The course of the competition could not have been more different, but the feelings at the finish were the same – behind Dorothee Klasen and Moritz Flader (both LG Gummersbach) lay an unforgettable experience. Both started at the Ironman in Hawaii, for which they had been preparing for a long time. It was a debut for Dorothee Klasen, while Moritz Flader had qualified for the second time.
Dorothee Klasen had already qualified for the Ironman in Vichy, France, in 2019 and fulfilled a lifelong sporting dream. Corona then put them to a hard test, because the World Cup in Hawaii was suspended and only now took place again. Due to the many qualifications in recent years, women and men started separately.
Qualified in Vichy in 2019
When Dorothee Klasen (57), accompanied by her family, arrived in Hawaii two weeks before the start, three years of preparation with all the ups and downs lay behind her. These included a knee operation, a corona infection, but also changes in the private and professional environment. “The last training sessions were used for acclimatization,” says the triathlete. “The swim training in the morning at the Kona pier was particularly nice, because you feel like you’re in an aquarium with all the fish around.” That’s also where the official start took place.
The anticipation for the competition was great, but shortly before the start it got a more than proper damper. On the way to swim, the woman from Gummersbach stumbled and felt that she had injured herself – “the back of her thigh had reported”. At first, Dorothee Klasen was able to suppress that, which the starting procedure also contributed to. While swimming, the thigh made itself felt again, but it didn’t affect it. Dorothee Klasen covered the 3.8 kilometers in the water in 1:23 hours.
Demanding bike course
From the water we went on the demanding bike course with 180 kilometers and 1780 meters in altitude. Added to this was the heat and a particularly strong wind that day. After 6:58 hours, the woman from Gummersbach happily changed into her running shoes to tackle the final marathon over 42.195 kilometers.
Moritz Flader started the Ironman in Hawaii for the second time.
“Unfortunately, the pain got worse and when I switched to the running split, I realized that I was going to have a long, hard marathon ahead of me,” reports the triathlete. The walking distances became longer and longer, but supported by her family, the thought of giving up never came up. After 15:58 hours the very emotional and unforgettable atmospheric finish was reached. The finish time was secondary for a long time.
Start at 6.50 a.m
At the finish, the Gummersbacher was also welcomed by her club colleague Moritz Flader, who had his competition two days later and who was additionally motivated by the racing atmosphere among the women. At 6.50 a.m. the starting signal was given for the age group athletes 30 to 34 years. The first 800 meters in the water were characterized by battles for position.
Flader found his way into the field well and got out of the water after 1:04 hours. “It was exactly the time I expected,” he said afterwards. On the bike he rode the first two hours in an effortless manner. If the weather was pleasant up to that point, slightly cloudy and with only a slight headwind, the sun came out after the turning point and it got hot with it. In the end, Moritz Flader’s chosen tactics paid off and he was able to improve on the bike in the last hour and make up positions.
When he switched to the running track, he prepared himself for the heat. “I put on arm warmers and a hat that have a cooling function,” he says. In the marathon, too, he chose a defensive tactic and ran in a very controlled manner. The first ten kilometers went along the coast and through the town of Kona, with many spectators. Then it was 30 kilometers on the highway without any shade.
Flader needed 3:20 hours for the marathon and crossed the finish line satisfied after 9:31 hours. “The race went exactly as I imagined and everything went well,” he said happily. A special moment was when his girlfriend Leonie Baginski and Dorothee Klasen welcomed him at the finish line to celebrate with him.