Emotions run high as Beke runs away with victory
September 4, 2005 - Belgian Rutger Beke won the inaugural Half Ironman Monaco this past weekend and in doing so put 10-months of frustration, anger and sadness behind him. Half Ironman Monaco was Beke’s first race back after spending the better part of 2005 fighting a false positive EPO test from the Knokke Triathlon in Belgium in September of last year.
“This is a very special win for me. To have my wife Sofie, my family and my friends all here to support me in my first race back was incredible”, commented Beke. “This past year has been a nightmare for me. Anyone that knows me knows that I was innocent of any charges related to the false EPO test. Hopefully, all of the scientific evidence that we uncovered will help everyone understand what happened in my situation and will hopefully lead to some policy changes with WADA”, said Beke.
The time off from racing did nothing to deter Beke’s training schedule. “I knew if we were patient this black cloud would eventually be lifted and I would be back to racing in the sport that I absolutely love, said Beke. “I used my anger and frustration to motivate me to train harder and focus on my eventual return to racing. I had many days where I had hit rock bottom emotionally, but through it all, I continued to follow the advice of my coach and my support team and just focus on those things that I could control – my training”, commented Beke.
Beke used an improving swim to stay in touch with the lead group out of the water which included Ironman France Champion Herve Faure, Xavier Lafloch and Rene Rovera. Once out of T1 and on to the bike, Beke, known for his ability to climb, began to gain time on the lead pack of French triathletes. “The course was incredibly steep and technical”, commented Beke. “I was pushing as hard as I could up the steep grades but I was conservative on the technical downhill switchbacks – especially after I came around a turn and saw Timo Bracht on the ground – he had rolled his tubular off his wheel and had crashed”, commented Beke.
As Beke entered T2 he found himself within striking distance of the lead pack which included Faure and La Floch. Beke was only a minute down as he began the run and systematically began to reel in each athlete in front of him until he pulled into the lead around the 5K mark. Faure managed to stay with Beke for a few kilometers but eventually Beke began to build the gap and ended with an incredible half marathon run split of 1:12:21. “My legs were incredibly fresh as I headed out on the run”, said Beke. I have been really pushing myself during my training and focusing specifically on improving my run speed. I’m so happy with my progress – this course and the hot, humid conditions were a perfect testing ground for my Kona preparation”, said Beke.
Beke crossed the line in a total time of 4:31:46 and in doing so, erased so many painful memories of his ordeal over the last 10 months. Prince Albert of Monaco was on hand to greet Beke as was Beke’s family and friends. “Meeting Prince Albert was a true honor. I could tell that he was genuinely interested in our sport and that meant a lot to me”, said Beke.
Next up for Beke is the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 15, 2005.