IM World Champ Preview: The Men

Good morning! 5:30am here in Kona and I've already had my coffee; getting ready to head out on a run before the underpants run! But first, part two of my Ironman World Championship preview.... Just a little warning, there are some holes in this one with missing stats on some of the guys. I hate publishing unfinished work, even on a silly little blog like this, but I may not have time to update it any time soon. I will try to update it from the Media Center later this afternoon! Thanks for understanding.

Kona: The Men

Craig Alexander

Notable:

Crowie hasn’t raced a lot this year, but that’s because he’s busy with sponsors and doesn’t want to leave his family much. In his case, I say do what you have to, race when it matters, and nothing else! He hammered Ironman Melbourne earlier this year going 7:57:44, then 1st in Eagelman with a speedy 1:15:07 run. What’s up, then with the 9th at Racine? Anyways, Kona this year to some degree seems to be all about Crowie and Macca, but I think Crowie has more than Macca to worry about, especially on the run.

2012 Results:

1^st Ironman Melbourne, Asia-Pacific Championships 

1^st Eagelman 70.3

9^th Racine 70.3 

2^nd Vegas

Kona Results:

2011- 1st

2010-4th

2009-1st

2008-1st

2007-2nd

Chris McCormack

Notable:

After the whirlwind season he’s had, I’m glad to see him back to Kona. I think the short-course speed he gained during the Olympic stint will only serve to help him — he has enough years of base volume to draw off and get back quickly. Just look at the ITU Long Distance Champs. I know Macca is a hard-working dude even outside training. I’m curious to learn more about this MX12 thing. Not to mention, yesterday I attended an exclusive press conference (like, at his oceanfront house with only a few people kind of exclusive) where Macca announced a 10-year partnership with the Challenge Family races -- meaning at least 5 more years of racing in his future, and embarking on the business side of triathlon. Interesting. 

2012 Results:

This is one guy whose results I didn’t compile, except:

1st ITU Long Distance Champs

18^th HyVee 1:59:47, had a penalty

Kona Results:

2010- 1st

2009- 4th

2008-

2007- 1st
2006 and earlier.... working on it (surprised I don't have this memorized after reading his book!)

Pete Jacobs

Notable:

Just recently he was quoted saying he wants to run 2:37 in Kona this year. I said months ago that I think he will be the one to break 2:40 this year. Will it be a bunch of hype? We’ll see, but I know he has what it takes. It will really come down to his bike. At only 30 years old, he’s been top 10 in Hawaii for the past 3 yrs now (8^th ’09, 9^th ’10 w penalty and last year was his best to date with 2^nd going 8:09:11 with the fastest run 2:42:29 (the year prior he also ran the fastest 2:41:05), so even if he doesn’t break 2:40 this year, he will eventually. As long as he stays injury free, which seems to be an issue for him. This year he had a pinched nerve in glute/hip, and said he has suffered injury the past several years, forcing time off. Also of note, he was 31 min behind Potts at IMLP and then won Philippenes for the 3rd straight year.

2012 Results:

5^th Urban Hotel Long Course Geelong      

1^st Long Course Triathlon Huskisson     

1^st Coral Coast 5150      

1^st Cairns Ironman 70.3

4^th Syracuse Ironman 70.3

6^th New York 5150

2^nd Ironman Lake Placid

1^st Philippines Ironman 70.3 

Kona Results:

2011-2nd

2010-top-5 or top-10 (says Pedro Gomes who's sitting next to me right now)....

2009 and earlier- working on it...

Andreas Raelert

Notable:

2012 Results:

2^nd Ironman 70.3 Austria

1^st ETU Challenge Kraichgau Euro Champs

4^th Ironman Frankfurter Sparkasse IM Euro Championships

1^st Challenge Walchsee-Kaiserwinkl, just over a month from kona

Kona results:

2010- 2nd

2009- 3rd

Jordan Rapp

Notable:

All I can say is finally! Yay Rappstar! Excited for this one. He now has five Ironman titles to his name, including two earned this year. He’s survived a near-death accident…. he’s ready for Kona. It's hard to predict how he'll do (or anyone for that matter), but I am optimistic. I'm sure he's scientifically dialed in his race plan to a tee!

