Zwift Tri Battle Royale: Jan Frodeno Breaks the Iron-distance World Record

Triathlon legends Jan Frodeno and Lionel Sanders went head-to-head to set a new Iron-distance world record at Zwift Tri Battle Royale.

Despite the clumsy weather and slipping on the wet carpet at the end of the opening lap on the run, Frodeno was more than able to break the previous world record of 7:35:39, established by none other than Frodeno himself in 2016. After completing 140.6 miles in the record-breaking time of 7:27:53, Frodeno once again proved that he’s the modern-day triathlon GOAT.

On the other hand, Sanders though wasn’t as remarkable as Frodeno, yet the race didn’t end up being mere frustration for him as he was able to mark his own personal best long-distance time of 7:43:28 at Allgäu, Germany this Sunday.

As always, the race was kicked off with the triathletes diving into the water. At 9:00 Am local time, both triathletes began to swim in the Grosser Alpsee. Frodeno immediately got into the groove and completed the swim course in just 45:58 minutes. Sanders was neither far behind the German as he finished the course at an impressive 50:58.

Frodeno, who had to go through a rough first transition didn’t take much time in demonstrating his pedal power and took only 3:55:22 to bike the 180km track. Like swimming, Sander was once again 5 minutes behind Frodeno in this course and finished the track with a decent 4:00:26 clocking.

With a 10-minute advantage secured by Frodeno before the running, he was clearly at the forefront of the race. However, his slipping on the wet mat at the end of the opening lap on the run, and his consequent rubbing his left hip put many in doubts.

Nonetheless, he was able to keep on his stunning pace. Despite slowing down a bit in the later part Frodeno was able to pull the victory as well as the world record. It took Jan Frodeno 2:44:21 to rush the running track, while his Canadian opponent Lionel Sanders was this time slightly over 6 minutes behind and finished the running course in 2:50:31.

At the end of the race, Sanders was all praises for his rival Frodeno. “I always knew Jan was going for a world record,” said Sanders. Sanders further remarked “That’s the opportunity of a lifetime to go up against literally your hero. This is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.”