Van Lierde 2nd at Ironman European Championship
Every year Ironman Germany in Frankfurt is well known for its world class field of starters. That’s not at all surprising, as it’s the race for the European crown in triathlon.
Castelli also had two hot irons in the fire, namely Ironman World Champion Frederik Van Lierde and Andreas Raelert. The performance of Raelert (who won in Frankfurt 2010) was eagerly awaited, as he only decided on his start a few days before the race. Unfortunately the German had to abandon during the run while fighting for a spot on the podium.
When speaking of the podium, it’s been a battle between Frederik Van Lierde, Jan Frodeno and Sebastian Kienle, where the 2-time 70.3 World Champion had the better outcome at the finish.
Castelli athlete Van Lierde finished second and ungrudgingly admitted, that Kienle was a class on his own in winning with new course record on his 30th birthday. Nevertheless the Belgian proved, that he is on the right track to defend his Kona title later this year at a reunion with Frodeno and Kienle among others.
Top-3 men:
1. Sebastian Kienle (GER) 7:55:14
2. Frederik Van Lierde (BEL) 8:00:25
3. Jan Frodeno (GER) 8:07:05
Some more race impressions of Frederik Van Lierde and Andreas Raelert:
