Ironman Champions: Danielle Lewis Wins Women’s Title | News, Sports, Jobs

Lewis was ready, taking her first full Ironman triathlon victory over 140.6 miles in a time of 9:01:54, finishing just 1:32 behind the course record, set in 2022 by Sarah True.

Lewis has won multiple Ironman 70.3 events and has finished well in a handful of full Ironman triathlons, but her performance on Sunday was the most important.

“Winning an Ironman is something very special,” she said. “They don’t just come out of nowhere and I think it’s something I’ll never forget.”

With more than 2,400 athletes taking to Mirror Lake at the start of Sunday’s triathlon, Lewis did not perform well in the water, only managing the 249th fastest time, putting her well behind the leaders.

“The swimming went pretty normally for me,” she said in a statement. “It was slower than my usual performance, but I still knew I had a real chance because this course suits me in terms of the hilliness of the bike and the run. I just wanted to ride really hard and I did that.”

After setting the fastest time in the bike event, Lewis knew she was in a good position to win the race because she is so good on hills.

“I kept telling myself, ‘Give yourself the space to flourish.’ It’s a little corny, but for me it made sense during the day because it can be easy to hold back, but I knew I would flourish on some of those downhills and some of those rollers,” she said on sunday. “Then I just started to relax on the climbs and try to push the climbs as best I can and I was catching up. I just had to keep telling myself, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing and focus on your nutrition.'”

On the second lap of the race, Lewis passed two Ironman triathletes before catching race leader Sarah True on River Road in Lake Placid, near Intervalle Way. With about 8 miles to go in the race, True was exhausted and had begun to walk. She subsequently dropped out of the race.

Jackie Hering took second overall with a time of 9:06:26, while Alice Alberts, last year’s Ironman Lake Placid champion, took third with a time of 9:10:36.

“This field was really full,” said Lewis. “I mean, there’s an incredible amount of talent in this field, it definitely gives me a lot of confidence for (the Ironman World Championships).”

Lewis, as well as the top four female and four male professional athletes, earned qualifying spots for the Ironman World Championship. The women’s championship race will take place in Nice, France on September 22, and the men’s race will take place in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 26.