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Heat-loving New Caledonian Patrick Vernay wasn't sure he’d be able to go well in the rain at the seventh Quelle Challenge Roth on Sunday, but when he got to the run he did what he does best - fly. His 2:47 marathon carried him to the finish first in 8:09:34, three minutes clear of Aussie Pete Jacobs in second and Denmark's Torbjørn Sindballe in third.

"It's amazing. In the morning I didn't want to start because I hate the rain," said Vernay, a two-time Ironman Australia champion who's fast earning a reputation in triathlon for his quick closing run. "I only knew I would win when I was 2km from the finish line."

Rounding out the top five were Australia's Chris McDonald and France's Francois Chabaud, whose 2:48 marathon, second only to Vernay's, hauled him up from more than 20 minutes down off of the bike.

Defying the rainy skies, Roth's triathlon-mad fans turned out by the thousands with umbrellas accompanying their traditional banners and noisemakers.

The swim saw a breakaway in the Main-Donau Kanal early as super swimmers Jacobs and Kieran Doe of New Zealand opened up a gap of more than 100m on McCormack and Sindballe. Another 50m behind them a group of 20-plus athletes had gathered, including Vernay, 2000 Olympic silver medalist Stephan Vuckovic and Chabaud.

But once out of the water it wasn't long until Sindballe - riding in conditions that suited him down to the ground-surged to the front on the bike, passing McCormack at about 20km and picking up Doe and Jacobs another 5-10km later. He was the first up the famed Solarer Berg climb at 70km with nearly 1:30 on McCormack and German super-biker Thomas Hellriegel, whose fourth place finish here last year earned him the German long-distance title.

"I like the rain, so that was a plus. I'm positive about it and that's what makes the difference," Sindballe said. "Going up the Solarer Berg was absolutely amazing. It's awesome - it's one of a kind in triathlon."

McCormack, who'd scored a dramatic win at Ironman Germany just one week ago, dropped out about 75km into the bike after staying with the leaders through the first summit of the Solarer Berg - a climb he'd earlier in the week called the best in triathlon. The four-time Roth winner said he was feeling the effects of a virus that struck him this week and opted to call it a day to preserve his health. Also failing to finish was early swim and bike leader Doe.

Meantime, Sindballe was getting into a rhythm and consolidated his lead throughout the rest of the ride, building it to more than 7:30 over Hellriegel by the time the men reached T2.

"It took me 10km to get into the running, then it started getting better," Sindballe said of his marathon. Jacobs and Vernay came past at about 28km and that was when the tall Dane started to feel the effects of a recent return to full run training. "I'm at 80 per cent on running and I can't expect more in a big race like this. It should be won by a guy who puts on a 100 per cent performance and they did a really good job today."

Jacobs moved into the lead briefly but he too found himself fading as Vernay's tempo grew stronger behind him.

"I'm very happy to have improved on last year. There weren't many places to go above third - it's not first but I had a go at it," Jacobs said. "I tried to run fast when I felt good but in the end I didn't have the strength in my muscles and I just started to feel weak with 10km to go. I just had to struggle home and watch Patrick pass me and run away."

Vernay, for his part, found himself enjoying the day despite the weather.

"It was marvelous," Vernay said of his Roth experience. "I've never done a race with so many people on the road. Even with the rain, the people were there."