American Matthew Marquardt and Briton Daisy Davies didn’t just win Ironman South Africa today; they did so with absolute supremacy. Both athletes won by massive margins and proved to be in a league of their own.
Davies made a serious breakthrough last year when she won the European Long Distance Championship at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam, but today she adds another major victory to her record.
For Davies, the day couldn’t have started or ended any better: there wasn’t a single meter of the race where she wasn’t in the lead. Already during the swim – which she completed in 55:05 minutes – she built a lead of 4:16 minutes over her nearest pursuer, and she added more than ten minutes to that on the bike. Davies remained untouchable during the marathon as well; although her lead didn’t grow significantly further, it certainly didn’t shrink much either.
Davies won the race in 8:46:30. Denmark’s Katrine Christensen finished second in 8:57:59, and Germany’s Daniela Bleymehl took third in 8:59:55.
Marquardt’s Dominance
On the men’s side, Marquardt was equally dominant, though it took longer for the American to actually take the lead. For a long time, local South African favorite Jamie Riddle led the race, but Marquardt went on the offensive during the bike leg and caught up after about 140 kilometers. Riddle tried to hang on for a while, but it soon became clear he couldn’t keep up, and Marquardt pulled away by about two minutes over the remaining 35 kilometers.
During the marathon, Marquardt’s hegemony only grew, as his lead continued to increase throughout the 42 kilometers. Ultimately, Marquardt won the race in 7:42:57, more than thirteen minutes before Joe Skipper finished second in 7:56:19. Dutchman Tristan Olij secured third place in 7:58:29, narrowly beating Spaniard Mikel Ugarte Ramos, who just missed the podium with a time of 7:59:01.
