In a repeat of last year’s race, Newton Running pro athlete Craig Alexander ran down his rivals in the marathon to claim a repeat victory at the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on Saturday. Alexander overcame Chris Lieto’s 12-minute lead off the bike and won the race in an overall time of 8:20:21.

“Craig continues to prove he is unstoppable on the run, using his impressive form and fitness to chase down everyone in front of him,” stated Newton Running president, Stephen Gartside. “We’re incredibly proud to be a part of his achievement in Kona.”

“I held my form and pace pretty well on the run until the last three miles when I began to feel pretty depleted. It was a hot day and running out of salt tablets late in the run didn’t help,” noted Alexander.

Alexander dominated an impressive men’s field consisting of Ironman World Champions such as Chris McCormack, Normann Stadler and Faris Al-Sultan. In the race, Alexander stayed with the lead group coming out of the water and stayed with the top men on the 112-mile bike leg. When he laced up his Newton Distance-S shoes for the marathon leg, Alexander was 12-minutes behind the leader, Chris Lieto. Alexander then showcased his running prowess, running a 2:48:05 marathon despite intense heat on the course.

Alexander, 36, has been a professional triathlete for more than ten years and he spends half the year in his native Australia and the other half in Boulder, Colorado.

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