for me,” said Tissink. He knew that compatriot Cunnama is a strong runner and planned to negate his efficacy on the road. “I tried to push on the bike and isolate James [Cunnama] and maybe this would take the sting out of his legs as he would have no assistance,” said Tissink. He added that he “dug deep” and pushed Marino Vanhoenacker to the best of his abilities and it certainly worked. Tissink is now focusing all his efforts on the Ironman World Championships which will be held later this year in Kona, Hawaii and says that this year could be his final year of heavy racing and competing.
Another proud moment for South Africa and Port Elizabeth was when local PRO athlete James Cunnama (RSA) was the second South African to cross the finish line, coming in at third place. “I knew I had to work hard and put in a big effort to catch the guys in front,” said Cunnama. Cunnama’s efforts certainly paid off and got him a fantastic third place finish and valuable points towards a place in Kona.
Superwoman, Chrissie Wellington (GBR) lit up the course this weekend with the fastest ever women’s Ironman race. Her time of 08:33:56 would have been good enough to have won overall in 2007. It was an all-round record-breaking day as Wellington also broke the bike record, setting the new record at 04:45:23 and the run record, now set at 02:52:54. Apart from setting this new run record, it was also the fastest run time of the day, beating Cunnama’s run time by 22 seconds. In addition to her breaking the course record, bike record and run record, she also broke her own Ironman world record for the fastest women’s time.
Despite her record breaking win, Wellington did not aim to break the world record. “Once I had passed the 4km mark, I realised that I had a chance of breaking it, and pushed on till the end,” said Wellington. She continued saying that she is motivated to be the best athlete she can be by fighting the lows and enjoying the highs of each race.
These super athletes certainly dug deep in their efforts to come out tops in this event which demands so much strength, skill and endurance from the competitors. The athletes emphasised the importance of having crowd support behind them, cheering on their every step. “Crowd support is the wind beneath my wings. I love all the support we get here in Nelson Mandela Bay,” said Wellington.
For the crowd, the PRO field battling it out at the 2011 Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa provided an unforgettable day with phenomenal performances. With records tumbling and spectators in awe, this year’s field of PRO athletes truly lived up to and exceeded every expectation.
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