# 2009 Ironman World Championship

The 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship was held on October 10, 2009, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It was the 33rd such Ironman Triathlon World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The champions were Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington. The championship was organised by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).

## Race highlights

A total of 1,778 athletes from more than 48 countries started the race and 1,653 (1,200 men and 453 women) finished, 3 were disqualified. Hot and humid weather conditions prevailed with temperatures well above 90 °F (32.2 °C) during the bike and run portions.
Both Chrissie Wellington (3rd consecutive win) and Craig Alexander (2nd consecutive win) continue their current reigns as Ironman World Champions.
Chrissie Wellington set a new women's course record of 8:54:02, breaking Paula Newby-Fraser's 17-year-old women's course record. She finished 22nd overall among the pro men and women.
Mirinda Carfrae set a new women's course run record of 2:56:51 in her very first Ironman World Championship, breaking the women's course run record that Chrissie Wellington set one year ago.

## Medallists
### Men

| Pos. | Time (h:mm:ss) | Name | Country | Split times (h:mm:ss) | Split times (h:mm:ss) | Split times (h:mm:ss) | Split times (h:mm:ss) | Split times (h:mm:ss) |
| Pos. | Time (h:mm:ss) | Name | Country | Swim | T1 | Bike | T2 | Run |
| | 8:20:21 | Craig Alexander | Australia | 50:57 | 1:44 | 4:37:33 | 2:04 | 2:48:05 |
| | 8:22:56 | Chris Lieto | United States | 51:07 | 1:44 | 4:25:11 | 2:21 | 3:02:35 |
| | 8:24:32 | Andreas Raelert | Germany | 51:00 | 2:05 | 4:38:01 | 2:25 | 2:51:05 |
| 4 | 8:25:20 | Chris McCormack | Australia | 52:51 | 1:55 | 4:32:45 | 1:53 | 2:55:59 |
| 5 | 8:28:17 | Rasmus Henning | Denmark | 51:06 | 2:03 | 4:37:07 | 2:30 | 2:55:33 |
| 6 | 8:28:52 | Timo Bracht | Germany | 54:30 | 1:49 | 4:33:49 | 2:19 | 2:56:27 |
| 7 | 8:29:55 | Dirk Bockel | Luxembourg | 50:50 | 1:56 | 4:37:29 | 2:00 | 2:57:42 |
| 8 | 8:30:15 | Pete Jacobs | Australia | 50:03 | 1:43 | 4:38:41 | 2:35 | 2:57:14 |
| 9 | 8:30:30 | Andy Potts | United States | 47:45 | 1:56 | 4:46:07 | 2:29 | 2:52:15 |
| 10 | 8:31:44 | Faris Al-Sultan | Germany | 50:53 | 1:49 | 4:33:40 | 2:13 | 3:03:11 |
| Source: |||||||||

### Women

| Pos. | Time (h:mm:ss) | Name | Country | Split times (h:mm:ss) | Split times (h:mm:ss) | Split times (h:mm:ss) | Split times (h:mm:ss) | Split times (h:mm:ss) |
| Pos. | Time (h:mm:ss) | Name | Country | Swim | T1 | Bike | T2 | Run |
| | 8:54:02 | Chrissie Wellington | Great Britain | 54:31 | 2:15 | 4:52:07 | 2:05 | 3:03:06 |
| | 9:13:59 | Mirinda Carfrae | Australia | 58:45 | 1:54 | 5:14:18 | 2:14 | 2:56:51 |
| | 9:15:28 | Virginia Berasategui | Spain | 58:52 | 2:04 | 5:01:42 | 2:08 | 3:10:43 |
| 4 | 9:23:43 | Tereza Macel | Czech Republic | 53:29 | 2:13 | 5:04:17 | 2:35 | 3:21:12 |
| 5 | 9:30:28 | Samantha McGlone | Canada | 58:47 | 2:03 | 5:16:17 | 1:57 | 3:11:27 |
| 6 | 9:32:27 | Rachel Joyce | Great Britain | 53:31 | 2:21 | 5:10:03 | 2:51 | 3:23:43 |
| 7 | 9:34:45 | Joanna Lawn | New Zealand | 57:16 | 2:10 | 5:19:10 | 2:36 | 3:13:35 |
| 8 | 9:38:28 | Sandra Wallenhorst | Germany | 1:03:07 | 2:30 | 5:20:43 | 2:46 | 3:09:24 |
| 9 | 9:40:59 | Dede Griesbauer | United States | 55:05 | 2:13 | 5:10:22 | 2:29 | 3:30:53 |
| 10 | 9:42:41 | Tyler Stewart | United States | 1:08:31 | 2:20 | 5:06:20 | 2:31 | 3:22:59 |
| Source: |||||||||

## Qualification

To enter for the 2009 World Championship race, athletes were required to qualify through performance at an Ironman or selected Ironman 70.3 race, through Hawaii residency, through a random allocation lottery, or by invitation from the WTC.
The Ironman 2009 Series consisted of 21 Ironman qualifying races plus the Ironman World Championship 2008 which was itself a qualifier for the 2010 Ironman World Championship. The series started with Ironman Wisconsin 2008 held on September 7, 2008, and in total 1,800 athletes qualified for the World Championship race.

