With the 2011 season winding down, athletes from the world over descended upon the famed white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico’s northern shore, for a perennial favorite on the Ironman tour. Ronnie Schildknecht of Switzerland and American Jessica Jacobs captured the overall men’s and women’s championships in cool, and very windy racing conditions on Florida’s panhandle.

Well known as a flat and fast course, Ironman Florida played host to a strong contingent of professional athletes, including some of Kona’s less fortunates of only three weeks prior. Schildknecht, Maxim Kriat, and Eduardo Sturla arrived as pre-race favorites on the men’s side, while returning champ Jessica Jacobs would be defending her 2010 title against the likes of the Big Island’s Bree Wee and Vermont’s Kim Loeffler. The professional athletes hit the Gulf’s waters just before sunrise, and quickly defined a fierce tone to the day.  Open-water specialist John Flanagan was first to exit the water in 44:36, with a sizeable lead, over collegiate swimmer James Bonney, about 3:30 back. For the women, Wee emerged from the water, first, leading Germans Sofie Goos and Heidi Jesberger by just under two minutes.

The bike course’s pancake flat terrain allowed athletes to position themselves comfortably in the aerobars and power their way through extremely windy conditions. Riding away from the Florida coastline, athletes set out onto a single-loop journey, into northwestern Florida’s pine forests and farmlands. Athletes contended with a significant headwind for the first half of the ride, but were pushed home over the final 56 miles. Despite an early lead Flanagan eventually fell back to 1oth place, well behind German uber-cyclists Shildenknecht and Frank Vytrisal, who together rode 4:19.

On the women’s side, Jessica Jacobs was able to overcome a 7:05 swim deficit, and muscle her way to within 2:30 of race leader Wee, heading into T2. Up-and-comer Mackenzie Madison returned to the Boardwalk Beach Resort in hot pursuit of her first Ironman title, with Goos right in tow. Only four minutes behind Wee, both were well within striking distance, but would certainly have their work cut out for them, in order to do so.

The double out-and-back 26.2 mile run course hugged the coastline, but weaved through the area’s local neighborhoods, treating athletes to the cheers of residential spectators. A single loop through Saint Andrew’s State Park, and athletes began the return trip towards T2. One Alabaman athlete said of the Ironman Florida run course, “This is a truly unique experience. It is the only race where spectators pull their living room furniture onto the front lawn, and show us their support. It’s a great atmosphere, and the next best thing to tailgating the Alabama/LSU game!”

Ideal temperatures made for some quick marathon times, as athletes zigzagged their way through the spectator-friendly run course.  Despite a strong effort on the bike, Vytrisal faded early into the run, allowing Schildknecht to slip away, and hold on for the win with a North American record setting 7:59:42. Just behind Shildknecht the podium was in constant flux, with Kriat, Vytrisal, and American Justin Daerr constantly shuffling positions. In the end, Kriat and Daerr would round out the podium.

On the women’s side, Jacobs quickly took the lead, and never looked back, with a women’s best 2:53 marathon. Jacobs’ record-setting 8:55 was 15 minutes better than runner-up Madison. Sofie Goos held on for third, slipping by Wee and Loeffler, in the late miles of the marathon.

Schildknecht and Jacobs certainly picked a great way to close out their 2011 racing seasons. With an Ironman Championship, and some very valuable 2012 Kona points in hand, each has a great jump on the upcoming season. Look for each to make an impact in the KPR standings in the year to come.

Top 5 Men

1. Ronnie Schildknecht  (SWI) – 7:59:42

2. Maxim Kriat (UKR) – 8:10:43

3. Justin Daerr  (USA)- 8:18:02

4. Mads Vittrup  (DEN) – 8:21:31

5. Frank Vytrisal (DEU) – 8:21:48

Top 5 Women

1. Jessica Jacobs (USA) – 8:55:10

2. Mackenzie Madison (USA) – 9:10:21

3. Sofie Goos (BEL) – 9:22:21

4. Kim Loeffler (USA) – 9:29:07

5. Stephanie Jones (USA) – 9:33:45

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Tim Snow is an athlete and coach with QT2 Systems. Tim has been racing at the professional level since 2000, including 26 Ironman finishes. He coaches top-level triathletes, through QT2′s 1-1 Coaching service, and manages the day-to-day operations and moderates the “Ask The Coach” Forum for QT2 Mission Plans.