Bart Aernouts, Lisa Hütthaler Victorious In St. Polten

Belgium’s Bart Aernouts and Austria’s Lisa Hütthaler earned the wins against tough European fields at Sunday’s Ironman 70.3 St. Polten in Austria. Athletes braved tough weather, which included windy and chilly conditions that forced the cancellation of the swim. With no swim, athletes lined up before running to their bikes in transition.

Super bikers Aernouts and Andi Böcherer (GER) led the men in the early miles of the bike with Eneko Llanos (ESP) trailing in third. The top two rolled into T2 with a lead of nearly two minutes over Llanos and four minutes over Reto Stutz (CHE). The two maintained their side-by-side position throughout the beginning of the run, but eventually Aernouts found the edge and built a gap on Böcherer. Aernouts’ 1:09:18 half marathon gave him the 3:22:35 victory. Böcherer finished second two minutes back, with Llanos easily earning third.

Like in the men’s race, two women rode much of the 56 miles together up front. Hütthaler and Yvonne Van Vleken (NED) came into T2 with nearly identical bike splits. Van Vlerken initially earned a small lead, but it did not last to the finish line. By the 15K mark, Hütthaler had built a 15-second gap. From there Van Vlerken faded and the Austrian ran away with the race. She crossed the finish line in 3:49:55 thanks to a 1:21:00 half marathon. Sweden’s Eva Nyström earned second, with Van Vlerken rounding out the podium.

Ironman 70.3 St. Polten
St. Polten, Austria – May 26, 2013
56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men
1. Bart Aernouts (BEL) 3:22:35
2. Andi Böcherer (GER) 3:24:45
3. Eneko Llanos (ESP) 3:26:44
4. Dorian Wagner (GER) 3:31:59
5. Ruedi Wild (SUI) 3:33:23

Women
1. Lisa Hütthaler (AUT) 3:49:55
2. Eva Nyström (SWE) 3:51:30
3. Yvonne Van Vlerken (NED) 3:51:35
4. Sonja Tajsich (GER) 3:56:27
5. Julia Gajer (GER) 3:57:00

Complete results.

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