Victor Del Corral winner Lanzarote Ironman 2012
Spain’s Victor Del Corral and Denmark’s Michelle Vesterby claimed dramatic victories at the 2012 Lanzarote Ironman.
The early morning gathering on the Playa Grande beach of Puerto Del Carmen was tranquil in comparison to what was to follow.
The flurry, the activity and the extreme rush of adrenalin as the triathletes released their energy upon the waiting water was epic.
Finally having the opportunity to unleash all their training upon the elements that lay ahead of them.
A journey of epic proportions was lay ahead for all at the start of 21st running of the 2012 Lanzarote Ironman.
As expected Britain’s Daniel Halksworth was the first to emerge from the water and was closely followed by compatriots Phil Graves and Stephen Bayliss. However, it was Bayliss who switched to his cycle gear the smoothest and was the first to climb off the beach to start the cycle leg.
Graves was soon to establish himself at the head of the field on the challenging climbs on the route to the north of the island.
With the climbs of Los Nieves and the painful Mirador del Rio behind him, Graves had established a well earned lead, this however had come at a price expressed via the cramping of his left leg which led to a few stops in attempt to offset the inevitable.
Having previously suffered a similar fate in 2009, Graves had returned a wiser and more experienced athlete however he was not able to stop the charging Spaniard who seeking to be Victor of Lanzarote.
In 2012, Graves was able to maintain his lead halfway into the 42.2 km run however by then his lead had dwindled to 1 minute even though he had opened with a handy 40 minute first 10km. Still, Del Corral, unfazed and full of running was able to close 90 seconds early into the run to provide the pressure that would lead to a deserved victory.
By now, the leading female contender, Vesterby, had stuck to her guns. First out of the ocean, first over the 2551m of climbing of the torrid terrain this daunting cycle route had to offer and first to the finish after the footrace. And onto her coronation as Queen of Lanzarote Ironman 2012.
A hard earned title grabber ahead of the favourite and former two time winner here, Britain’s Bella Bayliss. The Brits performance was outstanding considering her effort came less than a year after her son and augers well for future attempts of adding to the 15 Ironman titles she already has to her name.
3rd place for the men and women were gained earned the hard way. Both Portugal’s Sergio Marquis and the Netherlands’ Heleen Bij de Vaate had to work their way onto a podium position.
Marquis was 42nd overall after the swim and 9th after the cycle. Due to his strong 2:51:33 marathon, he was able to catch the pre-race favourite; Bert Jammaer, over the last loop of the run course.
For Bij de Vaate, it was a race of mixed fortunes, having pedalled her way into 3rd spot and ahead of Bayliss. The desired closing marathon time of 3:10 was replaced by a time of 3:29:18 allowing Bayliss to power into 2nd spot with her closing 3:14:06 marathon.
Spain’s top female contender, Seleta Castro, had held onto 2nd spot until the run leg but was soon passed as she faltered with a 3:48:52 marathon which ultimately relegated her to 5th spot.
The event was an overwhelming success and the island of Lanzarote again lived up to its reputation as a reputable sports destination.
Bring on 2013
Lanzarote Ironman 2012 Gallery
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