we have sandra wallenhorst going 8:47:26 in klagenfurt (im austria), and then we have yvonne van vlerken going 8:45:48 in roth. there seems to be some disagreement over what the WR is, because one is an official IM and the other is not. me, i don't differentiate. if roger bannister clocked 3:59 while going 4 times around a 440yd oval, the RDs failure to pay a sanction fee isn't going to keep the public from recognizing the achievement.
in the cases of both these races, tho, and with all due respect to these talented women, we expect a WR in a marathon from, oh, paula radcliffe, maybe catherine ndereba, maybe from deena kastor. but not from someone who's run a 2:28 or a 2:33 on what we know is a legit course. can we, after the fact, find out whether any real record, or world best, has been set here?
my question is for you forum readers who participated in these races, and/or those of you who'd like to go back do some investigating via google mapping technology. what we do not have in triathlon is any standard for course certification. what we do have, tho, are personal garmin units, and bike computers. and, of course, online mapping utilities that turn out to be quite accurate.
i've heard, in past years, anything from 106mi to 109mi for certain bike courses purporting to be 112mi. are there any who competed in either of these races this past weekend who came up with totals for the bike and/or run course? what about the marathons? any garmin-equipped runners out there?
also, are the swim times kosher? are the 45s and 46s in klagenfurt okay, considering i'm assuming wetsuits were worn? has stephen bayliss ever done anything like a 46:03 in the past? he swam 47:29 at south africa, and 47:08 in NZ this year. marino swam 48:42 in klagenfurt. he swam 53:21 in kona last year. 54:04 in kona the year before. kona is in salt water, no wetsuits. wetsuits might, for a pro, be 6 seconds faster per 100yd. maybe 7sec in the extreme. but you give at least a second back salt water to fresh, maybe more. that means between 3 minutes and 3:30 faster in fresh water w/wetsuit versus salt w/o. maybe 4min max.
roth, you'd think they'd get the swim right, because it's up and back in a dead-straight canal, as i remember it (i was there once for the race many years ago). the swim seems quick. pete jacobs and kieran doe going 46:06 and :09. but you figure they're perhaps 49 and change in kona in a good year. macca was 47:46 in roth, add 3:30 and he's 51:16 in kona, so that's believable. torbjorn was 47:51 in roth, that's about 52 in kona, that would be quick for him, no?
i think roth's swim is believable, but on the quick side of believable. i'm guessing the swim in klagenfurt was 1:00 to 1:30 short. but, i'm open to hearing alternate views.
what about the bike and run for both these races? anyone with any evidence one way or the other?
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
in the cases of both these races, tho, and with all due respect to these talented women, we expect a WR in a marathon from, oh, paula radcliffe, maybe catherine ndereba, maybe from deena kastor. but not from someone who's run a 2:28 or a 2:33 on what we know is a legit course. can we, after the fact, find out whether any real record, or world best, has been set here?
my question is for you forum readers who participated in these races, and/or those of you who'd like to go back do some investigating via google mapping technology. what we do not have in triathlon is any standard for course certification. what we do have, tho, are personal garmin units, and bike computers. and, of course, online mapping utilities that turn out to be quite accurate.
i've heard, in past years, anything from 106mi to 109mi for certain bike courses purporting to be 112mi. are there any who competed in either of these races this past weekend who came up with totals for the bike and/or run course? what about the marathons? any garmin-equipped runners out there?
also, are the swim times kosher? are the 45s and 46s in klagenfurt okay, considering i'm assuming wetsuits were worn? has stephen bayliss ever done anything like a 46:03 in the past? he swam 47:29 at south africa, and 47:08 in NZ this year. marino swam 48:42 in klagenfurt. he swam 53:21 in kona last year. 54:04 in kona the year before. kona is in salt water, no wetsuits. wetsuits might, for a pro, be 6 seconds faster per 100yd. maybe 7sec in the extreme. but you give at least a second back salt water to fresh, maybe more. that means between 3 minutes and 3:30 faster in fresh water w/wetsuit versus salt w/o. maybe 4min max.
roth, you'd think they'd get the swim right, because it's up and back in a dead-straight canal, as i remember it (i was there once for the race many years ago). the swim seems quick. pete jacobs and kieran doe going 46:06 and :09. but you figure they're perhaps 49 and change in kona in a good year. macca was 47:46 in roth, add 3:30 and he's 51:16 in kona, so that's believable. torbjorn was 47:51 in roth, that's about 52 in kona, that would be quick for him, no?
i think roth's swim is believable, but on the quick side of believable. i'm guessing the swim in klagenfurt was 1:00 to 1:30 short. but, i'm open to hearing alternate views.
what about the bike and run for both these races? anyone with any evidence one way or the other?
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman