The Belgian triathlete once again won the Lanzarote IRONMAN last Saturday, in a location he considers to be his second home
The island became a magical place for triathlon again last Saturday with the celebration of the 32nd edition of the Club La Santa IRONMAN Lanzarote. This year, the race was contested by close to 1,000 triathletes who, despite having different objectives, were all aiming to cross the finish line before the 17-hour time limit to win the finisher’s medal. Belgium’s Kenneth Vandendriessche (08:29:54) and Germany’s Anne Haug (09:06:40) were the first to cross the finish line.
Puerto del Carmen was once again the hub of the race, with a great deal of infrastructure set up in Playa Grande, one of the most notable changes in this edition of the race. The organisers decided to move the finish line to the beach for easier access to the triathletes and to make the finish line more visible to the spectators, a total success that was applauded by participants and fans alike.
The competition began with complete equality in the swimming segment, in which the triathletes had to cover 3.8 km in the calm waters of Puerto del Carmen, providing the first good impressions of the day. In the cycling section, the participants crossed the island’s stunning landscapes, such as La Geria and the Mirador del Río, before returning to Puerto del Carmen. Then came the marathon run, 42 km in which the triathletes were spurred on by the encouragement of hundreds of fans, giving their best effort to reach the finish line.
Kenneth Vandendriessche took the lead 15km from the finish line. This was his second victory in this race, after having to abandon it last year due to injury, though he had been crowned champion in 2022. Vandendriessche said he ran “the perfect race. I had a plan before the race and I followed it to the end. The Belgian was positive about the change of the finish area, saying that “it’s a great improvement for the race; the atmosphere in the finish area was amazing”. For the triathlete, Lanzarote is an ideal place for triathlon: “For me, Lanzarote is the best island for training. There are tough conditions, perfect climbs, good roads, and people who breathe and support the sport“. Kenneth considers Lanzarote his second home. “I met my wife here, we lived on the island together for almost a year, so for us, this place is really special”.
Anne Haug achieved her first victory at IRONMAN Lanzarote, after winning IRONMAN 70.3 three times on the island, although she had never competed in this event before. The triathlete has trained for extended periods on Lanzarote and knows the challenge of winning here well. “The island pushes you to your physical and mental limits, and sometimes beyond. Yesterday I played all my cards right and I’m super grateful to be able to take the belt home,” the current IRONMAN World Championship runner-up commented on her social media.
The podium in the men’s category was completed by Spaniards Jordi Montraveta and Mikel Ugarte, who finished second and third respectively. France’s Jeanne Collonge and Great Britain’s Lydia Dant completed the women’s podium at the 32nd Club La Santa IRONMAN Lanzarote.
