"The toughest competition of my life": Alexander Bleffgen finishes the Ironman Hawaii
Created: 2022-10-20 07:00
By: Michael Leitner
Smile, even if it hurts: The hobby triathlete from Marzlingen defied the heat and the pain.
© private
Marzlinger Alex Bleffgen has finished the Ironman Hawaii and thus fulfilled a dream.
But not only the competition fascinated the triathlete.
Marzling/Hawaii
– “I'm just happy that I made it.
It was the toughest competition of my life.” Alexander Bleffgen (31) has achieved great things.
The amateur triathlete from Marzling has finished the Ironman Hawaii and thus fulfilled his big dream.
That the "desired time" of less than ten hours didn't work out?
Doesn't matter.
It's a success that no one can take away from him.
And it was an experience he will never forget.
Alexander Bleffgen really gets into raptures when he looks back on his two weeks in Hawaii.
"It's so beautiful there.
A great island with nice people,” he says.
Add to that the special ambience in the Mecca of triathlon sport: on the days before the Ironman, training early in the morning with hundreds of other athletes in the Pacific.
To experience the competition of the women, who started on Thursday, the entry of the winners, the subsequent award ceremony.
"I've seen how it works.
You often don’t get this atmosphere at your own race.”
Heat battle on a wavy course
Two days later, on October 8th, things got serious for the triathlete from TSV Jahn Freising.
"First get up early, then eat well again - it wasn't much different than on a normal competition day," says Bleffgen.
Then it was time for the swim start.
The Marzlinger jumped into the water at 6:50 a.m., 25 minutes after the pros.
“We are very happy that it is finally getting started.
But you also know that the next few hours will be extremely strenuous,” the 31-year-old describes his mood before the start.
(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)
Bleffgen completed the 3.8 kilometers in the Pacific in a time of 1:12:01 hours.
“I knew beforehand that the waves in the sea would be slower than in a lake.
But I had a positive feeling and it went really well.” This continued – despite the increasing heat – on the 180-kilometer bike distance.
It was a very bumpy course with a total of 1,700 meters of altitude difference, and it was often uphill, especially in the first half of the course.
"I thought I had to be a bit faster," said Bleffgen, who reached the turning point after almost three hours on the bike.
"On the way back, things tended to go downhill, which was good." He was satisfied with his bike time of 5:17:40 hours.
The moment of happiness: Alex Bleffgen (front) crossed the finish line after 10:02:34 hours.
© Finisherpix
But the hardest part – the final marathon – was still ahead of him.
“The first ten kilometers along Alii Drive were great.
There were a lot of spectators, it was really fun,” says the Jahn triathlete.
He then went through his “absolute low point” on the notorious Energy Lab passage.
“It was lonely there, exhausting and very hot – and it was still going uphill.
My legs hurt.
I wished I could just go back to Kona.” He kept running, mobilizing the last of his strength and covering the 42.2 kilometers in 3:22:59 hours.
The moment he crossed the finish line - "it was a mix of great joy and total exhaustion".
Roth, St. Pölten and Regionalliga in focus
In the meantime, a week and a half after the competition, these feelings have given way to deep satisfaction.
Bleffgen had completed the Ironman in a total time of 10:02:34 hours.
In the age group of 30 to 34 year olds he took 155th place, overall he was 653rd of 2376 starters.
"I've always said I'd be happy anytime.
It was just about being there and making it happen.”
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Now it's time for a break, the triathlon season is over.
In 2023, like this year, the man from Marzlingen wants to tackle the long distance at the Challenge Roth.
In addition, the middle distance in St. Pölten, Austria, and regional league appearances with the TSV Jahn Freising team are on his schedule.
And what if, like in 2021 at Ironman Italy, he bought the ticket for Hawaii again?
"Phew, I think I'd have to sleep on it for a night first," says Bleffgen.
"The effort is enormous, athletically and financially." That he will eventually return to Hawaii for a vacation?
"Yes, I could definitely imagine that."
You can find more current news from the district of Freising at Merkur.de/Freising.