### Qualifying Ironmans

| Date | Event | Location |
| Sep 7, 2008 | Ironman Wisconsin | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
| Oct 11, 2008 | Ironman World Championship | Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, United States |
| Nov 1, 2008 | Ironman Florida | Panama City Beach, Florida, United States |
| Nov 23, 2008 | Ironman Arizona | Tempe, Arizona, United States |
| Dec 7, 2008 | Ironman Western Australia | Busselton, Western Australia, Australia |
| Feb 28, 2009 | Ironman Malaysia | Langkawi, Malaysia |
| Mar 7, 2009 | Ironman New Zealand | Taupō, New Zealand |
| Apr 5, 2009 | Ironman Australia | Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia |
| Apr 5, 2009 | Ironman South Africa | Port Elizabeth, South Africa |
| Apr 19, 2009 | Ironman China | Haikou, Hainan Island, China |
| May 23, 2009 | Ironman Lanzarote | Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, Spain |
| May 31, 2009 | Ironman Brazil | Florianópolis Island, Brazil |
| Jun 21, 2009 | Ironman Japan | Goto, Nagasaki, Japan |
| Jun 21, 2009 | Ironman Coeur d'Alene | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, United States |
| Jun 28, 2009 | Ironman France | Nice, France |
| Jul 5, 2009 | Ironman Germany | Frankfurt, Germany |
| Jul 5, 2009 | Ironman Austria | Klagenfurt, Austria |
| Jul 12, 2009 | Ironman Switzerland | Zürich, Switzerland |
| Jul 26, 2009 | Ironman Lake Placid | Lake Placid, New York, United States |
| Aug 2, 2009 | Ironman UK | Bolton, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom |
| Aug 30, 2009 | Ironman Canada | Penticton, British Columbia, Canada |
| Aug 30, 2009 | Ironman Louisville | Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
The fastest time of 7:59:16 was set by Timo Bracht during the Ironman European Championship 2009 at Frankfurt, Germany.

### 2009 Ironman Series results
#### Men

| Event | Gold | Time | Silver | Time | Bronze | Time |
| Wisconsin | Raynard Tissink (RSA) | 8:43:29 | Serge Meyer (SUI) | 8:55:00 | Jason Shortis (AUS) | 8:59:14 |
| World Champs 08 | Craig Alexander (AUS) | 8:17.45 | Eneko Llanos Burguera (ESP) | 8:20:50 | Rutger Beke (BEL) | 8:21:23 |
| Florida | Tom Evans (CAN) | 8:07:59 | Torbjørn Sindballe (DEN) | 8:17:51 | Petr Vabrousek (CZE) | 8:23:00 |
| Arizona | Andreas Raelert (GER) | 8:14:16 | Chris Lieto (USA) | 8:19:25 | Jordan Rapp (USA) | 8:19:45 |
| Western Australia | Tim Berkel (AUS) | 8:07:06 | Jason Shortis (AUS) | 8:10:57 | Luke Mckenzie (AUS) | 8:12:45 |
| Malaysia | Luke McKenzie (AUS) | 8:27:48 | Bryan Rhodes (NZL) | 8:32:52 | Brian Fuller (AUS) | 8:38:06 |
| New Zealand | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 8:18:04 | Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) | 8:25:36 | Dirk Bockel (LUX) | 8:27:11 |
| Australia | Patrick Vernay (NCL) | 8:24:53 | Pete Jacobs (AUS) | 8:29:03 | Tim Berkel (AUS) | 8:31:43 |
| South Africa | Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) | 8:17:33 | Michael Göhner (GER) | 8:32:02 | Petr Vabrousek (CZE) | 8:36:08 |
| China | Rasmus Henning (DEN) | 8:53:20 | Patrick Walliman (SUI) | 9:22:46 | Mike Schifferle (SUI) | 9:28:49 |
| Lanzarote | Bert Jammaer (BEL) | 8:54:03 | Stephan Vuckovic (GER) | 8:57:17 | Olaf Sabatschus (GER) | 8:59:03 |
| Brazil | Eduardo Sturla (ARG) | 8:13:39 | Reinaldo Colucci (BRA) | 8::28:08 | Petr Vabrousek (CZE) | 8:37:18 |
| Japan | Luke McKenzie (AUS) | 8:28:31 | Courtney Ogden (AUS) | 8:42:54 | Petr Vabrousek (CZE) | 8:45:59 |
| Coeur d'Alene | Francisco Pontano (ESP) | 8:32:12 | T. J. Tollakson (USA) | 8:42:03 | Maximilian Longree (GER) | 8:50:19 |
| France | Marcel Zamora Perez (ESP) | 8:30:06 | Hervé Faure (FRA) | 8:40:55 | Simon Billeau (FRA) | 8:46:30 |
| Germany | Timo Bracht (GER) | 7:59:15 | Eneko Llanos (ESP) | 8:00:05 | Chris McCormack (AUS) | 8:02:49 |
| Austria | Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) | 8:01:38 | James Cunnama (RSA) | 8:14:18 | Stephen Bayliss (GBR) | 8:17:06 |
| Switzerland | Ronnie Schildknecht (SUI) | 8:20:00 | Stefan Riesen (SUI) | 8:31:10 | Torsten Abel (GER) | 8:36:38 |
| Lake Placid | Maik Twelsiek (GER) | 8:36:37 | Christian Brader (GER) | 8:56:35 | Jason Shortis (AUS) | 8:58:09 |
| UK | Philip Graves (GBR) | 8:45:51 | Stephen Bayliss (GBR) | 8:48:29 | Jarmo Hast (FIN) | 8:57:58 |
| Canada | Jordan Rapp (USA) | 8:25:13 | Mike Aigroz (SUI) | 8:40:17 | Courtney Ogden (AUS) | 8:44:37 |
| Louisville | Viktor Zyemtsev (UKR) | 8:25:27 | Luke McKenzie (AUS) | 8:26:01 | Raynard Tissink (RSA) | 8:39:09 |

