Philipp sets new Ironman record to take European Championship in Hamburg

What a day its been for fast full-distance times! With much of the multisport world’s attention on the Sub7/ Sub8 Project, there was another super-fast day taking place in another part of Germany as Laura Philipp came very close to breaking Chrissie Wellington’s world-best time set at Challenge Roth in 2011.

The women’s-only Ironman European Championship race in Hamburg (the men compete in Frankfurt later this month) saw Germany’s Laura Philipp, blast to the second-fastest full-distance time ever with her 8:18:20, just seven seconds slower than Wellington’s record. Philipp has bounced back from the disappointment of having to pull out of the Ironman World Championship in St. George because of COVID with two big wins in the last couple of weekends. Philipp would have arrived in St. George as one of the pre-race favourites after her big win over Daniela Ryf at Ironman 70.3 Dubai earlier this year, but ended up having to pull out of the race less than two weeks out. After recovering, Philipp won Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau last weekend, and dominated the race in Hamburg today.

Ironman rookie Chelsea Sodaro led the women out of the water in 54:38, with Philipp just one second behind. Also in that lead group were France’s Manon Genet and Great Britain’s Chantal Sainter.

On the bike the race quickly became the Laura Philipp show as the German rode away from the rest of the women, finishing the bike four minutes ahead of Sodaro after a blazing 4:31 bike split. That put the German 17 minutes up on Genet, who hit T2 in third.

Philipp ran a 2:45:39 marathon to round out the day, crossing the line in 8:18:20, oh so close to Wellington’s record. Sodaro finished the day with a. 3:00:21 marathon to cross the line in 8:36:42, while Genet hung on for third in 8:52:02.