Think an Ironman is tough? Hah! Check out what happened at this year’s record-setting Ultraman World Championship!
A 6:09 double marathon, women take second and third overall ... another mind-boggling weekend of Ultra racing in Hawaii.
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Ultraman World Championship Instagram
Celebrating 40 years of racing this year, the Ultraman World Championship on the Big Island of Hawaii turned in some incredible performances as New Zealand’s Simon Cochrane set a new course record, while Canadian Amy Robitaille finished second overall to take the women’s title.
Cochrane has now done three Ultraman races. He set the world-best time for an Ultraman when he won Ultraman Australia in under 20 hours (19:48), won Ultraman Canada in July, setting a new course record there, and then adding another record-setting day to his Ultraman resume by shattering the old record of 21:41:22 with his 20:57:46 finishing time.
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To give you an idea of just how impressive that time is, remember that the Ultraman event includes three days of racing. Day 1 includes a 10 km (6.2 mile) swim from Kailua Bay to Keauhou Bay, which is followed by a 145 km (90-mile) bike from Keauhou Bay around the southern tip of the Big Island that finishes at Kilauea Military Camp in the Volcanoes National Park. That day’s bike includes 2,433 m (7,948 feet) of climbing. Day 2 includes a 276 km (171.4 mile) bike ride from the Volcanoes National Park around the island to finish at Kamehameha Park just outside of Hawk. That day’s ride includes 2,414 m of climbing (7,919 feet) of climbing. The third day includes a double marathon – 84 km (52.4 miles) – run from Hawi to the finish line at the Old Airport Park in Kailua-Kona. Athletes have 12 hours to finish each day of racing, with the swim cut off at 5.5 hours.
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Cochrane’s record-setting day included a 6:09:47 run. (Yes, that’s two 3:04:56 marathons in a row.)
Robitaille takes second overall
It hardly comes as a surprise that it took a record-setting men’s performance to top Robitaille at the race in Hawaii. Robitaille was the top finisher overall at the 2022 Ultraman Canada event in Penticton. Robitaille trailed after the swim, but moved into the lead by the end of the first day’s bike and never looked back. She would finish in a time of 25:55:15, with another Canadian, Andree-Anne Girard, taking third overall and second in the women’s race with her 27:24:29 finish.
Of the 15 athletes who finished the race, five were women.
Here’s the final results from the weekend’s racing:
