Australian wins Ironman Championship in Hawaii

The Associated Press ,  Kailua-Kona, Hawaii   |  Sun, 10/12/2008 9:11 AM  |  Sports

Australia's Craig Alexander came from behind to win the Ironman World Championship.

The 35-year-old from Sydney completed the 140.6-mile endurance test in eight hours, 17 minutes and 45 seconds on Saturday.

He was in 11th place at the end of the 112-mile (180-kilometer) bicycle ride. But he ran a strong marathon and moved into the lead around the 18-mile (29-kilometer) mark of the 26.2-mile (42-kilometer) run.

Alexander was second last year in his first Hawaii Ironman race.

Britain's Chrissie Wellington won the women's race, and her third straight Hawaii Ironman title, finishing in 9:06:23.

Spain's Eneko Llanos finished second, followed by Belgium's Rutger Beke, Switzerland's Ronnie Schildknecht, and Germany's Timo Bracht.

The race began with a 2.4-mile (3.9-kilometer) ocean swim.

 

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