Team Uplace-BMC’s Romain Guillaume wins Ironman Lanzarote; Corinne Abraham 3rd

Romain Guillaume has won the 2014 Ironman Lanzarote. It’s his second full Ironman title since the Ironman Mount Tremblant in 2012. Teammate Corinne Abraham finished third in her return to racing after injury. This brings the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team top-three count for the year to 7 victories and 12 podium finishes. Ronnie Schildknecht had to retire from the race in the bike leg.Ironman Lanzarote pro men’s podium:1. Romain Guillaume (08:47:39)2. Miquel Blanchart Tinto (08:58:06)3. Bert Jammaer (09:00:44)Ironman Lanzarote pro women’s podium:1. Lucy Gossage (09:41:40)2. Susan Blatt (09:44:59)3. Corinne Abraham (09:51:41)Romain was not going to be denied today. He was the second pro man out of the water, just 12 seconds behind Hyldelund. After a fast transition, he was even out on the bike first. Romain maintained his lead, save for a short spell, for the entire bike leg to start the marathon with a one-minute lead on Hyldelund. Corinne, in the meantime, had started her race with a solid swim. She was the fourth pro woman out of the water, just 1:19 behind fastest swimmer Adam. The bike leg proved a tougher nut to crack. Corinne was still fifth entering T2, but at that point she was 15:20 behind Blatt. For Ronnie, the race was already over at that point. He was forced to abandon the Ironman after 70 kilometers on the bike. The verdict: off-day. The marathon offered a fun finale with two-time champion Bert Jammaer charging to second place. But Romain had brought his running legs. He even managed to pull away, finishing more than 10 minutes ahead of Blanchart Tinto. Pleased to be done with a tough bike leg, Corinne kept a steady pace to run her way to the podium.The ever-smiling Romain Guillaume was obviously overjoyed with his Ironman win: Today was cool. Everything went well. It was almost the perfect race. The race of my life. My new nutrition plan worked out, as did our race strategy. My swim was good and I felt strong on the bike. I didn’t necessarily attempt to create a big gap; I just wanted to do my own race. In the marathon, I tried to follow the pace my coach set out. At kilometer 24, I saw Bert coming so I pushed a little harder. With 5k to go, I knew I was safe. For the longest time everybody thought I was not a good runner. Me included. Which meant in races I always focused on going all out on the bike. My new coach Yves Cordier told me I really am a strong runner. Turns out I am. I am proud. Plus, I am almost sure of my Kona slot. It’s a good day.Ironman Lanzarote marked Corinne Abraham’s return to racing after she was diagnosed with a broken sacrum in August 2013. She was happy with her positive result: “I felt quite pleased with my swim. I am showing some improvements, so that is really good. I had to work very hard to stay positive through the bike leg. It was so challenging to not be as strong as I have been previously and to stay positive whilst everyone else was pulling away from me on the bike course. The support I got along the course gave me much-needed encouragement. It helped me to keep pushing. In the marathon, I just tried to keep a steady pace, run my own race. I was pleased to run without pain or secondary issues related to the injury, and to pick up a few places. Overall, I am really happy it went well and that I was able to perform for the team. It’s a way to thank everyone who helped me get back into race shape. Today gave me a good idea of where I am. Onwards and upwards!