Pete Jacobs wins the Ironman World Championship 2012

Pete Jacobs has pulled off the 6th win by an Australian male in a row. Jacobs did not waste energy trying to get a break in the swim. Instead he stayed with the main riders and made sure he was always covering the strong runners.

There was a large contingent heading out of T1 behind Andy Potts and this was perfect for Jacobs. Luke McKenzie was also there along with David Dellow and Craig Alexander. McKenzie set the early pace on the bike and Jacobs was right there. The plan from Jacobs was not to try and lead the bike but it was also to do what he felt comfortable with.

Craig Alexander appeared to struggle late in the bike and this took him out of contention. It was good to see him keep going an come home in 8:40.

Marino Vanhoenacker laid it down on the bike and pulled away from the pack to establish an 8:30 lead as he exited T2 and ran out on to the run. He was running smoothly initially and kept that up for around 7-8 miles. All this time Pete was running 15 seconds a mile faster then he picked up the pace and dug deep to pass Marino early than expected.

Jacobs then pushed on and never looked like being headed at any stage. Jacobs never stopped smiling on the run and he enjoyed the last two miles high fiving the crowds that lined the streets and making sure he savoured this victory.

On paper Andreas Raelert had a faster marathon and some media have reported Jacobs ‘held of a fast finishing Raelert’ but Jacobs was winding back and soaking up the the atmosphere and cruised home in the last few miles.

Jacobs team were always confident that 2012 was Pete’s year. apart from an early injury everything had gone to plan. The two weeks leading up to the big race were very relaxing and the final touches were put in place.

As we have said this week a few times one of the secrets to Jacobs’ race today was his nutrition. The team also wanted a hot day and they got it. Darryl Griffiths from Shotz Sports Nutrition felt that Pete’s edge over the field was to do with his balance of sodium, calories, fluids and more. The team felt that many of Jacobs competitors were under doing the sodium aspect of their nutrition.

But is more than the nutrition. The team around Pete Jacobs is solid and yet not overly protective. It is a relaxed and enjoyable culture that Jacobs has surrounded himself with. The support and input from Chris Boardman and Boardman Bikes is incredibly valuable. The other members of Team Jacobs such as ASICS, TYR, F2P Clothing, Urban Hotel, ZIPP, SRAM, his management company BPM Sport, the list goes on. Click here to go to Pete Jacobs website and see what makes him an Ironman world champion.