Frodeno flies to another big win at Challenge Gran Canaria
German Olympic and Ironman champ continues his domination of the sport's top athletes
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Challenge-Family
Chalk up another big win over another of his major competitors. In March defending Ironman world champion Jan Frodeno easily handled Lionel Sanders at Challenge Miami, today it was one of his main German competitors, Patrick Lange, who found himself added to Frodeno’s list of conquests in 2021..
As is routine for the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, Frodeno won the race thanks to an even performance that saw him amongst the best in all three disciplines. Third out of the water behind Switzerland’s Andrea Salvisberg and Sam Laidlow (who was born in Britain but grew up in France), with Lange about a minute behind starting the run.
Once out on the bike Frodeno was reportedly frustrated that he couldn’t drop the group who quickly attached themselves to him as he was joined by defending champion Pieter Heemeryck (BEL), Italy’s Giulio Molinari and Spain’s Pablo Dapena. By the end of the bike Germany’s Andi Boecherer had ridden himself up to the front group, coming off the bike with Frodeno, with Dapena and Molinari a few seconds back. Lange hit T2 1:43 behind Frodeno.
If Frodeno was frustrated that he couldn’t get clear on the bike, he certainly didn’t have those issues once he was out on the four-loop run course – within 4 km he was a minute up on Dapena, Boecherer was third at 1:13, Molinari found himself 1:43 back and Lange was running alongside Frodeno’s training partner, Australian Nick Kastelein.
There was never any doubt that Frodeno would continue his dominance over the sport’s big names, though, as he hammered through the run for his second big win of 2021. While he made it look easy, after crossing the line he showed just how much the effort had taken out of him. After the race he said the heat was so intense that it “felt like he was doing a full-distance race.”
“I was suffering hard today – it’s a very honest course,” Frodeno said after the race.
Lange would eventually run his way past Dapena, but the former ITU long-distance world champion hung tough, as did Kastelein. Both would eventually get past Lange, crossing the line in second and third, with Lange taking fourth and Andi Boecherer rounding out the top 5.
- Jan Frodeno 3:41:21
- Pablo Dapena 3:42:30
- Nick Kastelein 3:42:42
- Patrick Lange 3:43:05
- Andi Boecherer 3:45:36
