Bretscher and Martin win Ironman Wisconsin
American Daniel Bretscher and New Zealand’s Britta Martin took advantage of near perfect race conditions to top the podium at the 13th edition of Ironman Wisconsin.
Bretscher wins his first Ironman title with a course record
American Brandon Marsh led everyone out of the 2.4-mile Lake Monona swim with a time of 47:52 with Colombia’s Andres Castillo Latorre just a couple seconds behind. A pack of nine followed, which included pre-race favorites Daniel Bretscher along with Germany’s Konstantin Bachor, and Portugal’s Pedro Gomes.
Marsh led the way during the bike until just before the 38 mile mark when Bachor took over the lead. Bachor then set the pace for the rest to follow and finished the 112-mile ride with a new course record of 4:31:14, breaking Maik Twelsiek’s 4:34:58 from last year. This gave him an 11-minute lead over his main chasers – Marsh, Bretscher, and Gomes.
Bachor held tough during the run but the effort on the bike took its toll. Gomes, Bretscher, and Marsh chased hard and closed the gap. By the 19-mile mark Bretscher took possession of the lead for good. Motivated by not wanting to duplicate his second place finish from last year and with no margin for error, Bretscher ran hard to the finish with a course record 2:50:14 marathon to take his first career Ironman title in an overall course record time of 8:31:20. Marsh claimed second and Gomes rounded out the podium to finish third.
Top 5 Pro Men
1. Daniel Bretscher USA 8:31:20
2. Brandon Marsh USA 8:32:23
3. Pedro Gomes PRT 8:36:56
4. Konstantin Bachor DEU 8:38:42
5. Matt Hanson USA 8:50:16
Martin grabs her second Ironman title
American Tami Ritchie set the tone for the women coming out of the water in 52:31, followed by defending champion and fellow Americans Jackie Arendt, Ashley Clifford, and Jessica Smith. New Zealand’s Britta Martin finished the swim in 59:13. Trailing her were top contenders Ariane Monticeli of Brazil, Tamara Kozulina of the Ukraine.
Just before mile 19 of the bike course, Martin, a former professional cyclist, assumed the race lead and continued to gradually add to it throughout the day. By the completion of her 5:15:26 ride she held a 5:21 lead over Kozulina, her closest threat of the day.
Martin continued to pad her lead during the marathon running 3:08:40 to finish in 9:30:08 and earn her second career Ironman title. Kozulina held on for second, and Clifford ran her way up to third.
Top 5 Pro Women
1. Britta Martin NZL 9:30:08
2. Tamara Kozulina UKR 9:41:16
3. Ashley Clifford USA 9:45:10
4. Ariane Monticeli BRA 9:49:40
5. Jackie Arendt USA 10:03:58
