Remember a couple of weeks ago when BMW Brand Ambassador and works driver Alessandro Zanardi finished 26th out of 1,100 competitors in a half-distance Ironman triathlon in Italy as part of his training for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October?
Well, forget about it. Alex probably has after going the distance today in the Austria-Kärnten full-distance triathlon in Klagenfurt. Zanardi posted his best time ever in a full triathlon, finishing the event in 9 hours, 8 minutes, and 22 seconds. His finishing position was 27th—one behind his final spot two weeks ago, but today he was 27th out of almost 3,000 athletes instead of 26th out of 1,100.
The 50-year old Italian is shooting for the Ironman World Championship in October, a race of the same distance in which he competed today. The three events consisted of a 2.36-mile swim, a 111.8-mile cycling section, and a full 26.2-mile marathon.
Whereas fully abled competitors have use of their arms and legs, Zanardi relied on the strength of his arms for the swim, on his hand cycle, and to propel his racing wheelchair to achieve his personal best time.
“It is a fantastic feeling to be at the finish with that great time,” Zanardi said. “When you are going through it, you think ‘never again’. And I thought that many times but afterwards, it is just awesome. After the first part of the cycling portion, I suddenly had a big black-out. I was really tired, adjusted my pace and somehow I managed to come back and to not only finish but to finish very well.”
“I am extremely pleased with my speed in the cycling section. Swimming was harder than it is in Kona as sea water is definitely better,” he continued. “And then with regard to the running section in my Olympic wheelchair, I think I have made a great improvement with my technique but today it was simply not possible to produce any speed because of the traffic. When you have a marathon with a short course and of two laps, the second laps it is just like being on New York’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve. But in the end I completed the competition in a very good time. For sure it would have been even better to be one second under the nine-hour mark but today it was technically not possible. In general, it was good preparation for Hawaii. I think that I have become a better triathlete than I was two years ago when I last competed there.”
Alex will go for the big one—the Ironman World Championship—at Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii on October 14, 2017.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
