Bracht completes the German sweep on the men's side
By Brad Culp
July 1, 2007 -- In what is believed to be the closest Ironman finish of all time, German Nicole Leder out-kicked countrywomen Andrea Brede in the final 40 meters to win the Ironman European Championship by a mere five seconds. In the men’s race, another German, Timo Bracht, won by a “comfortable” margin of two minutes.
With two former Ironman World Champions on the start line (Faris Al-Sultan and Norman Stadler), Bracht was hardly the favorite in the men’s race, but he put himself in contention right from the start. Out of the chilly swim, he trailed Al-Sultan and last year’s Ironman Florida Champion, Jan Raphael, of Germany, by less than two minutes.
As for the women, pre-race favorite Nina Eggert crushed the rest of the field in the swim and headed out of T2 with a lead of over two minutes on Brede and four minutes on Leder.
On the bike, it was all about Raphael, who seemed determined to ride away from the powerful men’s field. Halfway through the ride, he had built a lead of almost four minutes, but the chase group, which contained Stadler, Al-Sultan and Bracht, refused to give him any more time.
After about 70 miles, Stadler pulled to the side of the road, clearly having problems with his lower back and eventually dropped out of the race, which meant it was up to Al-Sultan to lead the chase.
In the women’s race, Brede and Leder slowly chipped away at Eggert’s lead and eventually caught her near the halfway point. Brede assumed the lead, but Leder kept her in sight for the remainder of the ride.
Raphael, who led for almost the entire bike, seemed to fall apart as the pack neared T2. German Frank Vytrisal took control as the men started the run, with Bracht and Raphael in pursuit. Al-Sultan also faded during the final miles of the bike and entered transition over four minutes back of the leader.
In a foreshadow of the finish, the women’s race was much closer heading into the second transition. After a blazing transition, Brede had a small lead over a group, which included Leder and Eggert. After a few miles it was clear that the day belonged to Leder and Brede, who ran stride-for-stride for much of the marathon.
The men’s race wouldn’t be nearly as exciting, as Bracht slowly and methodically distanced himself from the rest of the field en route to an impressive 8:09:15 finish. Fellow German Michael Gohner took advantage of a smooth run to grab second, with one-time race leader Frank Vvytrisal hanging tough for third.
While Bracht celebrated his win, Ironwar Part II was being waged in the women’s race (think Mark Allen and Dave Scott running in stride on Alii Drive). Leder and Brede has distanced themselves from the rest of the women, but neither seemed able to shake the other.
Brede started her finish line sprint with about 500 meters to go, which may have been a moment too early. Leder sat on her back and waited until she was just 40 meters from the finish to make her pass. By the time Brede realized what had happened, it was too late. Leder hit the tape in 9:04:11, with Brede coming across just five seconds later. Eggert, who led for much of the race, finished third.
Ironman European Championship
Frankfurt, Germany
July 1, 2007
2.4-mi sw, 112-mi bi, 26.2-mi ru
Men
1.Timo Bracht (GER) 8:09:15
2. Michael Gohner (GER) 8:11:50
3. Frank Vytrisal (GER) 8:13:34
4. Jan Raphael (GER) 8:19:29
5. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) 8:22:31
Women
1. Nicole Leder (GER) 9:04:11
2. Andrea Brede (GER) 9:04:16
3. Nina Eggert (GER) 9:12:18
4. Imke Schiersch (GER) 9:27:31
5. Meike Krebs (GER) 9:29:44