Ironman Switzerland 2011

A first glance it seems that the Ironman Switzerland 2011 finisher's podium will be full of Swiss pros, but normally there is someone who is a complete surprise who challenges for the lead.

This Ironman is no different with a very fast running Belgium and several highly qualified Germans in the mix.

Ironman Switzerland 2011 will be taking place on Sunday July 10th.

Many triathletes return to Zurich year after year to take part in Ironman Switzerland because of it's stunning setting and top calibre organization.

THE SWIM

In most Ironman races in North America you just never know what the water conditions will be like on race-day.

I found this out first hand in the 10 times I was in Ironman Canada. Every year it was a new adventure.

The same thing happened in Ironman Coeur d'Alene, another of the North American Ironman races I had the pleasure of taking part in.

From year to year the water temperatures in both these venues can fluctuate wildly.

However the lake swim in Switzerland is more often than not a comfortable 20 degrees Celcius or warmer in calm, placid water.

The swim course is two loops.

THE BIKE COURSE

This appears to be one of those bike courses that has something to offer for everyone.

For instance, not all pros like flat bike courses and do much better on the hilly ones.

Then of course there are those who are not great climbers.

Ironman Switzerland 2011 has a bike course that has challenging hill sections with about 1250 meters of climbing for the triathletes, but also has some fast, flat sections where the non-climbers can make up some time.

Of course they get to do it twice because the bike course is also two loops.

THE RUN COURSE

Ironman Zurich Switzerland is one of the few Ironman courses that has four loops. Most have two, and then you have courses like Ironman Canada that are out and back.

It would be a surprise if anyone has a huge gap coming off the bike course and onto to run.

Because the bike course has something for everyone it only seems to make sense that the pros will be fairly closely grouped as they head out for the run.

With the caliber of the field expected for Ironman Switzerland 2011, a five-minute lead might be all the first pro has leaving transition. It would be a surprise if it was much more of a spread.

This of course means the winner of Ironman Switzerland 2011 could well be the one who is consistently running strong and fast Ironman marathons.

This race could well be decided in the last loop and this will be great for the fans as they get to see so much of the runners with the four loop format.

In several Ironman races already this year for both pro men and women, one pro has taken charge out on the bike course somewhere and is simply never caught.

It would seem that Ironman Switzerland promises a much more hotly contested race with several pros in the mix for a top podium spot while out on the run course.

THE FAVORITES

At first glance it would seem almost certain that a Swiss pro will cross the finish line of Ironman Switzerland 2011 first. Of course much of this is based on performances of past years.

However Ironman outcomes of 2011 are more likely to be decided by the triathlete who is in form this year. It doesn't really matter how many times in a row you win a race, what you did last year is not quite as important as what you have done in the current season.

For instance Ronnie Schildknecht has been on quite a tear the past three years and won a string of Switzerland 70.3 and full Ironman races. So does that mean he will automatically win this years Ironman?

Not necessarily. It would make more sense to go by this years results and his 70.3 string was broken by Andi B?cherer who finished a full 5 minutes of him. So just possibly he is not in quite the same great form he enjoyed last year.

There are many other great pros in the race who will certainly make Ronnie earn the top of the podium. Fellow Swiss Ironman Mathias Hecht will certainly be right up there.

However I am thinking that it will be an excellent marathoner who will challenge for first place and my pick to win Ironman Switzerland 2011 is Gerrit Schellens of Belgium.

It seems that a four-loop course would be a huge advantage to a good runner who is chasing down the leaders. He will know exactly where he is through-out the race and that can be a huge mental boost when the going gets tough.

If he can stay close in the bike than I really think this could be a break-through race for Gerrit Schellens.

On the women's side it seems like a bit of a wide open race. Sybille Matter from Switzerland has won the last two years but will not be in Ironman Switzerland 2011 so perhaps she is not in top form and is passing up this years race because of it.

Swiss triathletes Monika Lehmann and Sarah Sch?tz both have a good chance win this race and it seems more likely that a Swiss woman will be on top of the podium.

However the full list of Pro starters is not available just four days from the race and I would love to see that list.

There could very well be an Australian or and American for instance who could really shake things up on race day. I will update this page with a pro entry list when and if it is made available.

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Ironman Switzerland Results 2011

Before the race start it seemed that Ironman Switzerland results 2011 could hold some surprises this year.

As the race nears the start it will be interesting to see who grabs the lead heading out onto the bike course and just how long they can hold on to it.

THE SWIM

The lake swim in Switzerland will most likely be a comfortable 20 degrees Celcius or warmer in calm, placid water.

The two-loop swim course should allow for fast swim times as barring some sudden storm, the water is usually quite placid.

However in the big scheme of things an Ironman race is a long way and for a pro to be even 8 or 10 minutes off the pace of the leader is not the end of the world.

For instance the winner of the pro women's division in theIronman Muncie 70.3. on Saturday July 9th was three minutes off the leaders in the swim and still came back to catch two excellent triathletes and take first place.

THE BIKE COURSE

This is a great bike course because it has a good combination of flats and elevation gains so there really does not seem to be a particular advantage to a climber or a pro who does well on the flats.

It is a two-loop bike course and I still think it might be difficult for any one athlete to gain a huge margin on the rest of the field.

