One of the classics of long distance triathlon, this Sunday’s Quelle Challenge Roth (QCR) boasted 4,135 athletes representing 44 nations. The swim for the pros started at 6:20am, with the rest of the field following in waves. First out of the water for the men was Australian Pete Jacobs, followed by Rene Gohler. Jacobs was able to hold his lead for the first several miles on the bike. Race favorite and 2006 QCR Champion, Chris McCormack (Macca) came out of the water with the second pack after losing his goggles at the beginning of the swim. Leading the pack of pursuers on the bike was Thomas Hellriegel, followed closely by Macca, Llanos and Andreas Niedrig. Hellriegel overtook Jacobs at the 95k (59 mi) mark, with Macca close behind. The two came into T2 together on a world record pace, though Macca would quickly stamp his authority on the run as he was 15 seconds ahead of Hellriegel already at the 1k mark. Llanos came in 8 minutes back, followed by Niedrig another 2 minutes. Macca was a man on a mission as he attempted to set a new iron distance world record. From the start of the run, it was clear that the race for the men would be for 2nd and 3rd place. Although he missed Luc Van Lierde’s record, Macca crossed the line in a stunning time of 7:54:23. Behind Macca came Llanos, fresh off his victory at Ironman Lanzarote, in a time of 8:06:06, with Jacobs coming in behind him at 8:09:18.
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