#### Women

| Event | Gold | Time | Silver | Time | Bronze | Time |
| Wisconsin | Hillary Biscay (USA) | 9:47:25 | Karin Gerber (SUI) | 9:49:46 | Jessica Jacobs (USA) | 9:50:45 |
| World Champs 08 | Chrissie Wellington (GBR) | 9:06:23 | Yvonne van Vlerken (NLD) | 9:21:20 | Sandra Wallenhorst (GER) | 9:22:52 |
| Florida | Bella Comerford (GBR) | 9:07:49 | Tamara Kozulina (UKR) | 9:14:15 | Jessica Jacobs (USA) | 9:17:51 |
| Arizona | Heleen Bij De Vaate (NLD) | 9:21:06 | Leanda Cave (USA) | 9:25:07 | Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) | 9:28:09 |
| Western Australia | Gina Ferguson (NZL) | 8:59:24 | Charlotte Paul (AUS) | 9:06:34 | Kat Baker (AUS) | 9:37:24 |
| Malaysia | Belinda Granger (AUS) | 9:21:10 | Nicole Leder (GER) | 9:36:40 | Maki Nishiuchi (JPN) | 9:57:13 |
| New Zealand | Gina Ferguson (NZL) | 9:18:25 | Joanna Lawn (NZL) | 9:23:07 | Charlotte Paul (AUS) | 9:30:24 |
| Australia | Chrissie Wellington (GBR) | 8:57:10 | Rebekah Keat (AUS) | 9:21:33 | Caroline Steffen (SUI) | 9:38:44 |
| South Africa | Lucie Zelenkova (CZE) | 9:16:32 | Sonja Tajsich (GER) | 9:27:59 | Rachel Joyce (GBR) | 9:37:00 |
| China | Charlotte Paul (AUS) | 9:48:14 | Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) | 10:01:39 | Teresa Mazel (CZE) | 10:13:43 |
| Lanzarote | Bella Bayliss (GBR) | 9:54:58 | Rachel Joyce (GBR) | 10:15:05 | Michaela Giger (SUI) | 10:15:41 |
| Brazil | Dede Griesbauer (USA) | 9:10:15 | Charlotte Kolters (DEN) | 9:18:49 | Heather Gollnick (USA) | 9:31:42 |
| Japan | Nicole Klingler (LIE) | 9:52:52 | Nicole Ward (AUS) | 9:56:00 | Megumi Shigaki (JPN) | 10:01:07 |
| Coeur d'Alene | Tyler Stewart (USA) | 9:23:21 | Kate Major (AUS) | 9:32:10 | Heather Wuertele (CAN) | 9:34:24 |
| France | Tina Deckers (BEL) | 9:30:29 | Christel Robin (FRA) | 9:34:19 | Martina Dogana (ITA) | 9:37:35 |
| Germany | Sandra Wallenhorst (GER) | 8:58:08 | Yvonne van Vlerken (NLD) | 9:02:17 | Nicole Leder (GER) | 9:05:15 |
| Austria | Bella Bayliss (GBR) | 8:50:13 | Sonja Tajsich (GER) | 8:59:45 | Lucie Zelenkova (CZE) | 9:07:24 |
| Switzerland | Sibylle Matter (SUI) | 9:14:35 | Monika Lehmann (SUI) | 9:25:05 | Lisbeth Kristensen (DEN) | 9:25:37 |
| Lake Placid | Tereza Macel (CZE) | 9:29:36 | Caitlin Snow (USA) | 9:41:21 | Samantha McGlone (USA) | 9:44:24 |
| UK | Bella Bayliss (GBR) | 9:33:59 | Abigail Bayley (GBR) | 9:46:15 | Irene Kinnegim (NLD) | 10:06:40 |
| Canada | Tereza Macel (CZE) | 9:11:20 | Belinda Granger (AUS) | 9:40:48 | Janelle Morrison (CAN) | 9:48:54 |
| Louisville | Nina Kraft (GER) | 9:20:21 | Lisbeth Kristensen (DEN) | 9:23:57 | Kim Loeffler (USA) | 9:38:23 |