INTERNATIONAL MALE TRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR JAN FRODENO GERMANY

Triathlon Magazine Canada International Triathlete of the Year

IN KONA, EVERYTHING WENT PERFECTLY.

After back-to-back disappointing finishes to his seasons in 2017 and 2018, Jan Frodeno had one of the best years in recent memory in 2019.

The 38-year-old German went a perfect four-for-four, culminating in a dominant, record-setting win at the Ironman World Championships in October, to earn our distinction as Male International Triathlete of the Year.

Frodeno, the 2008 Olympic champion, made a successful transition to long-course racing in 2013, landing on the podium in his Kona debut in 2014 by taking third. He followed that up by winning consecutive titles in ‘15 and ‘16. But, after that, he hit a bit of a snag.

Frodeno was reduced to walking in 2017 and, in 2018, was forced to pull out a month before the race due to a stress fracture. And then came 2019. The full-distance world record holder got things started off in June, winning the Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau by almost 13 minutes. He kept the momentum going with a win at the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt, prevailing in a close battle with countryman Sebastian Kienle in a quick time of 7:56:02.

Frodeno then cruised to another 70.3 title in Gdynia in mid-August before gearing up for the sport’s most prestigious race in October.

In Kona, everything went perfectly. He came out of the water in second, led the field by two minutes coming off the bike and then produced the fastest marathon split in the field (2:42:43) to literally run away with the victory. The win put Frodeno in elusive company, joining Dave Scott, Mark Allen, Peter Reid and Craig Alexander as winners of three or more Ironman World Championship men’s titles.

His final time of 7:51:13 set a new course record, lowering fellow German Patrick Lange’s

7:52:39 from the year prior, in what was just the third sub-eighthour performance ever on the Big Island (Tim O’Donnell came in eight minutes later to make it four). In his two previous wins, Frodeno had clocked in at 8:14:40 and 8:06:30 respectively.

What stands out from Frodeno’s incredible year – beyond the victories – was the sheer dominance over his competitors. The combined margin of victory in his four races: 29 minutes,

25 seconds.—JS