VIVE LA FRANCE!

VIVE LA FRANCE!

It was an emotional day at Ironman France, where France's Herve Faure and Holland's Mariska Kramer won on the brand new Ironman course at Nice that featured the famous French Riviera based swim, a "Tour de France type" bike ride, and the run on the famed Promenade des Anglais.

French triathlete, and Team Ironman France member, Herve Faure, won the first Ironman France held in the famous location of Nice. It was a resounding race for the Europeans as Spaniard Marcel Zamora charged home in second place – the meat in the French “sandwich” as Faure’s team-mate, Gilles Reboul, finished third.

 

Faure had a solid swim in the second pack, together with many of the race favourites, then put in a solid performance on the bike despite having to deal with a drafting penalty and missing his special needs bag.

 

That meant he had to ride almost half the bike leg on two bananas, sports drink and cola but he planned his run to perfection, taking time to walk the aid stations once he got past bike leader Gilles Reboul in order to refuel.

 

His final splits were: 50:27 for the swim, a 4:57:51 on the bike, followed by a 3:00:48 run.

 

In the end it was his run split, the fastest pro split of the day (the second fastest overall), that won him the race. Spanish youngster, Marcel Zamora, went almost second to second with Faure on the stop watch – he, too, charged past Reboul to claim second in this first Ironman France.

 

“This is all yet to really sink in,” he told Ironmanlive. “I’m so proud to have won my country’s Ironman for me and my new team. And it was great that it was here in Nice!”

 

The women’s race saw a major upset as Holland’s Mariska Kramer came from the clouds to post the sixth fastest run split of the day – outright - to fly into the lead on the run after coming off the bike in seventh place.

 

The ever so happy Dutch woman won in 10:12:29 with a remarkable 3:13 marathon to best second placed Catherine Houseaux of France, who came home in 10:35:31. Third went to long time race leader, age-grouper Astrid Perathoner from Italy. Perathoner finished in 10:37:25, and in some distress, after a gallant race that saw her hold off the pro racers until late in the race.

 

“I can’t believe this, are you sure I’ve won?” she asked officials at the finish line. “Oh! This is wonderful!”

 

Of the race favourites, there were no good news stories. Tim DeBoom looked the goods for most of the day but like the first two men, was carded for drafting and then got cramps on the run. The two time World Champion refused to give up however and ran back into sixth place while Wendy Ingraham, on the hunt in the swim and on the bike faded to finish in ninth place.

 

It was worse for Ironman Team France members, Francois Chabaud and Gael Mainard, both of whom failed to finish.

 

The new Ironman course in Nice proved the ultimate challenge, an iconic adventure that included the famous French Riviera based swim on the Cote d’Azure, the Tour de France type bike ride, and the run on the famed Promenade des Anglais in Nice..

 

You can check out all of the day’s coverage by clicking on the “live coverage” tab on the Ironmanlive site.

 

 

Results – 2005 Ironman France – Nice

 

  NAME DIFFERENTIAL

1. Herve Faure FRA   8:49:39

2. Marcel Zamora ESP   8:51:24

3. Gilles Reboul FRA   8:54:34

4. Rene Rovera FRA   9:08:14

5. Felix-Javier Martinez-Rubio ESP  9:14:16

 

 

  NAME DIFFERENTIAL

1. Mariska Kramer NDL   10:12:29

2. Catherine Houseaux FRA   10:35:31

3. Astrid Perathoner ITA   10:37:25

4. Aline Choretier FRA   10:39:41

5. Beatrix Blattmann CZE   10:48:15