Blummenfelt’s new 70.3 world best time
Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt posted a 3:29:04 to win the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship
On Dec. 8th, Norwegians Kristian Blummenfelt, Gustav Iden and Casper Stornes dominated the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship in Manama, Bahrain.
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All three Norwegian men went under the previous world best time of 3:34:04, set by Michael Raelert in 2009. Blummenfelt ended up taking the win in 3:29:04, edging out Iden by 21 seconds. Stornes finished four and a half minutes back in 3:33:31.
Blummenfelt, Iden and Stornes came out of the water near the front of the race, all completing the 1.8K swim in less than 23 minutes.
Known for their cycling ability on the International Triathlon Union circuit, the three Norwegians quickly went to work on the bike. Stornes posted the fastest 90K bike of the day with a 1:56:31. Iden and Blummenfelt both finished the 90K bike with a sub 1:57 hour ride.
On the run, Blummenfelt managed to create a gap on the others and ran a 1:06:57 half marathon to win the 70.3 Middle East Championship.
As seen by the times posted, the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship course is built for speed. At this year’s race, the swim took place in the Bahrain Financial Harbour, protecting the triathletes from any currents or waves. The bike took place on a relatively flat course with 300m of climbing. The triathletes then finished with a 21.1K run along the flat King Faisal Hwy.
