Ironman’s Tough Day
May 29 was a tough day for the folks at Ironman. Things got started when a court in the Netherlands ruled that the company must reinstate Dutch athlete Els Visser as the champion at Ironman Maastricht and also name her as the Dutch long-distance champion. In that race, which took place on August 5, 2018, Visser and New Zealand’s Sonia Bracegirdle missed a buoy on the swim course – video coverage of the race clearly showed the two going off course. Because the two were directed off course by officials,
officials chose not to disqualify the pair.
Six weeks later, Ironman officials disqualified the pair. That gave the win and the Dutch long-distance title to Yvonne Van Vlerken, while Canadian Angela Naeth moved from fifth to third. The extra points from her podium finish allowed Naeth to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in KailuaKona, Hawaii, where she finished eighth.
A lawyer approached Visser and convinced her she had a case against Ironman. Turns out the court agreed. Visser received the 24-page
ruling which ordered Ironman to pay her the US$12,000 winner’s prize purse and reinstate her as national champion. The ruling stated that Ironman didn’t follow its own regulations with the disqualification as all rulings must be within a distinct time-frame after the race – usually within 30 min of the official race finish, unless new information becomes available. The ruling stated that Ironman was fully aware that Visser and Bracegirdle had gone off course on the race day, so there was no new information that would allow them to retroactively disqualify the pair.
Just as that news was roiling around the European media, another bombshell hit in Austria. Ironman 70.3 St. Pölten, one of the oldest 70.3 events in Europe, announced that it would no longer be part of the 70.3 series, but had partnered with Challenge-Family. The inaugural Challenge St. Pölten will take place on May 24, 2020.
Started in 2007, the 70.3 St. Pölten race is unique because of its two-lake swim and fast, flat and scenic course that takes athletes along a highway through the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Center of Wachau. The run follows the Traisen river, through the historical town of St. Pölten.
According to race organizers one of the main issues with Ironman was the company’s resistance to allow them to run a number of “side events.”
“We want to live the familiar and enthusiastic spirit for the triathlon sport in St. Pölten to the fullest,” race director Christoph Schwarz said.—KM