Wellington Smashes World Record at Ironman Arizona
Huntington Beach, CA – November 22, 2010 – It was another record-breaking day for 3x World Champion Chrissie Wellington at Ironman Arizona. Smashing the previous world record of 8:47:26 (set by Sandra Wallenhorst at 2008 Ironman Austria), Wellington’s time of 8:36:13 dominated the field, beating 2nd place women’s finisher, Linsey Corbin (9:05:33), by nearly 30 minutes.
With her new Ironman World Record time of 8:36:13, Chrissie became the first woman to break nine hours in an Ironman in North America. Wellington led off with a 51:56 on the swim, wearing the TYR Category 5 Hurricane Wetsuit. Her bike and run splits were dominant, with times of 4:47:06 and 2:52:56 (a new world record for the marathon split), respectively. Chrissie also holds the record for Ironman distance with a time of 8:19:31, set at Quelle Challenge Roth this summer.
Perhaps the most impressive of Wellington’s feats was achieving the smallest gap between first man and first woman in an Ironman. Chrissie finished 8th overall, roughly 29 minutes behind men’s winner Timo Bracht. In addition, Wellington set a new course record for Ironman Arizona, surpassing the previous record of 9:09:19. She remains undefeated in Ironman distance with a perfect 10-for-10.
Also breaking the top ten on the women’s side was TYR athlete Mackenzie Madison, who finished seventh with a time of 9:24:11. Madison had a standout race with splits of 1:07:02 on the swim, 5:02:00 on the bike, and 3:09:57 on the run.
On the men’s side, TYR athlete and Great Britain native Tom Lowe finished in 3rd place with a time of 8:11:44. Racing his first full Ironman, Lowe ran a remarkable race, with splits of 56:37 on the swim, 4:22:51 on the bike, and 2:48:11 on the run. Lowe’s run split was the fastest of the day for the men. Lowe, who is currently dating Chrissie Wellington, greeted her at the finish line, completing an already amazing day for Chrissie, Tom, and the entire TYR Team.
Wellington raced in a custom red edition of TYR’s new Carbon Collection Race Kit, which is launching to the public in Spring 2011. Lowe and Madison also wore the Carbon Collection Race Kits, wearing gray/black and black/red, respectively. All three athletes swam in the Category 5 Hurricane Wetsuit.
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TYR engineers technical apparel and equipment for swimmers and triathletes. Named for “TYR”, the Norse god of warriors, we’re a company started by athletes and populated by athletes. The cultures and communities of competitive swimming and triathlons pervade our offices. We are dedicated to re-imagining technologies that help athletes attain peak performance. Like athletes, we work with an intense spirit of competition. We aim to create the fastest, most advanced technologies and products. Always. To learn more about TYR, our sponsored athletes, and the products they race and train in, please visit TYR.com.
