Yvonne van Vlerken (born 5 November 1978) is a Dutch triathlete and duathlete, twice winner of Quelle Challenge Roth, who in 2008 set a world record for Ironman-distance triathlon races.^[3] She is one of a small group of female triathletes to have recorded three or more sub-9 hour times over the Ironman distance.^[4]

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Yvonne van Vlerken

Yvonne van Vlerken winning silver at the 2008 Ironman world championship
Personal information
Nickname	The flying Dutchwoman
Born	(1978-11-05) 5 November 1978 (age 45) Krimpen aan de Lek, Netherlands
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight	57 kg (126 lb)[1]
Sport
Country	Netherlands
Club	Tri Team Lustenau
Team	Endurance Team Austria[1]
Turned pro	2007
Coached by	Frank Senders Stapsport [2] Mark Allen[1]
Medal record Women's triathlon Ironman World Championships 2008 Kailua-Kona Individual Women's duathlon ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Championships 2006 Individual 2007 Individual 2008 Individual Powerman Duathlon European Championships 2006 Individual 2009 Individual 2005 Individual 2008 Individual 2007 Individual

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Yvonne van Vlerken was born in the small town of Krimpen aan de Lek near Gouda on 5 November 1978. Her father was an "excellent" football player, and she also became a footballer, playing for the South Holland team. After attending high school she graduated from a fitness-specific school with a degree in fitness coaching, professional aerobic instruction and sports massage therapy.^{[citation needed]} Van Vlerken worked in her home town for over 13 years. Her clients included school children for dance education and older people for fitness coaching.^[5]

On 13 July 2008, van Vlerken set a then new world record of 8:45:48 for Ironman-distance races at the Quelle Challenge Roth, more than five minutes faster than Paula Newby-Fraser's world record time of 8:50:53, which had stood for 14 years. The race took place in wet and cold conditions with non-stop rain and wind.^{[citation needed]} Yvonne van Vlerken broke the old record with the then second-fastest female Ironman-distance marathon time of 2:54:22. Her record stood for a year, until it was again broken in Roth by Chrissie Wellington, who lowered it by 13 minutes and 49 seconds, in dry and perfect conditions.^[6][7]

Yvonne van Vlerken's other accomplishments include:

• Recorded a sub-9 hour finish (8:51:55) at her Ironman-distance debut in Roth 2007.^[4]
• The only female athlete in history^{[citation needed]} who has held the world record for both the half-Ironman distance (4:07:29 at 2006 Ironman 70.3 Antwerp) and the full Ironman distance (8:45:48 at 2008 Challenge Roth)^[8]