Published April 4, 2011 11:54AM
Lance Armstrong finishes the Red Licorice 2.4-mile open water swim in 49:12.
The question has been posed many times. How fast could Lance Armstrong complete an Ironman-distance open water swim of 2.4 miles? We finally have an answer. According to Lance Armstrong’s triathlon twitter alter ego, @Juanpelota, he competed in the Red Licorice 2.4-mile open water swim in Austin, Texas on Sunday, April 3.
@Juanpelota tweeted that he completed the event in the high 48-minute range:
“Done w/ the @Red_Licorice 2.4 mi open water swim. 3rd place. Time was 48 high. Congrats to @JamesBonney on the win.”
Professional triathletes James Bonney and James Cotter were the only two athletes to outpace Armstrong. Both Bonney and Cotter tweeted about swimming against Armstrong:
@JamesBonney: @juanpelota great swim. It was a solid ice breaker for the IM distance. Next time opt for the light weight waffles post-race.
@Cotterjp: Fast 2.4 mile swim with @jamesbonney and @juanpelota today. They both put me in the hurt. Juan will be FOP in any 70.3/IM swim.
Water temperatures were in the low 60s, making the race wetsuit legal. Here are the official finish times:
1. James Bonney 48:50
2. James Cotter 49:02
3. Lance Armstrong 49:12