Sebastian Kienle And Mirinda Carfrae Capture Victory At 2014 IRONMAN World Championship Presented By GoPro

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii, Oct. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Sebastian Kienle (DEU) dominated the 2014 IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro with the third-fastest bike split in championship history to become the first IRONMAN World Championship victor from Germany since 2006. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) defended her title as she won in dramatic fashion by overcoming a nearly 15-minute deficit on the marathon course, one of the largest such achievements in the championship race's 36-year history.

Kienle, who began the bike portion of the race in 38th place, turned in an explosive performance on the road to Hawi by clocking the third-best bike time in IRONMAN World Championship history of 4:20:46. The 30-year-old German's 2:54:37 marathon sealed his first IRONMAN World Championship with a final time of 8:14:18. Ben Hoffman (USA) was the runner up with a time of 8:19:23, the best finish by an American since Chris Lieto's second place finish in 2006.

Jan Frodeno (DEU) took third in 8:20:32 followed by Andy Potts (USA) in 8:21:38 and Cyril Viennot (FRA) in 8:22:19 to round out the men's top five. Defending champion Frederik Van Lierde (BEL) placed eighth in 8:24:11.

The veteran Carfrae won with a time of 9:00:55, marking Carfrae's second consecutive championship and third overall, to join Chrissie Wellington, Paula Newby-Fraser and Natascha Badmann as the only women to win three or more. Carfrae also improved her own marathon course record from 2013 (2:50:38) by finishing the 26.2-mile run in 2:50:26. Daniela Ryf (SUI), a first-time IRONMAN World Championship competitor and this year's IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, led the women's field throughout the day but was finally surpassed by the reigning champion at mile 22 of the marathon, finishing in second in 9:02:57.

Rachel Joyce (GBR) finished just over a minute after Ryf to take third place in 9:04:23. Jodie Swallow (GBR) and Caroline Steffen (SUI) rounded out the top five of the women's field with times of 9:10:19 and 9:12:43, respectively.

More than 2,000 athletes representing more than 68 countries and 49 states started the 2014 IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro, which consisted of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run on the Island of Hawai`i. The diverse field of competitors included eight-time Olympic medalist in short track speed-skating and BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK athlete, Apolo Ohno who finished with a time of 9:52:27; Italian CART racing legend and Paralympic handcycle champion, Alex Zanardi who finished in 9:47:14; NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts Chris Cassidy and Luca Parmitano who finished in 10:15:11 and 12:33:42, respectively; and former NFL defensive tackle Don Davey with a time of 13:54:57. Triathletes ranging in age from 18 to 84 took on the world's toughest endurance event which is the culmination of 35 global IRONMAN^® events.

The swim started and finished at Kailua Pier, the bike took cyclists through the lava fields of the Kona and Kohala Coasts and the run course traveled through Kailua-Kona. Athletes finished the 140.6 miles to the cheers of thousands of spectators on Ali'i Drive. Each year, over 110,000 athletes vie for slots to the IRONMAN World Championship. The race offered a professional prize purse of $650,000. The Emmy Award-winning IRONMAN World Championship NBC broadcast will air in the United States on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. ET (other regions check local listings and www.ironman.com for details).

For complete race coverage and results from the 2014 IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro, visit www.ironman.com. For media-related inquiries, contact [email protected].

About IRONMAN
The iconic IRONMAN^® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN^® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines at the world's most challenging endurance races. Recognized for excellence through distinguished events, world-class athletes and quality products, IRONMAN has grown from a single race to a global sensation with more than 190 events across five unique brands: IRONMAN^®, IRONMAN^® 70.3^®, 5150™ Triathlon Series, Iron Girl^® and IRONKIDS^®. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

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