Winners cross the finish line at 12th annual Ironman Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Thousands of athletes from around the world gathered in Louisville on Sunday to participate in the 12th annual Ironman Louisville.

The 140-mile race included a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride down River Road into Oldham County and Henry County and back, and a 26.2-mile run in Louisville to Churchill Downs and back to the finish line at Fourth Street Live.

Runners made record times during the triathlon but those won't count as world records because the swimming portion was shortened. The swim didn't start until 8 a.m. because of currents in the Ohio River, and the swim was shorted from 2.4 miles to .9 miles.

Even with the shorter swim, competitors can still qualify for next year's wold championship in Hawaii.

Race officials say the swim normally takes about 50 minutes to complete, but most finished in 12 minutes this year.

The first male athlete to cross the finish line was Chris Leiferman from Longmont, Colorado, with a time of 7:34:08. In second place, Sam Long of Boulder, Colorado. Greg Close from Brooklyn, New York, finished third.

"The conditions, gosh, they were so cold on the bike," Leiferman said. "You couldn't warm up. You were going so fast so the windchill is just killing you."

The first female athlete to cross the finish line was Jennifer Spieldenner of Findlay, Ohio, with a time of 8:43:22. Spieldenner was competing in her very first Ironman triathlon. Michaela Herlbauer of Hallein, Austrian, finished second. Lisa Robert from Tuscon, Arizona, finished third.

"It was hard, very tough conditions, yeah, it took a lot," Spieldenner said. "My legs ached. The girls were pushing me the whole way to finish, so it was good."

The triathlon shut down several roads in downtown Louisville, Oldham County and Henry County.

Road closures last until 1:30 a.m. Monday when the final racers cross the finish line.

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