teamTBB's American pocket rocket Mary Beth crossed the finish line at the 2011 Ironman Canada triathlon to take her 3rd consecutive Ironman win in as many months. In doing so Ellis shatters the 21-year old course record with a winning time 9 hours 3 minutes and 13 seconds. She breaks Erin Baker's course record of 9:05:28 from 1990 in her first visit to Penticton, B.C., Canada.
Coached by Brett Sutton, she has the fastest Ironman debut of all time with her 1st win at Ironman Austria in Klagenfurt where she finished with a winning time of 8:43:34. On her second race a month later she hung tough despite being impeded on the bike and reeled off a 3:06 marathon to take her second win. Three weeks later in the scorching sun and stiff winds in Penticton she wins here third Ironman race with the 2011 Ironman Canada title.
In the old days Ellis would have had a guaranteed Kona slot after her first and sub-9 hour win in Austria, but not now. In 2010 the WTC implemented the new KPR Rankings for the 2011 Ironman World Championship race. Ellis who stated "I am no longer an Ironman virgin" after her Ironman Austria race would have to pretty much start from scratch in the KPR rankings if she wanted to make it to the big show in Kona in her first year. An un-imaginable task for most triathletes at this distance.
Ellis, behind Sutton's direction entered two more Ironman races in a span of eight weeks and got the wins at both of those races, including this weekend's Ironman title. In doing so, she goes three-for-three; three starts, three wins and becomes one of the prominent professional women to be reckoned with at any Ironman race. With the Ironman Canada victory she does something quite amazing in a span of two months, she qualifies for the 2011 Ironman World Championship the hard way!
Sutton's last Ironman newbie phenom to do something quite amazing was Chrissie Wellington, who after her first Ironman race and victory in Korea, went to Kona and became the Ironman World Championship in her first season and try. Does he have another secret weapon for this year's race in Kona? We'll have to wait until October to see that... It could be a great battle between Chrissie, Mirinda and Mary Beth.
Stay up-to-date with Mary Beth Ellis racing via her teamTBB blog at: blogs.teamtbb.com/marybethellis or her website at: www.marybethellisracing.com. You can learn more about teamTBB at: www.teamtbb.com
