Triathlon – Frodeno before man-to-man duel: world record will be crowning achievement

Immenstadt (dpa) – Lionel Sanders’ sweat ran down his bare upper body, Jan Frodeno smelling unusually hard after a few turns.

“I’m out of breath, 2000 meters high,” said the triathlon superstar. This did not stop him from speaking at the somewhat unusual press conference on the Fellhorn near Oberstdorf.

Indeed, Canada’s Frodeno and his opponents wanted to kick their high-tech bikes out a bit. Due to the weather, the warm-up for the spectacular “Tri-Battle Royale” had to be moved inside. There will be no more pardons, starting at 9 a.m. at Grosser Alpsie, on the Sunday a month before Frodeno’s 40th birthday. “If we can break the world record it will be the icing on the cake and it will be great if we can do both,” Frodeno said.

“opportunity of a lifetime”

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, so it only took me three seconds to say yes,” insisted Sanders: “I came here for one thing: I want to push him to the limit. There’s only the first and last.” place. “

Frodeno and Sanders want to afford a very special duel: swimming 3.8 km, cycling 180.2 km, running 42.2 km in the Allgu – just two of them. The three-time Ironman World Champion and multiple Ironman winner, 33, is widely regarded as one of the strongest athletes on the scene, with a residence of his choice in Girona, Spain. Sanders’ personal best is 7:44:29 hours. Frodeno covered the distance at Roth in 2016 in 7:35:39 hours.

Three years earlier, Matt Hanson needed 14 seconds less than Frodeno in his record Ironman Texas, but the bike’s distance was reduced by three to four kilometers. This time it is the full distance in a landscape that is characterized by mountains and hills.

see it as a benefit to both

Swimming in the lake should benefit both: Frodeno, because he must be even faster there than in the sea. Sanders, because then he doesn’t fight as much in his weakest discipline and has to make an even bigger difference on the bike. For hunting on a federal highway, North American predicted less than four hours would be possible. “And then the 7:35 hours are in danger.” A banked curve has also been established for the fastest possible turn.

“I don’t know how many races I have left. I approach each one as if it’s my last,” insisted Frodeno, whose winning streak has been going on for a long time. In 2017, he was injured at an Ironman in Hawaii and was only able to drag himself far back to the finish line. Frodeno won all the races he fought after that.

Sanders only had to lose to Patrick Lang in Hawaii in 2017. He is yet to qualify for this year’s World Cup. Sanders was considered a talented runner even in his youth. Playing and learning was one thing, partying and getting drunk was another. He was suffering from hallucinations, depression. That was about eleven years ago. Now this Sanders is in top shape. “We found the guy who’s the best for this format,” Frodeno said.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210716-99-406793/5