KEY POINTS:
Joanna Lawn quietly questioned the wisdom of coaching great, Arthur Lydiard, before powering to the most memorable of her six Ironman New Zealand titles here.
It was business as usual on the shores of Lake Taupo yesterday as Lawn and Cameron Brown built on their astonishing records, Brown never really threatened as he notched a seventh national title - the most wins by anybody in one Ironman race.
Lawn also had things in hand until suddenly drawn into a scrap with Australian running specialist Kate Bevilaqua, finally reclaiming the lead with a surge into the headwind and rain 6km from the end of the marathon-distance final leg.
There was no answer from Bevilaqua, who sprung into contention when she ran down Lawn in the recent Port of Tauranga half ironman.
The Australian was 4min down entering the run, the amount of time she had been penalised for drafting during the cycle leg but had drawn level with 14km remaining.
"I had to stay with her, she may have pushed a bit hard in the first half but she caught me," said Lawn, whose mind began working as hard as her body, pondering the best way to attack.
"I've never gone with someone like that and had a good run.
"When do I surge? When do I go? Was that a surge I just did then? I don't know, I got about a metre ahead, so that didn't work."
Lawn was also anxious that a summer spent training in the Waitakere Ranges west of Auckland may have gone to waste.
Keen to improve her running, Lawn was drawn to the hills where Lydiard directed some of New Zealand's greatest athletes - such as Peter Snell - to lay the foundation of their careers.
"I thought `where's this bloody Arthur Lydiard run? Where are you?'
"But finally it kicked in at about 34-35km."
Lawn, who broke her course record in nine hours 16 minutes, became the first woman to win the same Ironman six consecutive times.
"The first win is always the most satisfying," she said.
"But this is really what I wanted, I wanted to be pushed on the run.
"It proves that I'm really mentally strong, and that's something that you can't train.
"I've always had that. There are many great athletes out there but they lack that."
Lawn was the only woman well enough to attend the post-race press conference. Bevilaqua and the next finishers - Japan's Emi Shiono and Scotland's Bella Comerfield - all needed treatment.
That was a contrast from Brown, who was quickly into hug mode with sons Braeden, six, and Josh, four, along with wife, Jenny, moments after breaking the tape in 8hr 24min 49sec.
"I really wanted to enjoy those last few kilometres," he said.
"I've been a grumpy dad for the last couple of months. That's one thing I hate about the sport.
"It is a very prestigious race and now I can sit back and enjoy it with family and friends."
It was nearly seven minutes until Belgian Frederik Van Lierde crossed in second, an excellent return for the European long distance triathlon champion contesting his first Ironman.
"At the moment I'm thinking never again," Van Lierde said.
Third was Auckland-based Kieran Doe, 26, the rising star of New Zealand multisport racing who was shattered after setting the pace on both the 3.8km swimming and 180km cycling legs - holding a seven-minute advantage on Brown ahead of the run.
That was never likely to be enough and Brown rocketed past at the halfway point.
"I never felt comfortable at all but mentally I hung tough," said Doe, who had been confident following a win in the Port of Tauranga race and a breakthrough success at Ironman Canada last year.
"I thought I was a shot but Cameron ran extremely well and showed his class. It's still an improvement and I'm heading in the right direction,"
Brown confirmed he would return in search of title No 8 next year.
"I'd get bored over the New Zealand summer if I couldn't train for it," he said.
"Kieran will win this race one day but as long as I'm here I'm going to try and stop him. My day will come when I get beaten but I'm still getting stronger and stronger. I'm not over the hill at 35.
"There are guys at 38 and 39 who are still winning so I've still got time."
- NZPA
