Anne Haug is the 2019 VEGA IRONMAN World Champion, making the day a clean sweep for Germany in the men’s and women’s professional divisions.
Haug captured the crown on the strength of a blistering last leg, clocking a marathon time of 2:51:07. Haug trailed second-stage leader Lucy Charles-Barclay, of Great Britain, by more than 8 minutes heading into the run, but made up nearly the entire difference over the first half of the marathon.
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Anne Haug, of Germany, won the 2019 VEGA IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona. Video by Tiffany DeMasters.
Haug, who finished third in 2018, said after the race she wasn’t aware of how quickly she’d completed the marathon, adding that she was focused only on her own running and managing her own pace. She finished with a time of 8:40:10, besting Charles-Barclay by more than 6 minutes and 30 seconds.
Charles-Barclay finished in second place for the second consecutive year after leading for most of the day.
Sarah Crowley, of Australia, took the last spot on the podium with a time of 8:48:13. Laura Philipp, of Germany, finished fourth with a time of 8:51:42 and American Heather Jackson rounded out the top 5 with a time of 8:54:44.
Jan Frodeno, also of Germany, won the men’s division, breaking the world record in the process.