Aernouts, Deckers Victorious At Ironman France

Belgians Bart Aernouts and Tine Deckers earned today’s Ironman France wins thanks in large part to their strong bike splits on the tough Nice course.

Aernouts put together a 51:58 swim, 4:46:10 bike and a 2:49:58 marathon to take the win in 8:33:22. Victor Del Corral (ESP), who is known for his ability to dominate on the run, ran his way from sixth off of the bike to second at the finish line thanks to his 2:42:33 marathon. Tyler Butterfield (BER) showed his range with a third-place finish in France. Just two weeks ago Butterfield finished eighth at the ITU World Cup race in Huatulco, Mexico.

The women’s race kicked off with controversy. 2012 Ironman world champion Leanda Cave (GBR) dominated the swim in 51:54, but soon after getting out onto the bike course was disqualified for not wearing her race number, according to Ironman.com. With Cave out of the race, Deckers pushed through the bike course and found the top spot. She started the run with a nearly eight-minute lead over Caitlin Snow (USA). Would it be enough to hold off the fast-running American? Deckers turned in a 2:59:47 marathon to claim the 9:12:21 victory. Snow’s 2:52:26 marathon brought her close to Deckers, but she settled for second at 9:13:02. American Lisa Roberts came back from a slower swim with solid bike and run splits to claim third in 9:23:58.

Ironman France
Nice, France – June 29, 2014
2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run

Men
1. Bart Aernouts (BEL) 8:33:22
2. Victor Del Corral (ESP) 8:37:23
3. Tyler Butterfield (BER) 8:40:56
4. Jeremy Jurkiewicz (FRA) 8:44:45
5. Christian Brader (GER) 8:49:03

Women
1. Tine Deckers (BEL) 9:12:21
2. Caitlin Snow (USA) 9:13:02
3. Lisa Roberts (USA) 9:23:58
4. Eimear Mullan (IRL) 9:39:53
5. Linda Guinoiseau (FRA) 9:42:46