Course record set at Mercuryman
Professional triathlete Marino Vanhoenacker set a Mercuryman record (Photo by Wil Bignal)
(CNS Local Life): Marino Vanhoenacker, previous world record holder for the Ironman triathlon, broke the course record of 4:11 by almost 10 minutes at the Mercuryman, held Sunday, 22 January in Grand Cayman. Of the 80 triathletes who participated in the fifth anniversary of the Mercuryman triathlon festival, 12 were overseas entrants, with four of them professionals, including Vanhoenacker, who posted the new record time of 4:01:48.
“It was great to have my first win of 2017 at the Mercuryman triathlon with a new course record,” Vanhoenacker said. “Cayman was everything I expected and more.”
Alyssa Godesky, Kim Schwabenbauer and Caroline Gregory were the other participating professional athletes. Godesky took home first in the professional female category, with Schwabenbauer following her in second.
“If you’re looking for a January escape, put the Mercuryman triathlon on your list,” Godesky said. “I had so much fun racing with the other triathletes and the Caymanians are second to none. It was a great way to kick off the year.”
Nikki Christian and Scott Ruby of Nikki’s Voice completed their first half-iron distance triathlon together. The group originally started with the goal of making Christian Cayman’s first assisted marathoner. Since then, Ruby and Christian have participated in many races together.
“We are thankful for the opportunity to continue spreading our message of inclusion,” Ruby said. “Nikki and I hope when we are seen racing it makes one realise that limitations are self-imposed.”
The top three non-professionals in the half-iron were Luke Ehgoetz, Jeff Jakubiak and Jamie Hughes for the men and Nadine Gray, Rebecca Wall and Sarah Superfine for the women. “Not Today Bobo” and “2 Queens and a Princess” won for the male and female teams, respectively.
Full results for all events can be found at the Mercuryman website
