Arizona Senator Kyrsten Simeno Finishes Ironman New Zealand with a Sub 13-Hour PR Time

By Raymond Britt

United States Senator Kyrsten Simeno of Arizona finished the 2019 edition of Ironman New Zealand in a total time of 12 hours, 59 minutes and 57 seconds. This was her third Ironman finish, and the sub-13 finish time is a new personal best. 

The 35th anniversary Ironman New Zealand, held in Taupo NZ, consists of a 2.4 mile swim in Lake Taupo, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.6 mile run. Her splits and rank in the race after each discipline were:

• Swim 1:28:14, she was in 1,075th place out of nearly 1500 entrants
• Bike 6:50:42, she was able to pass 122 cyclists on the bike, ranked 953rd at end
• Run 4:27:08, running a solid marathon, she passed 223 to finish the race ranked 730th overall

Simeno competed in the women's 40-44 age group, finishing 27th among these athletes. It was a solid performance -- the average finish time for women aged 40-44 is roughly than 13 hours and 30 minutes. 

(photo provided to media by Kyrsten Simena)

For more, see our previous Ironman New Zealand race coverage or return to RunTri.com home page.

Ironman New Zealand 2014 Results Analysis

Congratulations to the nearly 1500 finishers of the 30th annual Ironman New Zealand, held in Taupo. We've raced IM NZ in 1999 and 2002, and it's an outstanding race, embraced by one of the most supportive towns and spectators on the Ironman Circuit.

To mark the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary and second Ironman competitive venue ever (after Kona), we've run the numbers deep, far and wide, analyzing 2014 finishers' performance, while looking back, comparing 2014 results with those from previous years in the following 12 categories:

• IM NZ 2014 Average Splits -- Finish Time = 12:47
• IM NZ 2014 Average Finish Time by Division 
• IM NZ 2014 Average Split Times by Division 
• IM NZ 2014 DNF by Discipline 
• IM NZ 2014 vs 2011 Average Finish Times by Age Group
• IM NZ 2014 Average Finish Times Select Years 1999 to 2014 
• IM NZ Swim Bike Run Transition Splits 2010 2011 2014
• IM NZ 2014 Average Finish Time by Top 10 Countries
• IM NZ Finishers and DNFs 1999, 2002, 2003, 2014
• IM NZ 2014 Correlation Between Bike and Run Splits 
• IM NZ 2014 Odds of Getting a Kona Slot By Division 
• IM NZ 2014 Last Kona Slot Time By Division 

Predicting Your Full Ironman Time Based on Half Ironman Finish: New Zealand Edition

If you've completed a half ironman, how long will it take you to complete a full ironman triathlon? We've previously done a comprehensive analysis examining more than a dozen pairs of races to help triathletes estimate their most likely full ironman times. But the analysis has always been at an overall race average level.

Now, we've taken the analysis a step further, developing targets for use predicting full ironman times based on half ironman results, by age group. The last minute decision to convert Ironman New Zealand 2012 from a full distance event to a half ironman, due to weather concerns, give us the perfect basis of analysis. The half ironman route at Ironman New Zealand is literally half the full route; one lap bike and run for the half ironman, 2 laps for the full distance.

With previous years' finish times by age group for comparison, the answer is: your full ironman time at Ironman New Zealand would be approximately 2.12 times your half ironman time.  A 5:45 average half ironman in 2012 * 2.12 = 12:12 average in 2011.

But it's important to note the difference by age group; younger males tend to race faster over the 70.3 distance, likely to take longer on the second half of a full ironman, based on a roughly 2.2 multiplier.

How does the multiplier translate into racing time? We've calculated how long the second half of the full ironman should take at Ironman New Zealand. Results are below.

A final question that many may ask: does this mean that racing a full ironman is more than twice as hard as racing half the distance? Surprisingly, my answer would be a resounding no. Having raced 29 ironman races, I can tell you with a great deal of experience that a full ironman may seem only 20% to 30% harder. 

And even that personal difficulty differential has less to do with fitness and more to do with the extended time you're on the course, dealing with the mental challenge of continuing to move forward late into your race when pain and suffering begin to increase. 

When it comes down to it, most triathletes will tell you: the final miles in any event, from international distance to half ironman to full, if you're racing hard, by the time you reach the finish line, if you've really given it all you've got, it all pretty much can feel the same: complete exhaustion, and the pride of completing a great race, no matter the distance.

Ironman 70.3 New Zealand 2012 Results Analysis

After being postponed one day due to strong storms, and following concern of similar weather on the new race day, organizers converted Ironman New Zealand to a Half Ironman: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run.

As race day dawned, weather conditions had much improved, albeit a bit cold (as we've experienced on the NZ course twice). But the decision to race the 1/2 Ironman was set, and more than 1400 triathletes entered Lake Taupo by 7am to start the 70.3 mile journey.

What happens when you get a field of triathletes who have prepared all year to compete in a full ironman, and ask them to compete in half the distance instead? Fast times -- a 5:45 overall average, and faster than average compared to RunTri's Toughest Half Ironman Races -- and very few DNFs -- only 1% did not finish.

Here's our analysis, finish and split time comparisons across all age groups, and a bike/run correlation analysis. For more, visit our extensive archive of race statistics and analysis to see how New Zealand's race stacks up against other half ironman races.