Ironman World Championship in Hawaii: Patrick Lange wins for the third time

DER SPIEGEL Ironman World Championship in Hawaii: Patrick Lange wins for the third time 1 hour • 4 minutes reading time Patrick Lange said he was fitter than ever before: With a course record, he will win the Ironman winner's wreath for the third time. Patrick Lange was already sending hand kisses to his distant homeland long before his triumphant finish at the Ironman World Championship on the famous Ali'i Drive. On the red carpet, he enjoyed the ovations of the spectators, grabbed the finish tape and let his joy out. He screamed, he jumped, he clenched his fists, beat his chest and, full of pride and satisfaction, had the legendary winner's wreath placed on his head. Not even the painful underwater contact with a jellyfish could stop the 38-year-old from Hesse on his favorite island. After strong performances over the 3.86 kilometers of swimming and 180.2 kilometers of cycling, Lange started his big running show in his favorite discipline over 42.2 kilometers and won the Ironman World Championship for the third time - and in the course record time of 7:35:53 hours. In an interview with ZDF, Lange dedicated the victory to his mother, who died four years ago: "When she was in the hospice and I saw her for the last time, she said I should give everything for her and win again. I've done that now," he said with tears in his eyes. With his triple title after his successes in 2017 and 2018, he equaled Jan Frodeno's triumphs in Hawaii. Frodeno had won in 2015, 2016 and also in 2019, when Lange had to give up due to poor health. Overall, it was the eleventh German men's victory in the triathlon mecca. Lange also crowned a splendid 15 months of German triathlon - starting with a triple World Championship victory last year over the half distance, the Olympic victory of the German mixed relay in Paris in the summer and the first Ironman World Championship title for Laura Philipp around a month ago in Nice. He received 125,000 US dollars for his Hawaii victory and can hope for another windfall in the so-called Ironman Pro Series. Nowhere does the triathlete feel so comfortable Lange said before the race that he was fitter than ever. And nowhere does the triathlete feel so comfortable as on Big Island. Two factors that spoke for a strong performance by the 1.78 meter tall athlete, who won the Ironman in Texas this year but suffered a setback at his home race in Frankfurt. When a cannon traditionally heralded the start of the race with a loud bang in Kailua-Kona Bay, he absolutely had to try to keep up with the leaders. Ironman races are not won in swimming, but they may be lost. Especially for Lange, who is strong on the bike but not one of the super cyclists, it was important not to come out of the warm water too far behind. Out of the water in fourth place And Lange was really strong. He quickly got himself into a good position and was able to use the water shadow of competitors in front of him - at times with plenty of elbow use. He came out of the water in fourth place, with Sam Laidlow in second place. The Frenchman had won the Ironman World Championships in Nice a year ago ahead of Lange. Lange left the other top rivals behind him. "10 out of 10 - he's obviously doing an outstanding job," said ex-coach Björn Geesmann of the native of Hesse, who had only changed coach shortly before the World Championships. Laidlow was first on the bike, but the 25-year-old lost a few seconds and was overtaken when he couldn't close his helmet, which was filled with ice cubes and cooled down. But he quickly took the lead again. A larger group had formed behind him, which also included Lange. After about half the cycling distance, he was around five minutes behind Laidlow. His closest pursuer was Magnus Ditlev. The well-known strong cyclist and world record holder had quickly worked his way forward after a rather weak swim. Co-favorite Kristian Blummenfelt, on the other hand, had to contend with massive problems. The champion of the catch-up World Championships in St. George 2022 had to vomit several times on the bike, but still stayed ahead of Lange. At the very front, Laidlow increased the pressure again and extended his lead over his pursuers: 9:06 minutes on Lange after the second change. A decent burden - but also one that Lange had already caught up on Laidlow. In 2023 in Nice, he ran onto the running course around 13 minutes after Laidlow and reached the finish line only four minutes behind. After almost exactly six hours, Lange takes the lead But what Lange delivered on Big Island was enormous. "It's really crazy," said former world champion Sebastian Kienle, commenting as a ZDF expert, who ushered in a German era in Hawaii in 2014.