|
Rasmus Henning back on top with incredible run performance and victory in Abu Dhabi Danish triathlete Rasmus Henning timed his run to perfection and won the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (3 km swim/200 km bike/20 km run) after a great overall performance and a magnificent run performance on the 20 km run. He cracked the course record by 13 minutes and won in an overall time of 6:21:44. His run split an amazing 1:06:12 for the 20 km.  2nd was home town favorite Faris Al-Sultan 27 seconds after Henning with 2010 champ Eneko Llanos finishing 3rd - 58 seconds back. Rasmus Henning had a good swim and exited the water in 3rd position. Australian Clayton Fettell had smashed away on the swim to gain 50 second head start and would be out in front most of the day before fading heavily on the last km of the bike. Rasmus Henning stayed in the group on the bike, trying to ease into the good rhythm and controlling his watts and position in the main group.  Magical run performance Rasmus Henning started the run on fresh legs after the 200 km bike ride and was 4th out of T2 with Llanos and Bockel. Llanos quickly ran away but Henning kept cool in the Abu Dhabi heat and reeled the Spaniard back in and surged towards the front where Faris Al-Sultan was trying to get that home soil win that has eluded him in 2010 and 2011. Behind him Henning eased into a fast pace, and after leaving Llanos to his own destiny 'The Lightning Henning' caught up with the 2005 Ironman Hawaii champ with under 3 km to go. He stayed with the human Speedo for 500 meters and then took off in a horrid pace to the finish line, testing his customized ECCO Bioms to their max - leaving no doubt about the champion of the day: Rasmus Henning who finished off the 20 km run in 1:06:12. "Winning here was a great relieve for me and I proved to myself that I can still win at the highest level. And I avoided the cramps that has hampered some of my races the past year so this shows that there is still some good competitive stuff left in Rasmus Henning. I'm very happy, relieved and proud with this win and it makes me confident going into the 2012 season where the big dream is still to win Ironman Hawaii," Rasmus Henning says. It was his biggest win since Challenge Roth in 2010.  Rasmus Henning's experiences in today's race - quotes: "I had a comfortable swim where I avoided going to the front. I came out of the water in 3rd position and out on the bike I felt good in the main group. I wasn't aggressive on the first 120 km but was ready to ride along and close gaps. I felt strong and my Specialized Shiv ran smoothly and my focus was to save energy for the run. The four who got away got 4 minutes which was maybe a little too much, but once we started the run I felt amazing. Llanos made a gap out of T2 but I closed it again and then I had splits up to Faris that made me think I could catch him. With under 3 km to go I caught up, lingered with him for 500 meters and then made a surge and went all out to the finish line before anybody got ideas of the win. I'm very happy about this win today - it's a fantastic feeling," he says.  No cramping "I had no hints of the cramps that has made my racing difficult in some races over the past year and made me DNF twice. My legs felt good both on the bike and the run and I could hold a high pace without any cramps or muscular problems. I could push the body to its limits today and it was a great feeling. I did not know how fast I was running but it felt pretty fast and actually quite easy today. It would make sense to have ironman legs after those 200 km on the bike but it rather felt like this was a short distance race and that made me run very good today." "This is of course a self confidence boost and makes me believe that I can do well in Kona again and I have hopes for the other races in the season too." Top 3: 1) Rasmus Henning, Denmark 6:21:44 2) Faris Al-Sultan, Germany +27 sek. 3) Eneko Llanos, Spain + 58 sek. Winning time in i 2011: Frederik van Lierde - 6:43:14 Winning time in 2010: Eneko Llanos - 6:34:37 Results from today - click here.  Photos: Courtesy of Paul Phillips/Competitive Image -- Best wishes, Brian Martin Rasmussen Press Relations Manager for Rasmus Henning |
