For Till Schramm, the third time really was the charm.
After consecutive years of finishing second in the Dubai International Triathlon, the German finally got over the hump by crossing the finish line first in the event’s third edition at Jebel Ali Waterfront on Saturday.
Schramm crossed in a time of 4:11:42 to complete the half iron distance consisting of a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and 21.1km looped run.
“That’s awesome,” Schramm said of finally winning. “I would have preferred a stronger pro-field as I was in top shape at the start line and did not to race at maximum.”
Leading up to the race, Schramm had been putting in work this triathlon season, winning several races including the OSTEEMAN full iron distance in Germany.
When asked what his motivation was to finally grab first and continue doing triathlons, Schramm answered: “My family and triathlon itself. I love the sport and don’t need a real motivation to do it.
“Well, days in Germany with five degree Celsius temperature and rain are the bit I need to remind myself about some goals.”
Great Britain’s Lucy Woollacott, meanwhile, paced the women with a time of 4:54:56.
It was her second time competing at the Dubai International Triathlon, with her first experience back in 2014 marking just her second triathlon overall.
With added experience under her belt, Woollacott showed her improvement with a time she said was nearly 10 minutes faster than the one two years ago.
“It was a really hard race out there. It was hot on that run in particular, so I’m really pleased, especially with the time,” she said.
Woollacott also had high praise for the event, which is organised by Race ME and had around 900 people turn out for another challenging course.
“I think it’s really nicely run,” she said. “It’s very friendly and it’s more of a local race, so the big brand Ironman races are very different than this, they’re much more commercial. This is much more friendly and fun.”