Yvonne van Vlerken

Yvonne van Vlerken (born 5 November 1978) is a Dutch triathlete and duathlete, twice winner of Quelle Challenge Roth, who in 2008 set a world record for Ironman-distance triathlon races.[3] She is one of a small group of female triathletes to have recorded three or more sub-9 hour times over the Ironman distance.[4]

In this Dutch name, the surname is van Vlerken, not Vlerken.
Yvonne van Vlerken
Yvonne van Vlerken winning silver at the 2008 Ironman world championship
Personal information
Nickname(s)The flying Dutchwoman
Born (1978-11-05) 5 November 1978
Krimpen aan de Lek, Netherlands
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight57 kg (126 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryNetherlands
ClubTri Team Lustenau
TeamEndurance Team Austria[1]
Turned pro2007
Coached byFrank Senders Stapsport [2]
Mark Allen[1]
Medal record
Women's triathlon
Ironman World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2008 Kailua-Kona Individual
Women's duathlon
ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Individual
Powerman Duathlon European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Individual
Gold medal – first place 2009 Individual
Silver medal – second place 2005 Individual
Silver medal – second place 2008 Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Individual

Early life

Yvonne van Vlerken was born in the small town of Krimpen aan de Lek near Gouda on 5 November 1978. Her father was an "excellent" football player, and she also became a footballer, playing for the South Holland team. After attending high school she graduated from a fitness-specific school with a degree in fitness coaching, professional aerobic instruction and sports massage therapy. Van Vlerken worked in her home town for over 13 years. Her clients included school children for dance education and older people for fitness coaching.[5]

Athletic career

On 13 July 2008, van Vlerken set a then new world record of 8:45:48 for Ironman-distance races at the Quelle Challenge Roth, more than five minutes faster than Paula Newby-Fraser's world record time of 8:50:53, which had stood for 14 years. The race took place in wet and cold conditions with non-stop rain and wind. Yvonne van Vlerken broke the old record with the then second-fastest female Ironman-distance marathon time of 2:54:22. Her record stood for a year, until it was again broken in Roth by Chrissie Wellington, who lowered it by 13 minutes and 49 seconds, in dry and perfect conditions.[6][7]

Yvonne van Vlerken's other accomplishments include:

  • Recorded a sub-9 hour finish (8:51:55) at her Ironman-distance debut in Roth 2007.[4]
  • The only female athlete in history who has held the world record for both the half-Ironman distance (4:07:29 at 2006 Ironman 70.3 Antwerp) and the full Ironman distance (8:45:48 at 2008 Challenge Roth)[8]

Notes
  1. "Yvonne van Vlerken – profile". n.d. Archived from the original on 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
  2. "Frank Senders Trainer / Coach". n.d. Archived from the original on 2010-09-26. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
  3. "Niederländerin wiederholt Vorjahressieg". BR Online. 2008-07-13. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  4. Levison, John (2009-10-13). "Sub 9-iron ladies – a history". Tri247.com. Archived from the original on 2010-07-29. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  5. Krabel, Herbert (2008-08-03). "Yvonne van Vlerken checks in". slowtwitch.com. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  6. "New world record in Roth". Challenge Wanaka. 2008-07-14. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  7. Carlson, Timothy (12 July 2009). "Wellington smashes WR at Roth". slowtwitch.com. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  8. "Fast Racing In Antwerp". Ironman.com. 2006-07-04. Archived from the original on 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
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