THE RUN COURSE

Ironman Zurich Switzerland run features a four-loop course. A I stated in my lead-in article to this race a few days ago, this is where the race will be decided.

In several races the leader off the bike has pulled away to win the race, but that might not be a guarantee on this course.

With four loops I think the course really favors the better runners because the will know where the competition is at all times and just exactly what they will have to do to catch or stay ahead of someone.

SO WHO WILL WIN TODAY?

It sure does seem that Swiss pros will be dominating the podium.

Many are coming off great 2010 seasons, but when it comes to form, what you have done in the current year seems to be more important.

Ronnie Schildknecht is a great example and has had some great results stretching back three years but that does not mean he will necessarily win this year.

For instance Ronnie was 5 minutes behind in an Ironman 70.3 race this year when he was beaten by Andi B?cherer.

So that might indicate he is not in quite the same top form as he has been in the past few years. Or perhaps he needs the Ironman distance in order to assert himself late in the race.

I think he will have to watch out for fellow Swiss Ironman Mathias Hecht who will certainly be pressing the issue and is my pick to win this race as my original pick did not make the race start.

The women's race seems to be even more wide open as Sybille Matter, the winner of the past two years is not entered this year.

I believe it is more likely that a Swiss woman pro will win this race because both Monika Lehmann and Sarah Sch?tz seem to be in good form.

Amy Marsh may prove to be a threat today and be a major player in the Ironman Switzerland results 2011.

THE RACE

Mathias Hecht had a great swim and gets out onto the bike course with a 2 minute lead on Ronnie Schildknecht.

In an Ironman that's not a big deal, especially when these two are both excellent cyclists and most likley won't be too far apart heading out on the run course in around 4 and a half hours from now.

TOP TEN PRO MEN IN THE SWIMClemente Alonso.................51:04Mathias Hecht...................51:11Daniel Fontana..................51:12Mike Aigroz.....................53:16Ronnie Schildknecht.............53:18Daniel M?ller...................55:36Cyril Viennot...................55:37Damien Landon...................55:37Sergio Marques..................58:03Erich Kunz......................58:17

An age-grouper was first out of the water. Josu Elorriaga had an amazing swim time of 48:46.

PRO WOMEN SWIM RESULTS

It looks like Amy Marsh will be in the thick of things as expected and had an excellent swim.

Two age-group women had the second and third fastest swim times. Miram Moser had a 55:34 swim and was followed closely by Barbara Guglielmetti in 55:39.Anja Ippach.....................55:33Amy Marsh.......................55:46Erika Csomor....................1:00:23Regular Rohrbach................1:00:27Nicole Woysch...................1:01:41Megumi Shigaki..................1:01:47Karin Th?rig....................1:02:41Jana Candrova...................1:05:02

THE BIKE

It doesn't take long into the bike before Amy Marsh and Mathias Hecht begin to pull away. Hecht has a 4 minute lead over Ronnie Schildknecht and it seems to be widening.

Karin Thurig however is staying close to Amy who has a 2-minute lead at the 35k mark.

At the end of the first loop Mathias held a 4-minute lead and by the 140k mark Ronnie Schildknecht closed the gap to just over 2 minutes.

At the 123k marker the third place man was Clemente Alonso and he was 13:19 behind and it seemed the top Ironman Switzerland results 2011 would come down to a two-man race.

As for the top women, Karin Thurig took over the lead and by 140k was over 2 minutes ahead of Amy.

BIKE SPLITS FOR TOP 3 MEN AND WOMENMathias Hecht............4:35:20Ronnie Schildknecht......4:36:11Clemente Alonso..........451:38Karin Thurig.............4:41:18Amy Marsh................5:02:12Regula Rohrbach..........5:14:29

It should be noted that the bike course was 3k longer today because of road construction, so these bike times are all actually much faster.

THE MARATHON

As expected there is only a 2-minute gap between first and second place as Mathias and Ronnie leave transition and by 10k they are running vitrually together for a while until Ronnie makes the pass and goes into the lead.

Clement Alonso is in third position and is also beginning to close some ground on Mathias Hecht.

Amy Marsh is falling back and is in second place as Karin Thurig has widened the gap to over 5 minutes near the 8k point of the run.

Ronnie Schildknecht appears get stronger as the race progresses and by 32k has the race well in hand with over a 4 minute lead on Mathias Hecht. It's looking very much that Ronnie will be on top of the Ironman Switzerland results 2011 and win one more time.

So it's now official, So Ronnie does indeed become a five-timer winner with a winning time of 8:19:51.

Perhaps the most amazing race of the day belongs to Clemente Alonso who caught and passed Mathias Hecht late in the run and comes in to finish second in the Ironman Switzerland results 2011 with a time of 8:27:56.

Mathias Hecht finishes third with a time of 8:30:26 and continues to have a great season with a first place finish in St.George and a second place finish in Ironman South Africa earlier in the year.

Fourth place goes to Cyril Viennot of France with a time of 8:36:02

In the women's race, Karin Thurig is on her way to victory in the Ironman Switzerland results 2011 and crosses the finish line well ahead of Amy Marsh.

Amy Marsh is hanging onto second place and is 7 minutes behind.

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