GUTTING IT OUT
First-time solo triathlete spent weeks adjusting to hot conditions
Germans Patrick Lange and Julia Gajer endure the hot weather to come out on top.
THE WOODLANDS — A native of Germany, Patrick Lange doesn’t usually compete in hot and humid conditions like he experienced Saturday.
But he knew what to expect and was prepared.
So much so, Lange, 29, was victorious in Saturday’s Memorial Hermann Ironman North American Championship Texas triathlon. In his first Ironman.
Lange finished in 7 hours, 13 minutes, 13 seconds, more than eight minutes ahead of Matthew Russell (7:21:56) of New York, who was second here two years ago. Fellow German Julia Gajer was the top female finisher (8:11:01).
“It’s really exciting. I can’t believe it,” Lange said. “It’s just been an amazing day. It’s a great honor to be an Ironman champion, especially here in The Woodlands with (the recent) flooding. They’ve been inspiring.”
In gearing up for Saturday’s swim, bike and run, Lange trained in Spain for four weeks and then spent the past 10 days in the Houston area getting acclimated to the conditions that took a toll on many.
Lange completed the swim (2.4 miles) in 48:57, the bike (94 miles) in 3:39:28 and the 26.2-mile marathon in 2:40:01.
The top professionals completed the endurance race before an afternoon storm engulfed the area, resulting in an hour delay.
A good number of spectators showed their support for Lange as he approached the finish line at Waterway Avenue. And Lange embraced the crowd. He was giving out high-fives in the closing yards.
And why not? Few in the sport could have predicted this outcome. Even Lange, a German champion in team triathlon (2012, ’13), who recently made the change to triathlons.
“I was just waiting for them to catch me, and it didn’t happen,” Lange said. “My goal was to get enough points to maybe qualify for Kona. It’s always been a dream for me to compete in Ironman.
“I didn’t set the goal to go to Kona. That was my goal for the next season actually. It’s just great. I never expected that to happen.”
Saturday’s triathlon was a regional championship, meaning the men’s and women’s winner qualified for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii on Oct. 8. There also were 75 age-group qualifying spots for Hawaii.
Andrew Starkyowicz was first off the bike and led by 10 minutes going into the run. But he ran out of steam and dropped out. Last year’s champion Matt Hanson came in 26th, finishing in 8:07:07. Hanson received a blue card, a five-minute penalty for a drafting violation during the bike segment.
Justin Daerr, who grew up in Houston, finished sixth (7:31:39).
This was the second time Gajer has raced here. She doesn’t remember it being as humid.
“It was really, really hot today,” said Gajer, who needed medical attention after finishing. “Normally I love to race in the heat, but this year we had a long, cold winter in Europe. So my preparation at home was almost like in the snow and then I got here one week ago.”
Gajer, 33, needed a strong run Saturday because she was pushed by Americans Jodie Robertson (8:16:30) and Lisa Roberts (8:17:58). Gajer placed sixth at the world championship last year.
After the weather de- lay Saturday, the race resumed. As athletes, who started at 6:25 a.m. Saturday, crossed the timing mats, their race time was stopped until they restarted. The original finish-line cut-off time of 11 p.m. was extended accordingly.
Race organizers altered the swimming route because rains made The Woodlands Waterway unsuitable. The revised loop started and finished at Northshore Park.