Had a breakdown in a WC race when my best friend won gold – stop running
Gustav Iden (26) had a particularly difficult time during Ironman WC in Hawaii when his best friend Kristian Blummenfelt (28) made a triumphant escape.
– When cycling gets worse. My lungs hurt and my legs couldn’t move either, Iden told NRK.
Halfway to the running passage, Iden stopped. Suddenly he stopped running, in the middle of the roundabout, where he was sitting, clearly depressed.
– I’m struggling a bit with major changes in climate. The desert air is cold and dry today. Lungs got me in the end, admitting Iden.
The contested exercise is called “70.3”, which involves 1.9 kilometers of swimming, 90 kilometers of cycling and 21.1 kilometers of running.
– Of course it’s emotional when you work really hard to achieve your goals and it doesn’t work. When you’re tired too, it just becomes… Yes… It means a lot, of course, said tired Bergens.
Iden was the reigning champion of Ironman, but hit a wall in Hawaii. Instead, it was Kristian Blummenfelt who fought back after last year’s race ended with a stab.
– I’ve never done it in half of Ironman before, so it’s good to mark this title too, Blummenfelt said after the finish line, according to TV 2.
– I was left with the fact that I hoped for better. I’m glad Kristian took it at least,” a clearly broken Iden told NRK.
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