Matt Hanson breaks Ironman record amidst controversy
Ironman announce Hanson's 7:39:25 IM Texas time will stand as a new Ironman world record
A post shared by Matt Hanson (@matthansontri) on May 2, 2018 at 7:07am PDT
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Ironman have announced that Matt Hanson’s Ironman Texas time of 7:39:25 will stand as a new record, despite the IM bike course falling two miles short of the usual 112 miles. This new time breaks the British triathlete Tim Don’s 7:40:23 record set at the 2017 Ironman South American Championship by over a minute.
Don’s bike split in Brazil was the faster of the two at 4:06:56 versus Matt’s 4:07:27 in Texas.
In a statement on its website the WTC have said:
“Despite the bike course that was shortened to 110 miles on race morning, after review by the IRONMAN Global Race Operations Committee, it has been determined that athletes who completed the three-discipline course prescribed at the IRONMAN North American Championship Texas triathlon will be recognised as eligible for world bests. Congratulations to all athletes who set world best times in both overall and individual discipline categories.”
In a statement on his website Hanson says:
” I think there are a lot of courses with some level of variation whether it is a wetsuit legal, current assisted, moto paced on the bike, net down hill point to point, or a bit short. At the end of the day, the race is classified as an Ironman. If you take the record away, you are telling everyone who completed the course that they are essential NOT Ironman finishers. Regardless of whether you agree or not, Ironman made the decision that the course is within variance so the record will count. That means the record is attached to me, so I might as well own it.
220 Triathlon Team
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