Alexandre Touzard and Melissa Pritchard champions of the Extreme Man Salou 226 by Artroactive

The Frenchman Alexandre Touzard has been proclaimed winner of the Extreme Man Salou by Artroactive long distance triathlon with a time of 9h28'24 ”. 

In second place, Josu Uriarte (third finalist in the Extreme Man Getxo 2012) entered 18 minutes later (9h46'18 ”) and finally, Gwenael Le Boulch completed the podium with a time of 10h03'32”. In the women's category, Melissa Pritchard was the first to cross the finish line at 12:07:04. Followed by Laurence Pelay, with a time of 12:46:23 ”and Sophie Merlin, who finished third at 13:22:07”.

 

 In the relay category, the Bicipark Reus team won with a time of 9:23:23 ”. Runnerworld Tarragona and Runners World Tarragona completed the podium in second (10h03'44 ”) and third (10h26'10”) respectively.

Olivier Marceau, despite being the first in the transition from bike to running, had to drop out for breaking the rules. In the cycling section he had a flat tire, and the only solution was to change it by receiving outside help, for which he was disqualified. Olivier has acknowledged that he came to Salou to revalidate the title in Salou since he loves Extreme Man events and its organization, but that sport is like that and he already knew that receiving external help meant being disqualified.

The triathlon has filled Salou with more than 400 triathletes, among which elite and popular athletes have participated. All of them were encouraged by the fans who, taking advantage of the high temperatures from mid-morning, approached the circuit creating a unique atmosphere in the coastal town of Tarragona.

The Passeig de Jaume I, has been the nerve center of the Extreme Man Salou by Artroactive. The race with distance 226 (3800m swimming, 180 km by bike and 42,2 km of running on foot) started from Llevant beach where the swimming segment took place. The cycling route, where the participants had to go around the circuit only 1 lap, passed through Riudoms, the Mussana pass, Falset, La Figuera with the Gratallops slope, the Collroig pass and Mont-Roig. Finally, the triathletes had to do four laps of the circuit on foot that ran along the promenade.

The swimming was faster than expected, with Xavi Llobet with a time of 39'22 ”who came out of the water first. At his feet, and just 1 minute, he was followed by Olivier Marceau and Jean-Philippe Klein in third position, finishing this stage in 41'19 ”.

 Regarding the girls, Laurence Pelay is the one who finished swimming in first place with a time of 52'29 ”, followed by Melissa (56'58”) and Sophie (1h21'10 ”).

 The cycling route has been a little slower than expected due to the strong storm that fell early in the morning. The single-lap circuit had a positive elevation gain of 2600m, passing through urban sections with a large public, secondary roads through the Baix Camp and Priorat region with spectacular landscapes, flat parts where you can reach high speeds and mountain passes that will serve to give variety to the circuit.

 Frenchman Alexandre Touzard made a spectacular comeback, going from position 159 in the swimming section to first place at the end of the bike (5h35'13 ”). The same happened to Josu Uriarte, who came out of the water behind the first 100 and finished the 180 km of bike in second position (5h35'22 ”). Third in this sector, Frenchman Fréderic Loree also rallied from 20th in swimming. (5h42'20 ").

 In the female category, the same positions as in the first transition were maintained: Laurence with a time of 7:06:02, followed by Melissa (7:09:39 ”) and Sophie (7:24:50”).

  Once Olivier was disqualified, Alexandre ran calmer and more confident of his chances of snatching the title from him, which he finally got.

“Swimming has been very hard for me, but fortunately I have been able to come back a lot on the bike section, which although it was very hard there was a lot of atmosphere. And the last km of the race on foot have cost me a lot but it was incredible to hear how people shouted my name. The atmosphere is unique in Salou and the organization is impeccable. That has given me a lot of strength ”, said Rouzard.

 He and Jose Uriarte held their positions until reaching the finish line with a difference of less than 2 minutes. But the podium was completed with Gwenael Le Boulch, who finished in 10h03'32 ”, beating Fréderic Loiree in the foot race, and relegating him to fourth place.

 The Catalan Xavi Llobet, who was the first time doing a long distance triathlon, was finisher with a time of 11:07:17 ”. “It has been more Extreme than ever: we have had rain, wind, humidity, heat… But finally, after 22 years I can say that I have obtained my triathlete's license. I have gone from doing the best time in swimming and where I felt very comfortable, I have suffered a lot in the running race. People have supported me a lot and I only heard my colleagues congratulating the organization for the established route ”, Xavi assured as soon as he crossed the finish line.

 Regarding the women, after a tough stretch of running that was key to winning the event, Melissa overtook Laurence who was relegated to 4th position in this sector, and was proclaimed champion of the Extreme Man. Maria Fernanda despite doing the best second half in the race was classified in 3rd place overall. Leaving the podium for Laurence who got second place, and Sohpie Merlin third.

 Extreme Man by Artroactive with the health of athletes

Since 5:00 in the morning that the participants have been weighed before the start of the test, more than 11 hours of competition have elapsed and so far, with 74 heavy participants, the number of kilos lost estimated is 3,47kg per person. Artroactive, sponsor of the Extreme Man de Salou, has promoted this action to reflect the impact that these competitions have on the athlete's body.

 Although it is true, athletes have well internalized the need to rehydrate quickly after a powerful physical effort, but this is not the case of other aspects of their health, which are directly affected by sport. Such is the case with the joints. A regular athlete in long-distance competitions like this one suffers from tendinopathies derived from the intensity of sports practice and the impact to which the cartilage is subjected, since accelerated wear and tear occurs.

 "Non-professional athletes, who are a vast majority, this is a very important factor to take into account, hence we persistently disseminate joint protection messages, because we know that the worst that can happen to a lover of these competitions , is to be forced to stop ”, explains Pere Munar, Specialist in the Bioiberica Sport Nutrition Health Area.

For more information on the test visit http://www.extreme-man.com/emsalou/