Vernay and Paul take Ironman Western Australia

Karen Doane reports on a great day of racing in Australia this weekend

After days of blustery winds and rain, race day at this year's Ironman Western Australia was simply perfect. Yes, while the wind picked up late in the bike and throughout the run, it was only enough to remind you this was no easy day at the office. No one competing complained, though, as records were smashed and personal bests were nearly as abundant as the 1,300 volunteers who lined the course.

For the 40 professionals who started, it was Pete Jacobs who pulled ahead only 50 meters into the swim and there he remained, alone, setting a new swim course record of 44:36. His lead was enough that he was two km into the bike before the next pack of swimmers reached T1.

In that pack were pros Stephen Bayliss, Brent Lorenzen and pre-race favorite Raynard Tissink. Missing were Jason Shortis and Patrick Vernay who usually keep with the first pack, as well as Mitch Anderson.

For the ladies, it was the Czech Republic’s Tereza Macel in the mix with the men and a few minutes ahead of her closest rivals. Soon to follow, though, were Ali Fitch and Gina Ferguson.

Back on the bike, Jacobs continued to not only stay in front but extend his lead, a surprise not only to spectators but those following him as well. Sure, perfect conditions were going to make it a fast bike ride but was he setting too fast a pace?

The chase group closed the gap and eventually caught Jacobs just before the end of the first lap at 60 km. Included in this group were Patrick Vernay, Luke Dragstra, Craig McKenzie and Uwe Widmann. Interesting was there remained no sign of former Ironman Western Australian champions Jason Shortis and Mitch Anderson.

The women remained spread out. Alison Fitch overtook Macel at the 40 km mark and pushed the pace. But the chase was on with New Zealand’s Gina Ferguson, Lisa Marangon and Charlotte Paul just under five minutes behind.

In the men’s race Tissink finally went to the front and pushed the pace too hard for most. In fact, it was a pace that would later take its toll as he pushed on the run. Anderson was soon within sight of the pack but remained steady on his pace, which eventually brought him to the front as he arrived into T2 in first. There was no time to waste for the 2005 champ as Tissink, Bayliss, Widmann and Dragstra arrived in succession less than a minute back.

For the women, Darwin’s Fitch pushed the pace for the ladies out in front, but Marangon, Macel and Ferguson could see each other as the end of the bike neared.

Anderson was quickly caught by a charging Tissink, but as the South African came past, the Aussie stayed with him. While they chatted away, Varney was methodically chasing them down.

After 15 km, Tissink pulled away from Anderson but not Vernay who kept the pressure on from behind and passed Tissink for the lead at 25 km. Tissink remained just 20 seconds behind with the hope that Vernay would crack after 30 km due to his recent ninth place finish in Hawaii, but it simply wasn’t the case.

It seemed Vernay actually became faster and would quite possibly eclipse not only the course record but the eight-hour mark as well. While Vernay did not hold onto his record-breaking pace, he did extend his lead and win in a time of 8:06:00.

“This was a fantastic day for me,” smiled Vernay. “I love coming to Australia and to win two Ironman races this year is great. It is also my son’s birthday so I’m happy to win for him today.”

Only a few minutes behind and having clearly “gone to the well” to finish in second, South Africa’s Raynard Tissink crossed the line in 8:09:20 (a PB for Tissink) and went straight to the medical tent after congratulating Vernay on his win.

The first Australian to cross the line was bike course record holder Mitch Anderson, with a PB of 8:12:20. Fourth was fellow Australian Craig McKenzie with a PB of 8:13:58 and Stephen Bayliss completed the top five at 8:17:51.

Suffering from getting kicked in the face during the swim and then drinking “lots of saltwater”, along with his first ever drafting penalty on the bike, last year’s Ironman Western Australia champion and Australia’s fastest finisher in Australia, Jason Shortis, put in a gutsy finish and crossed the line in 12th place overall in 8:35:44.

For the women, Fitch pushed hard on the run, but her pace on the bike left little in her legs and she was hotly pursued by Marangon, Paul, Macel and Ferguson at the 5 km mark of the marathon. Marangon briefly took the lead, but Paul went to the front at 10 km.

That’s where she stayed, extending her lead to over eight minutes as she rapidly approached the finish line. Amazingly, Paul was unaware that she was very close to breaking the nine-hour mark. Paul won her first ever Ironman in a course-record shattering time of 9:00:55. Overwhelmed as she ran through the tape, Paul simply stood amazed at her accomplishment and personal best performance.

“Anyone who says its easier being in the lead hasn’t been there because it really hurts” said a relieved Paul. “I was running scared because I could see Gina was running strong and I wasn’t sure how my legs would last after just finishing Hawaii.”

Ferguson crossed the line over eight minutes behind, breaking the old course record and finishing in an impressive 9:08:23.

Coming from the shadows and visibly limping, the United Kingdom’s Bella Comerford came across in third, followed by one-time race leader Fitch. Macel made the top five.

And the winners and personal bests continued through the night as the wind subsided along with the temperature but not the enthusiasm of the crowd proving once again Ironman Western Australia is a fantastic place to race.

Check out the full day of coverage by clicking on the Ironman Western Australia page here on Ironman.com