As usual, the Nice blue sky was present along with the 2,500 athletes and the 80,000 people who gathered for a non-stop 16-hour show.
Clemente Alonso-Mc Kernan (ESP) completed the 3.8 km swim in calm blue waters in 00:51:04, just seven seconds ahead of Olivier Marceau (FRA/SWI). Close behind, Marcel and Hervé emerged from the water side by side in 00:53:10 and 00:53:16 respectively. The tone was set for a fierce competition. On the women’s side, Tine Deckers emerged in third place in 00:58:04, behind Katja Konschak (GER) and Yvette Grice (GBR) who finished in 00:56:22. Martina Dogana was in sixth place in 00:58:53, fighting closely with Alexandra Louison, just ahead of Christel Robin who completed in 01:00:18.
Olivier Marceau pulled off an impressive bike segment in 04:45:00, just 34 seconds off Mike Aigroz’s 2008 record. The chase group continually changed throughout the 180 km of the Nice hinterland: Hervé Faure, François Chabaud, Oscar Galindez (ARG), Simon Billeau, and Marcel Zamora kept the pressure on Marceau, thrilling spectators in the villages and on the Promenade des Anglais finish line. Eventually, emerging after Olivier was Simon Billeau, the strong outsider, dismounting his bike at 04:45:40 followed by François Chabaud (FRA), who arrived 5’35″ later. Marcel Zamora received cheers from the Nice crowd, dismounting his bike at 04:48:59, just behind Hervé Faure at 04:48:35, determined not to let him go. Among the women, Christel Robin created a sensation by finishing in 05:05:22. Coming late from the water she overtook Tine Deckers (05:14:36) at km 56 and never relinquished her lead, smashing Françoise Wellekens’ (BEL) record by nearly 15 minutes.
The marathon began, heralding a fierce battle, both among men and women.
With nearly a 6-minute lead, Olivier Marceau, one of the favorites, could not withstand Marcel Zamora’s assault, who started gaining minutes from the first lap and overtook him in the middle of the second lap. The Spaniard beat his record with a time of 02:43:17. Hervé Faure then surpassed Marceau, finishing the 42 km in 02:54:26, followed by Simon Billeau, marked by his strong determination, finishing after 03:00:41. This ranking determined the podium positions. Meanwhile, in the women’s race, during the last kilometers of this long day, last-minute surprise contender Christel Robin held strong ahead of Tine Deckers (03:11:58) during the first and second laps but lost her lead in the third lap with a race time of 3:22:23. The 2008 winner Martina Dogana finished in third place with a running time of 3:01:20.
The victory was splendid on both sides; it tasted of invincibility for the Catalan iron man who almost picked up the Niçois accent so at home he felt here in this race. It definitely had a taste of “come back again” for the young Niçoise champion who made an impressive debut in her first Ironman.
Meet again on June 27, 2010, to see the happy faces of Finishers, volunteers, organizers, and spectators.
IRONMAN France – Nice Triathlon
June 27, 2010 | registration opens Tuesday, June 30, 2009, at midnight on ironmanfrance.com
