The 10th edition of Israman Negev Eilat had it all - a remarkable winner, inspiring athletes who completed the course against all odds and even a wedding proposal at the finish line.Around 1,300 athletes from 26 countries took part in the Israman, including in Israel’s most challenging sporting event, the Ironman triathlon, which consists of a 3.8-kilometer swim, 180-km. bike ride and a full marathon of 42.2 km.The competition began at 6:15 a.m. under the full moon, with Petr Vabrousek of the Czech Republic, who won the grueling contest for a second straight year, not crossing the finish line until dusk, clocking a time of 9:55.30 hours.
Israel’s Tom Marmarelli finished in second place overall in a time of 10:01.12 hours, with Israel’s Nina Perkerman winning the women’s event in 11:17.42 hours.Edo van der Meer of the Netherlands claimed the half-distance title in 4:35.29 hours. Gergo Molnar of Hungary finished in second place (4:45.40h), with Israel’s Ran Alterman crossing the line in third. (4:54.08h).Britain’s Alice Hector won the women’s half-distance race (5:00.46h) ahead of Israel’s Antonina Raznikov (5:41.19h).Olympic swimmer Alon Mandel and Olympic windsurfing medalist Shahar Zubari competed in the half-distance relay race in which three athletes teamed up, each contesting one of the legs. Zubari cycled 90-km, while Mandel swam 1.9-km. and was part of the winning team with cyclist Dmytro Grabovskyy and runner Boaz Oren.Among the many finishers at the Isrotel Royal Garden Hotel were also the 54-year-old Adi Deutsch, who lost his right leg during his army service in 1979, and completed the half-distance race and 30-yearold Dan Koni who went down on one knee after finishing the full distance to propose to his girlfriend Ligal. She said yes.‘Israman’ lives up to expectations
The 10th edition of Israman Negev Eilat had it all - a remarkable winner, inspiring athletes who completed the course against all odds and even a wedding proposal at the finish line.
