Canada’s Jen Annett wins Ultraman world title in record-setting time
After three days and 515 kilometres of racing, Annett crossed the finish line in just over 23 hours
Photo by:
Gord Goble
The Ultraman World Championships took place on Hawaii’s Big Island over the weekend, and Canada’s Jen Annett smashed the course record to run away with the win. Anticipation was high for Annett’s race in Hawaii after she qualified for the worlds with a record-setting performance at Ultraman Canada in August, and she lived up to the expectations, finishing the three-day, 515-kilometre event in 23 hours, four minutes, and 56 seconds.
Day 1
The first day of Ultraman racing sees athletes swim 10 kilometres and bike 145 kilometres. After the swim, it was Denmark’s Michelle Vesterby (an Ironman-turned-Ultraman athlete, just like Annett) who was in the lead. Vesterby exited the water in 2:59:19, four minutes clear of the second-place athlete. Annett didn’t emerge from the swim for close to 20 minutes after Vesterby, clocking a 3:16:49 split that put her in fourth place.
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On the 145-kilometre bike course, Vesterby wasn’t able to extend her lead over Annett, but she lost only seconds to the Canadian. Annett had the fastest bike split of the day with a 5:08:53 clocking, while Vesterby hit the finish in 5:08:59. Going into Day 2, the women sat in first and second place, with Vesterby’s overall time sitting at 8:08:18 and Annett’s at 8:25:42. The third-place competitor (and leading male) was close to 20 minutes behind Annett.
Day 2
The second stage of an Ultraman is rather straightforward (but far from easy), with only one task for the day: bike 276 kilometres. Annett and Vesterby once again had the fastest bike splits of the day, with Annett eating away at the Dane’s lead. Annett finished the stage in 7:52:17 (a women’s course record), six minutes faster than Vesterby’s 7:58:20. Even with the tremendous ride from Annett, she still sat more than 10 minutes back of the lead. As the women focused on the third and final day of racing, Vesterby’s overall time was 16:06:38 and Annett’s was 16:17:59.
Day 3
Much like the second stage of an Ultraman, the third is a one-event day, with racers running a double-marathon. With 84 kilometres separating Vesterby and Annett from an Ultraman world title, the race was about to get very interesting. The two women both ran well, and after the first marathon, Annett was still trailing Vesterby by minutes in the overall standings.
Over the second half of the run, however, Annett really laid down the hammer, and by the time she crossed the finish line, she had not only done enough to beat Vesterby, she won by a whopping 21 minutes. In Ultraman racing, a 20-minute difference between athletes isn’t necessarily a blowout, but considering the fact that Annett was 11 minutes behind Vesterby going into Day 3, this 21-minute win is huge.
Annett ran a women’s run course record with her final day showing of 6:46:57, and her overall time of 23:04:56 is a new course record. Vesterby crossed the line in second place overall, stopping the clock in 23:25:47. This is the first time in the race’s history that a woman has won the race outright. Third place went to the top male, Juan Bautista Castilla Arroyo, who finished more than two hours behind Annett.