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.
