Ironman Austria 2011

Ironman Austria 2011 will be enjoying it's 13th running and features an extremely fast course. Canadian Peter Reid of Canada completed this course in an amazing 7:51:56 in 1999 when he was in the prime of his career. In 2010 Marino Vanhoenacker of Belgium just missed breaking Peter's time with his 7:52:05.

Check my Ironman Austria results 2011 page and see how the race unfolded resulting in a world record.

THE PRO WOMEN FAVORITES OF IRONMAN AUSTRIA 2011

Several of the top pro women expected to challenge for the win are having off years to this point.

Barbara Tesar was involved in a bike accident and it has been a set-back for her this year.

Edith Niederfriniger from Italy has been on the podium four times and is expected to challenge for the win on Sunday July 3rd. She is very familiar with the course and knows what it will take to win.

Hungarian Erika Csomor has not been entered in Ironman Austria since 2004.

The favorite going into the race is Eva Dollinger who was the 2010 Ironman Austria champion. However she is not at her peak of fitness this year and repeating as champion could be very challenging.

Personally I am going to go with Erika Csomor to be right up there and possibly be the first pro women in Ironman Austria 2011.

THE PRO MEN FAVORITES OF IRONMAN AUSTRIA 2011

Flo Kriegl has only two starts as a pro and is not expected to challenge for the win.

That honor will go to the favorite Marino Vanhoenhacker of Belgium who has won this race 4 times. In fact he looks practically unbeatable, but the Ironman is always full of surprises and Marino will be challenged.

Max Renko has raced here before but it did not turn out too well for him and going into the race has hopes of putting pressure on Marino.

Perhaps the biggest challenge of all will come from local favorite Michael Weiss. As a matter of fact he is my pick to cause an upset and win Austria 2011.

Yes, I could be completely wrong, but it's always more fun to follow the race when you try and pick the winner.

THE SWIM COURSE courtesy of Ironman Austria home page

Except for the fact that the Ironman Austria course is counter-clockwise, it sort of has similarities to the Ironman Canada course in Penticton.

It is one loop just like Ironman Canada and has a long leg with a left-hand turn into a shorter leg and another left-hand turn into the final portion of the swim course.

The only difference is that in Ironman Canada there are two right-hand turns as the course travels in a clock-wise direction.

It seems that these days, most of the newer Ironman courses consists of two loops.

THE BIKE COURSE courtesy of Ironman Austria home page

The bike course consists of two loops.

There are not really any monster hills on this course and it will favor those bikers who excel on the flats. It would be unusual to see the finish time over 8:10 as it seldom is.

Contrary to what many people think, not every pro Ironman prefers a flat course and there are those who are great climbers and actually avoid the flatter courses.

THE RUN COURSE

The run course could not possibly any flatter and there are sure to be some very fast marathon times on race-day.

The run will take the athletes past Ironman City five times and that means tons of support when it's needed the most.

As with most Ironman races, this one is sold out. That means not just a lot triathletes, but also lots of supporters who will provide an inspirational lift.

Have to admit that a two-loop course is much better for the spectators as they get to see their favorite athletes several times over.

There are 50 Kona qualifying spots up for grabs for the age-groupers and there will be some excited people on their way to Hawaii when the dust settles over Ironman Austria 2011

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