1.Rang IRONMAN Utah , St.George

First Ironman win: Learning how to fight for the win
After seven Ironman podiums I finally made that last step and won my first Ironman title. Very special to do this on the toughest (maybe together with Lanzarote… only that the run in St.George is much harder) course on the circuit.

Finishing 3rd in Ironman NZL in March and now this win, I think this year can just keep going like this.

My father fought cancer and illness for over 3 years. I learned a lot from my dad, but I defenetely learned what fighting really means. In the whole race he was with me and I dont know why, but during the race I always thought, this is it, this will be my win, this will be for my dad. Nobody can beat me here today on that course.

I felt good all day. 3rd out of the water with the lead pack. After 3-4miles I took over the lead and pushed hard to make sure last years winner and super strong cyclist Michael Weiss doesnt get too close too early. Paul Ambrose was sitting behind me ( in legal distance) for 55miles not doing one turn. Then my team mate and super biker (the gcm „german cycling machine“) overtook us. I knew I had to go my own pace from that moment on, not overpacing, but trying to keep the distance under control. On a course like St.George you pay for mistakes later in the race (you do in most of the Ironman races, but I think here even more). Experience of seven Ironman podiums can be handy in situations like this. Around that 70-80mile mark on the bike the race really starts. I catched Paul Ambrose again and overtook him. Short look in his face told me, Maiki hurt him out there. But Maiki had a bit over 3minutes lead over me going into T2. So I really had to believe in my running abilities. That first part of the run is really crazy in St.George. It is a 5km climb, so you have to be patient and not start too hard. Finally I was able to show all the work I put into my run training. With the best run split of the day I was able to run down Maiki and win the race. I couldnt be happier seeing my best friends Maiki and TJ finishing with me on the podium. That’s a day to remember. And it is the first 1-2 Ironman finish in the history of the Commerzbank Triathlon Team. A great day for yellow.

I want to thank all my supporters/sponsors for making this possible:
My Team sponsors: Commerzbank, Scott , Zipp, Sram, Profile Design, Oakley, Garmin,SRM
My personal sponsors: Tri11 wetsuits, Newton Running, amsports.ch
And also: Bürokonzept, Massage Kurmann Willisau, Bike Shop Willisau, cyclefit.de + computrainer

To finish, a big thank you to my mum and my girlfriend Nicole. Two of my greatest supporters.