Blummenfelt blasts past Sub7 with 6:44
Norwegian’s winning run continues as he breaks the 7-hour barrier for the full-distance
Photo by:
Kevin Mackinnon
Is there anything Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt can’t do? Last summer there was an Olympic gold medal. Then, in the fall, came a 7:21 Ironman win in Cozumel. Last month he took the Ironman World Championship St. George, then today he blasted by the seven hour barrier for a full-distance race to top the Sub7 Project.
Blummenfelt was a bit slower in the water than he had hoped, apparently slowed by a headwind and current, but still finished the swim in 48:21. He then followed his pace team to a 3:24:22 bike split (52.8 km/ h), then followed that up with a 2:30:50 marathon – an impressive 3:34/ km average. That game him an overall time of 6:44:25.
“That was tough – even sitting back there on the bike, the guys were pushing so hard,” Blummenfelt said after the event. “It has been two years of planning. It’s all crucial to get a dialled in team. The team put together a great performance.”
Related: The inside scoop on Kristian Blummenfelt’s new Cadex prototype bike
After replacing Alistair Brownlee at the last minute, Great Britain’s Joe Skipper put together an impressive performance. He started the day with a 53:24 swim, then blasted by Blummenfelt on the bike thanks to a 3:16:42 bike split (55 km/ hour), well ahead of the seemingly outrageous goal time Skipper had of 3:20. A 2:36:43 marathon meant that Skipper was also well under the seven-hour barrier with his 6:47:36 time.
The times from today’s events won’t be considered world best times because the athletes were paced, but organizers will no-doubt consider the event to be a success as all four athletes managed to break the goal times of seven and eight hours.