2012 Results:

IM Texas Champ

IM NYC Champ

Vegas Leadman

Marino Vanhoenacker

Notable:

Started off 2012 strong with four big races in a short period of time, winning two. He took a short break to build up for the next two big ones. Win at Euro champs, his 6^th IM win, ahead of Andreas Raelert. Not surprisingly he took the lead during the bike, then held on running a 2:48:19, for 8:03:31 overall and his sixth Ironman win. Looks like he’s in good form for Kona.

2012 Results:

1^st IM South Africa

1^st IMNZ 70.3

8^th Ironman 70.3 Texas

3^rd April Samui Triathlon

1^st Frankfurter Sparkasse (the Ironman Euro Championships)

Kona Results:

2011-DNF (swim/bike splits only) – started run and had no legs.

2010- 3^rd

2009-DNF

2008- 22^nd 

2007-5^th

2006-6^th

2003-54^th

Cameron Brown

Notable:

See those Kona results? I interviewed Brown earlier this year, and he said the only reason he’s doing Kona again is because he surprised himself with how well he did at Ironman Melbourne (second to Crowie) and felt that he had to toe the line in Hawaii at least one more time. I love that spirit, and I love how Brown’s results are usuallt always good, but even the occisional bad race never gets the best of him. Just in case you’ve been under a rock that’s anti-triathlon, Brown has won IM New Zealand 10 times. No one else can touch a record like that. 

2012 Results:

1^st NZ half iron champs 

3^rd NZ 70.3 (not a full this year)

2^nd IM Melbourne, to crowie 8:00:12

9^th Samui International triathlon 9^th

2^nd IM Cairns

4^th Challenge Roth 

2^nd Philippines 70.3

Kona Results:

2011- DNF 

2010- 17^th 

2009- 22^nd

2007-DNF

2008- 5^th

2006- 8^th

2005- 2^nd

2004- 34^th

2003- 3^rd

2002- 3^rd

2001- 2^nd

2000- 26^th

Andy Potts

Notable:

Just interviewed Andy on Monday on the podcast. Basically, I think he’s ready for a top-5. Last year his focus was elsewhere, thus a not so great Kona. The year before that, he said just sucked. But this year his focus IS Ironman and Kona, and he’s not sucking. He won IMLP (third IM win) from the beginning and said he recovered better than ever from that. He thinks his body is finally “getting” Ironman, and it shows in his lean physique too. When asked he said he expects to run even faster than that 2:52 he posted in ’08 (?). His other races this year haven’t been to shabby either.
Listen to my podcast with him at enduranceplanet.com.

2012 Results:

1st Oceanside (4x champ)

1^st St Croix

2^nd CapTex Triathlon Race to the Toyota Cup

1^st Escape from Alcatraz (5x time champ)

2^nd Philadelphia Triathlon Race to the Toyota Cup

2^nd Minneapolis Triathlon Race to the Toyota Cup

1^st IM Lake Placid

5th Vegas 70.3 Worlds

Kona Results:

2011- 17^th

2010-21^st

2009-9^th

2008-7^th

Dirk Bockel

Notable:

Another German machine who can hammer — last year he PR’d his Hawaii bike and almost got on the podium. This year he looks even stronger and more focused, with a win and course record at Regensburg and third at the ITU LD Champs.

2012 Results:

6^th Abu Dhabi

7^th Samui Triathlon

1^st IM Regensburg, course record

1^st Chiemsee Triathlon

3^rd ITU LD WC (macca 1^st)

Kona Results:

2011- 4^th

2010- 10^th

2009- 7^th

Timo Bracht

Notable:

He wanted to win Roth this year but that slipped away from him sadly. He also lost another Challenge race to Andreas Raelert not too long ago. But Timo is still a powerhouse, in 2011 he had two Ironman wins and a best-ever 5th in Kona, with the third fastest run.

2012 Results:

Int. Olympic Triathlon Mallorca

1st Triathlon RheinNeckar Cup Mussbach

6^th ETU Challenge Kraichgau Euro Champs

4^th Sparkassen City Triathlon Heilbronn

2^nd Challenge Roth

4^th Frankfurt City Triathlon

Triathlon RheinNeckar Cup Viernheim

2^nd Challenge Walchsee-Kaiserwinkl (behind andreas raelert)

Kona Results:

2011-5th

2010-6th

2009- 6th

2008- 5th

2007-15^th