Julie Dibens makes it two World Championships in three weeks

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Julie Dibens won the Foster Grant Ironman 70.3 World Championships at Clearwater at the weekend in a fantastic sub four hours (3:59.33) only three weeks after taking the World Xterra Championships in Maui.

Julie had declared before the race that this was her ultimate season goal after twice finishing fourth at Clearwater and this year she achieved it. Julie as usual took a solo lead on the bike and was nearly three minutes ahead at T2. She then went on to run the fifth fastest run time to come home more than four minutes ahead of Mary Beth Ellis from the USA. Magali Tisseyre of Canada was third.

In the men’s race Michael Raelert of Germany ran a blistering 1.09 half marathon to win from Daniel Fontana of Italy and Matthew Reed of the USA. The highest placed Brit was Joe Gambles in 5th. Other British results were Stephen Bayliss 16th (3:43:35), Fraser Cartmell 20th (3:44:21), Dann Brook 36th, (3:47:37), James Hadley 38th (3:48:11), Stuart Hayes 42nd (3:50:22), Philip Graves 51st (3:51:46). Tom Room 47th (3:57:08) and Joel Jameson 49th (3:58:07). Leanda Cave finished as 13th pro lady in 4:24:16.