Winner vomits while running
Triathlete Patrick Lange suffers severe pain at the home European Championships
The Ironman in Frankfurt is Patrick Lange's home race. But the Hesse has a “Frankfurt curse” that also lasts at the European Championships. He has to take painkillers on the route and struggles through it. The winner also has bad problems along the way, but still wins confidently.
The two-time Hawaii winner Patrick Lange has once again missed out on success at the Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt. The 37-year-old triathlon star from Bad Wildungen suffered from visible back pain, especially at the beginning of the running route on the Main. After a race to catch up, he ended up running across the red carpet at Römerberg in eighth place.
“The swimming was total shit, I have no idea why that was,” Lange analyzed afterwards in the HR interview: “The race left me scratching my head, that was a big defeat and the Frankfurt curse is still not defeated.” The veteran has never been able to win his home race.
Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt won the long-distance race confidently in 7:27:21 hours. And that despite the fact that he had to throw up during the final marathon and also took a bathroom break in the Dixi toilet. The Briton Kieran Lindars came second behind the Olympic champion in Tokyo 2021, ahead of Gregory Barnaby from Italy. Jonas Hoffmann from Münster was the best German and crossed the finish line in sixth place. This secured him a ticket to the World Championships on October 26th in Hawaii.
Numerous falls on wet bike paths
Heavy rain affected the race, especially on the bike course, and led to numerous crashes. “It was slippery at times,” said Lange. On the wet streets around the Main metropolis, the Dane Kristian Högenhaug, who was in the lead, was also the first to slip into his running shoes. However, he fell back there when Blummenfelt pushed the pace.
Co-favorite Lange had to give up the classic in Roth in July after getting kicked in the ribs at the start of the swim. Despite missing a home win in Frankfurt, he has the best cards for the World Cup in Hawaii in October.
After the 3.86 kilometer swim in the Langener Waldsee, Lange was a good four minutes behind the leaders. The distance increased slightly until we switched to the 180.2 kilometer long cycle route through Frankfurt and the Wetterau. During the 42.195 kilometer run, Lange struggled with back problems and had great difficulty at times: “The first lap was hell on earth,” he said. He even had to swallow painkillers and kept touching his back, but summoned up his fighting spirit and finished the race. In the last 15 kilometers he caught himself and picked up some rivals. And even though he was mentally pissed off, a spectator insulted him along the way.
Lange is aiming for his third triumph in Hawaii. “Others before me have managed to finish this race again at an older age,” said the 37-year-old: “Craig Alexander and Jan Frodeno were no longer the youngest in their last victories. I firmly believe that I can I have what it takes.”
