Posted: August 31, 2005

Triathlon: Kühner Second At Podersdorf Ultra-Distance Tri

PODERSDORF, Austria (August 2, 2005) German pro triathlete Lucia Kühner (Profile Design/Orca/Rudy Project/Power Bar/Aktivshop Flemming/Polar) arrived in small, picturesque Podersdorf, Austria, last week with one goal: a sub-10-hour, podium finish at the 18th annual Austria Triathlon (3.8 km S/180 km B/42.2 km R), and landed herself in second place with a personal best 9:57.12.

“It’s a very old, family organized race right at the protected Neusiedler See (Lake), and everything there was just so relaxed and fun. The normal, pre-race nervousness was still there even after 15 Ironmans, but it was so well organized and the overall vibes made me feel quite comfortable,” the fourth-year pro said shortly after the race.

Race morning was cloudy and the Neusiedler See was choppy – no problem for Kühner, who trains regularly in the Baltic Sea in her Orca Pflex. She reached the beach in 58:50 and overtook the lead woman during the first transition. The bike course, however, brought an unfortunate surprise.

“I was leading for about 40 kilometers, but then a bunch of riders overtook me in a group, and the other girl – who ended up winning – was right in there,” lamented the Grömitz Express. “The marshals were very strict, so I dropped back to avoid a penalty. Unfortunately she never got caught.” Kühner rode a personal best 5:11.43 over the four-loop, 45-kilometer, mostly flat course, and ran six minutes faster than her nemesis on the four-loop marathon course.

“In the end, everyone races for themselves, and I am really, really happy because I gave it everything I had, especially on the last loop. I’ve wanted to go under 10 hours for so long, so this was a really big result for me today.”

Kühner (www.DrKuehner.com), newly sponsored by Roche and its Accucheck diabetes care (www.Roche.com), has proudly represented PowerBar (www.powerbar.com) since she turned pro in 2001, Profile Design (www.profile-design.com), Rudy Project (www.rudyproject.com) and Orca (www.teamorca.com) since 2002, and Polar (www.polar.fi) and Aktivshop Flemming (www.aktivshop-flemming.de) since 2003.