Introducing: RS1 Dream Kona Aero Race Suit
New & Noteworthy
August 16, 2015
If you're looking for aerodynamic and hydrophobic but breathable racewear specially designed for long distances that comes into it's own in the heat t...
Every year the Ironman World Championship in Kona provides an exciting day of racing with the fittest of the fit put to the test in brutally hot conditions. Find out how Orca's Sebastian Kienle, Asa Lundstrom and Susie Cheetham fared this time round!
Every year at the Ironman World Championship in Kona there are comments about the conditions being brutally hot, and whilst this year was a fairly normal 89F, with no cloud cover and barely any breeze the Ironman athletes were truly exposed to the heat from the sun and the ashphalt on the course. Throughout the day this heat showed no mercy, with even the fittest of the fit not being exempt from succumbing to it's race-destroying rays!
Defending Ironman World Champion and Orca athlete Sebastian Kienle had the swim of his life in his RS1 Swimskin, coming out with the chase pack that was only 90sec back from the leaders in a time of 52.36. Riding with the leaders from so early on in the bike was something new for Sebi with his usual play being to reel in the faster swimmers throughout the bike course to then dominate.
For a relatively calm Kona day the bike splits were on the slower side and despite having the 2nd fastest bike split of the day in his RS1 Dream Kona Aero Racesuit, Sebi did not drop everyone else as he had in Kona 2014 and came into T2 in 3rd place. Out on the run it was unfortunately not Sebi's day and he dropped back to finish in a still very credible 8th place in a final time of 08:29:43.
Meanwhile in the ladies race, Orca athletes Asa Lundstrom and Susie Cheetham were sitting together at 13th and 14th place for a large amount of the bike. Asa, the more dominant biker, made up for her slower swim with a bike time of 05:04:37 vs. Susie's 05:14:33 to be ahead going into the run.
Susie chose to change into Orca run kit from our just released custom kit range for the run leg, and coming from a run background this was where she began to show her dominance. In what was British Susie's 3rd ever Ironman distance triathlon, and her debut at Ironman Kona, she slowly picked off her fellow competitors with a run pace that matched the athletes who ended up on the podium. This stellar run time of 03:06:55 saw Susie move up for an amazing 6th place overall in a time of 09:23:50.
Just 7 minutes later, Asa crossed the finish line in 11th place in a time of 09:30:43 - moving up 6 places from her debut result in 2014 so also an amazing result for her!
Final Kona results
Men
1. Jan Frodeno (GER) 8:18:50
2. Andreas Raelert (GER) 8:17:43
3. Timothy O’Donnell (USA) 8:18:50
4. Andy Potts (USA) 8:21:25
5. Tyler Butterfield (BER) 8:23:09
6. Cyril Viennot (FRA) 8:25:05
7. Eneko Llanos (ESP) 8:28:10
8. Sebastian Kienle (GER) 8:29:43
9. Brent McMahon (CAN) 8:30:13
10. Boris Stein (GER) Boris Stein
Women
1. Daniela Ryf (SUI) 8:57:57
2. Rachel Joyce (GBR) 9:10:59
3. Liz Blatchford (AUS) 9:14:52
4. Michelle Vesterby (DEN) 9:18:50
5. Heather Jackson (USA) 9:21:45
6. Susie Cheetham (GBR) 9:23:50
7. Sarah Piampiano (USA) 9:24:32
8. Camilla Pedersen (DEN) 9:25:41
9. Caroline Steffen (SUI) 9:27:54
10. Lucy Gossage (GBR) 9:28:36
11. Asa Lundstrom (SWE) 09:30:43
August 16, 2015
If you're looking for aerodynamic and hydrophobic but breathable racewear specially designed for long distances that comes into it's own in the heat t...
August 13, 2015
The Ironminds is an Orca documentary project. In this video featuring current Ironman World Champion Sebastian Kienle, super biker Andrew Starykowicz ...
August 4, 2015
Summer is finally here and the water is heating up - so chances are your next triathlon could be a non-wetsuit swim! Don't get caught out without a sw...