Wellington Sets New World Record at Ironman South Africa

Huntington Beach, CA – April 11, 2011 - TYR triathlete and 3x World Champion Chrissie Wellington rewrote the record books once again this weekend at Ironman South Africa with a time of 8:33:56. Wellington’s time was two minutes and seventeen seconds faster than her previous world record time of 8:36:13 at 2010 Ironman Arizona. Wellington also had the fastest run split of the day for both the men’s and the women’s fields with a marathon of 2:52:54. Starting off strong on the swim, Wellington exited the water in third place with a time of 51:40, just under three minutes back from the women’s leader. Wellington quickly gained the lead during the bike, where she dominated the other females with a split of 4:45:23, a new Ironman South Africa course record. With a comfortable lead heading into the run, Wellington did not slow down at all, setting another course record (2:52:54) for the marathon. Wellington’s final time of 8:33:56 was her third course record of the day and placed her 8th overall, with only seven men finishing ahead of her. Wellington wore a custom red edition of TYR’s Carbon Race Kit for the bike and run. In addition, TYR triathlete Dr. Amanda Stevens led out of the water while wearing TYR’s Category 5 Hurricane Wetsuit. Racing only her second full Ironman, Stevens finished in fifth place with a time of 9:25:50 amongst a stacked field. Stevens’ splits were 48:55 on the swim, 5:07:45 on the bike, and 3:24:23 on the run. Stevens was also outfitted it TYR’s Carbon Race Kit. About TYR TYR engineers technical apparel and equipment for swimmers and triathletes. Named for “TYR”, the Norse god of warriors, we’re a company started by athletes and populated by athletes. The cultures and communities of competitive swimming and triathlon pervade our offices. We are dedicated to re-imagining technologies that help athletes attain peak performance. Like athletes, we work with an intense spirit of competition. We aim to create the fastest, most advanced technologies and products. Always. To learn more about TYR, our sponsored athletes, and the products they race and train in, please visit TYR.com.