Räppo Erases a 2:20 Gap to Defend His Tallinn Title
A year ago Henry Räppo won in Tallinn in a finish decided by seconds. On Sunday 23 August he defended his title far more comfortably, with a lead of over a minute. “Comfortably” is the wrong word, though, for a race in which he came out of T2 two and a half minutes down.
Butters Dominated the First Two Legs
German Hannes Butters swam fastest and came out of the water more than a minute ahead of the group holding Räppo, Marco Lorenzon, Enzo Bourdon and Casimir Moine.
The Estonian is known for a strong bike leg, so he tried to prove it from the first kilometres. It didn’t work. Butters held pace well enough that he had over 2:20 in hand over Räppo by T2. Louis Woodgate came off the bike third, 2:45 down.
At that point the race looked decided. At 70.3 distance, a two-and-a-half-minute lead out of the second transition is usually a verdict.
The Run: A Minute Back in Four Kilometres
Räppo didn’t calculate, though. In the first four kilometres he clawed back more than a minute. By the eighth he was already alongside Butters.
They ran together only briefly. Räppo pulled away immediately and took the win in 3:38:31. Butters finished second in 3:39:38, 1:07 behind. Frenchman Enzo Bourdon came in third in 3:41:12.
For the Estonian, it’s his second strong result of the season on northern European courses: in July he won Challenge Turku.
Bernardi in Control, Kapten Three Seconds From the Podium
In the women’s race, Italy’s Marta Bernardi won in 4:12:04. Behind her, France’s Sandra Huon finished in 4:13:05, a minute back.
The real drama was for third place, though. Local athlete Liis Kapten closed out the podium in 4:13:08, losing to Huon by three seconds. The Estonian crowd got two storylines from one race: their winner, and their own athlete fighting to the line for second.
Bernardi has raced evenly all year, and in Tallinn she never gave up the lead once she was off the bike.
Results
| Place | Men | Time | Women | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Räppo (EST) | 3:38:31 | Marta Bernardi (ITA) | 4:12:04 |
| 2 | Hannes Butters (GER) | 3:39:38 | Sandra Huon (FRA) | 4:13:05 |
| 3 | Enzo Bourdon (FRA) | 3:41:12 | Liis Kapten (EST) | 4:13:08 |
What This Means for an Age-Grouper
Tallinn is one of the closer 70.3 starts for anyone travelling from northern or central Europe. It sits on the Gulf of Finland, reachable by plane or ferry, so it’s worth a spot on the list for anyone looking for a half-distance race away from the crowded courses in Germany and Austria.
There’s also a purely tactical lesson here, independent of ability level. Butters won the swim, won the bike, and still lost the race. Räppo rode in a way that let him get off the bike with legs that could run. That’s not exactly a discovery at 70.3 distance, but it’s rarely visible on this scale: 2:20 of deficit closed in under eight kilometres.
Anyone who has ever blown up on the bike and then walked a half marathon home knows exactly what that means.