Jan Frodeno has claimed the crown at Challenge Gran Canaria over the half iron distance this weekend. After topping the field at Challenge Miami last month to knock off the rust, the German continues to hone his racing instincts and strategy by racing where and when he can.
Frodeno emerged from the 1.9-kilometer swim inside a strong front bunch. While he and four other competitors broke away early on the 90-kilometer non-drafting bike leg, the field had bunched up again at the bike-to-run transition. After having the other athletes nipping at his heels throughout the race, Frodeno finally put his foot down over the half marathon to stamp his ultimate dominance. He stopped the clock in 3:41:21, falling over in exhaustion at the finish line but more than a minute ahead of everyone else.
“I can’t remember suffering this much,” he recounted post-race. “I think I overpaced a little bit on the bike which got me a little gap, but I was suffering on that run. It got hot, it was uneven, it was un-rhythmical, it was all those things. Well, all those things I came here for, but I’m so grateful that we can race and we can have a piece of normality in these crazy days.”
