Athlete loses race as he stumbles less than a metre from the line
After leading from the start of the run, Germany's Mika Noodt gets caught just before the finish line by eventual winner Mathis Margirier
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Challenge Family
The inaugural Challenge Vieux Boucau in France featured some big names including two-time Olympic gold medalist Alistair Brownlee, reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion Rico Bogen along with draft-legal specialist Dorian Coninx, who was competing in his first half-distance race. In the end, though, it was Germany’s Mika Noodt and Frances’ Mathis Margirier who provided the entertainment, as the Frenchman passed Noodt with less than a metre to go to take the win.
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Coninx led the way out of the water, but he had some company in the form of Brownlee, Bogen and Australia’s Aaron Royle. Noodt would bike up to the front, pulling clear and hitting T2 in front. He would stay in front for almost the entire run, but there was lots of drama behind.
Brownlee would move to second in the final of four laps of the run, but would have to back off his charge to the front as he is still nursing his foot after surgery earlier this year. That left Margirier to push towards the front.
As the pair hit the red carpet, Margirier sprinted towards the line and Noodt couldn’t respond. The German stumbled just before the line, leaving Margirier to take the win in 3:38:10, with Noodt crossing the line a second later. Bogen would round out the podium in 3:39:42.
“It was really hard today, I wasn’t feeling good on the bike so in the middle of the bike, I was just waiting for the finish,” Margirier said after the race. “The first lap of the run was so hard, I had no energy. But when I saw Mika slowing down, in the last 10m I was second, I could sprint and he couldn’t so I finished first!”
“That’s racing! I gave it everything I had!” Noodt said.
Pohle holds off Simmonds
Germany’s Caroline Pohle managed to hold off Switzerland’s Imogen Simmonds, who was on a winning streak coming into the race with wins at Challenge Barcelona and Challenge Peguera-Mallorca. Pohle was first out of the water and held the lead until 50 km into the ride, when Simmonds rode to the front. Simmonds was first into T2, but Pohle would regain the lead 5 km into the run. The German would open up a 30 second lead shortly after that, which was enough to hold on for the win as she crossed the line in 4:04:43, with Simmonds taking second in 4:05:02. Charlene Clavel rounded out the top-three.
