Frederik Van Lierde obtained a 9th place last Saturday during IM Texas with a new personal best of 7hr53'43. "I managed to improve my personal best by nearly 7 minutes and finished my first sub-8hr race. I also noticed that this type of course (flat and fast) does not benefit my potential." Fre's race report...
"At a given moment it became clear that the race would be decided during the marathon... I kicked off the day with a solid swim (49 minutes) in Lake Woodlands, without wetsuit. I did not run into trouble and could easily manage myself in the large lead pack."
"Bike course? I'll be brief..."
"The bike course has been subject to many opinions and discussions, so I'll be brief. I felt strong enough to make the difference in the 12 men group, but it all stuck together until T2. A bike split of 4hr10, including 3 extra kilometers (Ruedi Wild and myself took a wrong turn when trying to gap the pack). It took 25 km to regroup and it certainly was a hard chase. It gave me confidence to retry and surge, I tried several times but without success. None of the other athletes succeeded as well."
"The closing marathon was finished in 2hr48, good but only that. I clearly felt the effort of the bike. Conclusion: happy with both time and current form. The Hawaii slot is a done deal and I'm ready to start preparing for IM France (24/06). Time for some rest and recovery," concludes Fre.
His record time will stand on IM tables. Due to safety issues the bike course was shortened with 3,2km. Initially IM would not withhold any records set on the course, but Andrew Starykowicz (with a 3hr54'59 bike split) argued that variations in length were allowed in races such as Roth. So eventually IM came back on its decision and all records set at Texas will stand, meaning that Tine Deckers is now officially the 9th fastest woman ever on an IM course.
Dan Empfield has posted an interesting column on the matter on Slowtwitch. "There is one way to become an Ironman"
Original article posted on 3athlon.be by Hans Cleemput on 03/05/2018
Translation by @T0v3