The inaugural, ironman china was run in sweltering conditions today.

The typhoon hit and left a beautiful sunny morning for the start of the race, but teamtbb brought along its own little typhoon in the shape of Belinda Granger.

After an average swim for her, she proceeded, to again for the 2nd time this year, dismantle the girls-field with a devastating bike ride. With the temperature soaring on the run, Belinda showed her professionalism and determination to set an unrelenting pace to make sure the epic battle was going to be between the course, weather conditions and her.

This was not about flash times, for flash people, this was trench warfare!

And who better to battle away in those type of conditions, is our own big sexy Chris McDonald, who was the recipient of two cruel punctures. The first one early in the race, to deflate any chance of winning and then just to test the willpower, one near the end of the ride. Chris out of tubes decided to ride the last 20km on his disc wheel and flat tyre and then still found the heart to press on out of the transition and in to the cauldron for 42 km of more pain and suffering to pull out a marathon of guts and determination to take a very very brave 4th.

Matty O’Halloran led out the swim and kept at it on the bike for a very creditable bike split. Then out on to the run where he found the questions that his coach has been telling him he will have to answer one day. The verdict is he answered them, to get home somehow in 10th position. It was a glorious finish Matty! It told the author something that Malaysia didn’t: Matty O’Halloran is a true Ironman in the making. He was hit with some tuff problems and tuff decisions, but the bottom line was, Matty tuffed it out, copped his lumps and should be very proud of himself.

I would hope the athletes can accept that one of the happiest moments of the camp, happened today in China. To watch the nonexistent coverage hoping that a major decision that would seem by many as a crazy, a gamble and not a calculated decision. But the re-emergence of Donna Phelan not only to racing in an Ironman but to battle her way all day not just with the course, but also with the distance, with the heat, but with her self and to outlast every female on the course except Belinda,
was a moment I will savour for the rest of my coaching career. I am so proud to see Donna back after all her trials and tribulations and hope she will feel proud of herself, for what was, one of the hardest days in triathlon and she did not only handle it, she came thru the test of character with flying colours.

Great job guys , truly inspirational.

Top 10 men results
1. Olaf Sabatschus 8:52:14
2. Byung Hoon Park 9:13:15
3. Timothy K. Marr 9:14:17
4. Chris Mcdonald 9:24:17
5. Justin Hurd 9:26:35
6. Markus Christoph Strini 9:32:34
7. Shane Freer 9:35:51
8. Bernd Hagen 9:46:31
9. Petr Vabrousek 9:52:13
10. Mathieu Ohalloran 9:55:02


Top 10 women results

1. Belinda Jane Granger 10:08:37
2. Donna Phelan 10:37:11
3. Abigail Bayley 10:43:11
4. Belinda Jane Harrison 10:48:24
5. Brigitte Niederberger 11:07:41
6. Nicole Toepfer 11:08:22
7. Irene Kinnegim 11:12:43
8. Jo King 11:16:58
9. Ute Mueckel 11:20:33
10. Lidia Rekas 11:51:07