Julie Derron will remember this day for a long time. The Swiss star, who claimed Olympic silver last year in Paris, made a triumphant statement by taking her first-ever Long Distance victory, by winning Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz in commanding fashion. Pre-race favorite Anne Haug, returning from injury, was forced to withdraw during the marathon.
The race never truly became a exciting – largely due to Derron’s relentless performance across all three disciplines. The former “rising star” label no longer applies; she’s well and truly arrived. She exited the water first in 53:08, just ahead of Lottie Lucas, with Marjolaine Pierre trailing 2:39 behind in third. At that point – though no one realized it yet – the podium was already set. Anne Haug, in her comeback race after a long injury layoff, was fourth out of the water, nearly five minutes adrift.
Normally, Haug is known for making up ground on the bike, but this time, Derron had other ideas. The Swiss athlete delivered a blistering bike split that only widened the gap as the kilometers ticked by. Lucas and Pierre steadily dropped back, eventually trailing by 15 and 22 minutes, respectively. Even Haug, despite a strong effort, couldn’t bring the deficit under ten minutes and entered T2 in second place.
Any lingering suspense evaporated early in the marathon when Haug pulled out, leaving Derron with a clear path to victory. Yet the Swiss star didn’t let up. She charged through the run to finish in a stunning 8:21:48, securing her first Long Distance win with undeniable authority.
Lottie Lucas crossed the line second in 8:59:42, while Marjolaine Pierre rounded out the podium in 9:04:00.
