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Bruno Clerbout fourth in the Ironman France

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27/06/2010
Bruno Clerbout of the Uplace Triathlon Team finished fourth in today’s Ironman France (3.8 km swimming, 180 km clycling, 42 km running). Bruno was positioned to compete for a top three finish when he was sidelined with a six minute penalty. After an impressive comeback, he missed the podium by 50 seconds with a time of 8:53:15. Marcel Zamora of Spain won the race for the fifth time in a record time of 8:25:28. Frederik Van Lierde (8:30:39) finished second, Olivier Marceau of Switzerland came in third (8:52:25).

Bruno started the race in excellent position. He came out of the water tenth, part of a larger group that included heavy favorite Zamora. A solid cycling stage came to an abrupt halt when Bruno received a questionable six minute penalty. Now left to chase the leaders, Bruno started the marathon in seventh position, trailing Zamora and Van Lierde by 15 minutes. A remarkable comeback later, Bruno was fighting for the third place with Marceau. It was not to be. Bruno finished within fighting distance of the podium.

After the race, Bruno reflected on how an unjust penalty turned the perfect race into a mental and physical battle: “Right now, I can only feel disappointed. I really feel I was robbed of a top three finish. It was just about the ideal scenario: I felt great and was perfectly positioned in the race. Until Mike Aigroz passed and blocked me. Even opponents and photographers told me the penalty was completely unfair. It changed the race into a battle with myself. I even thought about giving up. I found the strength to fight on and to run a good marathon, in large part thanks to the audience support.”


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