2024 Ironman Texas Sub 3-Hour Marathons Notes

So, of course, it was correctly noted that this year's IRONMAN Texas winner Tomas Rodriguez Hernandez (MEX) ran a course best run of 2:34:14, beating Matt Hanson’s time (2:34:39) in 2018 by 25 seconds.

However, the most ever sub-3 hour marathons - 26 - were posted on Saturday in the event's 13-year history.  The year-by-year totals are as follows:

2011 - 6

2012 - 5 (1 was female)

2013 - 2

2014 - 7 (1 was female)

2015 - 4

2016 - 13 (2 were female)

2017 - 21 (2 were female)

2018 - 23 (1 was female)

2019 - 16 (2 were female)

2021 - None

2022 - 11

2023 - 15 (2 were female)

2024 - 26 

Twenty-four of those 26 were recorded in the first 29 men's finishers, while the final two were posted by age groupers.

The 63rd fastest male overall - Diego Blanton of Philadelphia, PA (30-34) - ran 2:56:34 as part of a 9:11:07 overall finish, while the other belonged to Martin Gallardo of San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina (25-29), who ran 2:48:38 - the 76th fastest male on his way to an overall time of 9:18:55.

They were both eighth overall in their respective age divisions.

Women's champion Kat Matthews missed by 15 seconds (3:00:15) of being just the 12th sub-3 hour marathon by a female at IMTX.

Last year, Matthews broke an 11-year-old run course mark by Caitlin Snow with a showing of 2:49:32. 

 

Snow had run 2:51:47 while finishing second overall to Mary Beth Ellis.  She ran 20 minutes faster on the run than Ellis, but couldn't make up an almost 27-minute deficit coming out of T2.

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2024 Ironman Texas Age Group Best - News and Notes

There were just 25 new entries - 19 male and six female - in the top 10 lists of best times for each age group in the 13-year history of Ironman Texas.

Keller's Aubrie Yarbrough almost became the first 18-24 female to crack 10 hours as she was just three seconds away from doing so.  Last year, she won the age group in 10:31:58 at IMTX and finished third last October at Kona.

Local athlete Jana Richtrova's top female age group time on Saturday of 9:33:52 put her second all-time in the 40-44 division.  Her four top age group times are as follows:

W35-39

9:34:28 - Jana Richtrova, Watertown, MA, 2018 (1st)

9:37:48 - Jana Richtrova, Spring, TX, 2019 (2nd)

W40-44

9:29:04 - Sharon Schmidt-Mongrain, Lafayette Hill, PA, 2018 (1st)

9:33:52 - Jana Richtrova, Spring, TX, 2024 (2nd)

9:47:46 - Jana Richtrova, Spring, TX, 2023 (8th)

She's just one spot from holding the best time in two different age groups for women.  The only female to do that is another local athlete, Peggy Yetman.

In addition to top times from 2018 and 2023, respectively, in the 50-54 and 55-59 divisions with marks of 9:44:58 and 10:44:01, Yetman also has the tenth best time in the 45-49 division - for now - in 10:18:55 from 2017.  

No one in this year's 45-49 women's division came close of cracking the top ten with The Woodlands' Ana Andrade winning the age group - by less than two minues - in a time of 10:55:14.

Farmington, New Mexico's Cathy Tibbetts also became the only other female besides Yetman to have a time in the top 10 of three different age divisions as she won the female 70-74 age group on Saturday in a time of 14:39:55.

Tibbetts has the fifth best time of 60-64 women in 12:11:29, back in 2014, and the seventh best time ever in the 65-69 age group with a mark of 13:55:06 two years ago.

Her time Saturday was the second best ever in the 70-74 age group and it was only the fifth time in Ironman Texas history that a woman in that division finished the race.

Two new age group marks were set in the men's field on Saturday.

Doornenberg, The Netherlands' Mitch Wismans won the 18-24 age group with a time of 8:56:08, that eclipsed by 20 seconds the former mark held by Wheaton, Illinois' Parker Kerth from last year.  It was one of four new marks in the 18-24 division this year.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, North Carolina's Barry Edwards became the first male ever to go sub-10 in the 60-64 age group with a showing of 9:57:14, dislodging Texas' Steven Mudgett from the top spot and his 2017 time of 10:03:23.

Closer to home, The Woodlands dentist Michael S. Dwyer - with his 14:52:57 finish - is now only the fourth man in the 75-79 or 80-84 age groups to finish Ironman Texas.

All times in the 25-29 division through to and including the 45-49 age group requires a sub 9-hour time to make an entry into the top 10 lists.

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