ironman hawaii

The pre-race press conference for the 2007 Ironman Hawaii seemed more crowded than in years past as Ballroom 1 of the race's host hotel in the King Kam in Kona teamed with journalists, photographers and the occasional oft-non-credentialed member, most ostensibly represented by Desiree Ficker's dad in the front row. Still, fronted by a fresh, handsome-looking Normann Stadler, media hype for the 2007 conference was higher than normal, most likely due to several notable conditions. First, as mediator and former Hawaii champion Greg Welch decreed himself, the field gathered for this year's Ironman world championship is more competitive than ever, with, in the men's race, all those present on the panel including Tim DeBoom, Luc van Lierde, Thomas Hellriegel, Torjbjorn Sindballe, Chris Lieto, Luke Bell, Marino van Hoenacker and new-to-Kona Craig Alexander.


Second, many athletes and members of the press were anxious to witness the first real reconnoiter between Chris McCormack and Normann Stadler since the heated, much-publicized fighting words between the runner-up and Hawaii champion last year following the race. But what many hoped to see in an awkward three-way exchange between McCormack, Stadler and secondary-McCormack-rival Faris Al-Sultan was not delivered, as McCormack, better known as Macca, was noticeably absent, an omission commented on by both Stadler and Al-Sultan and even good ole Welchy himself. In this modest observer's eyes, Macca's absence touched off more than a bit of animosity toward the fiery Aussie, whose comments over the last year on his fellow competitors, including Al-Sultan, Stadler and Alexander, have created controversy and debate in the media.

Still, with Eneko Llanos, Rutger Beke, Al-Sultan and Stadler sitting pretty on the men's panel at the press conference, plenty of telling comments were made on the fate of the 2007 race.


"I was a little exhausted when I went into the race [last year], and I wasn't able to get rid of the other guys on the bike." -Al-Sultan


"Like every year, I'm nervous. But now that I've won twice, it will be easier." -Stadler


"I think [the Macca-Stadler rivalry] is good for the sport, that people are out there cheering for a favorite. I have my own favorite out of one of the three [of Al-Sultan, Stadler, Macca] on who's going to win, but I'm keeping that to myself." -Beke


"Of course you have to use [a speedsuit]. But my preference would be just to race in a Speedo." -Al-Sultan, after which the room erupted in laughter.


"It's faster to swim with one then without [a speedsuit], but it's not four minutes." -Stadler, in regards to his faster-than-usual, lead-pack swim at the 2006 Ironman Hawaii, for which he wore a speedsuit and finished four minutes ahead of the trailing men's pack.


"I think I may be the slowest swimmer of all [the competitive men], but I think it's bad for the sport to allow [speedsuits]. But you're forced to [wear one] because everyone else is doing it." -Beke


"Of course, if you can stay with Normann [on the bike], try it. But if you can't, what are you going to do? I have to make up for that in the other disciplines." -Al-Sultan


"I rode the [Kuota] for four weeks. I'm OK with the bike. But it's only a bike-I'm the engine." -Stadler, on the question of how comfortable his is on his new Kuota bike, a result of the German's newly acquired, big-money sponsorship package.


"On Saturday, the gun goes off and you go as fast as you can. I don't think [about strategy] in a race. I never think, 'Oh, maybe if he has seven minutes, I can catch him.' Ironman is not a tactical race. I think I could do the same time alone without anyone else on the course. I think everyone here could, too." -Beke

Michellie Jones

on whether her four months enforced rest from running due to an injury was a blessing in disguise?

"A blessing to get injured? It's one of those things. You have to get over it. I hope it will be a blessing come Saturday. But I think it helped me in some ways. I'll be a bit rested. My training has been equal to or better than last year. Yeah it's been frustrating to get injured. I could not start my season until June. So I tried to race my way into fitness. So my run kept coming down and down. That was the positive that came out of it. But you have to take the good with the bad."

On what she thought about negative publicity arising from drug positives in track and field and cycling?

"I don't think other athletes in other sports getting caught is a negative. If they get caught, it means that the drug protocols are working. The more people get caught, it just means the drug tests are working. I think all athletes should want to get tested more and more. "

Samantha McGlone

On her adaptation to the Ironman distance

"My first training days seemed really really long. It's a totally different world. When I started, I'd fill my pockets with food and gels- but ran out of water. But I learned my lesson. I finally finished up an 8 hour day, showered, got in the car and went home to dinner and felt good the next day. This is a longer event, but I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Joanna Lawn

On what breaking 9 hours at the Ironman distance event at Quelle Challenge Roth meant to her confidence.

"Yeah. Going under nine hours was a huge boost coming into this Ironman. Before that race, I thought it would be hard, but I can do it. I had to go hard. But that is what Ironman's all about. And I'll take that feeling with me to the Big Island.

Desiree Ficker

On the new, increased 10 meter draft rule

"Being a stronger biker, I like it. It will keep everyone more strung out. Drafting is not what this form of racing is all about."

Lisa Bentley

On how she can recovers so fast from Ironman Canada.

"I think that was my 31st Ironman. It's just what I do. It's challenging. One year I did Ironman New Zealand and at the finish I could hardly put my foot on the floor. But the next day I could. I thought 'Oh, that's good. Now that is just the way it is for me. No, I think this year was my best approach to Ironman Canada. I took it like a long training day. Of course I was glad to win. But I think I saved some energy for Ironman Hawaii."
The Lighter Side of Hawaii Ironman
This report filed - October 13, 2007
Paul Regensburg, LifeSport Coaching

As the big day is now only hours away, I reflect upon the wonderful position I have had of helping the athletes prepare to conquer the grand-daddy of all multi-sport goals; the Hawaii Ironman. As a coach, I feel like I'm along side my athletes for the journey as they go through the highs and lows of achieving this amazing feat. The week leading up the event has been action packed full of clinics, events, media, appearances, e-mails, phone calls, and athlete meetings. Despite being very busy and feeling like I am also lining up for the race on Saturday, the fact that I am not in the race gives me the ability to really see the some of the lighter happenings that are going on around this great event. Yesterday was one of those days...


7:30am Floating Ocean Espresso Bar:

Along with one of my fellow LifeSport coaches, Alister Russell, I started the day by coaching a swim clinic at the Kona pier. The pier was a buzz of activity with hundreds of athletes preparing for the race as we gave some last minute tips on how to navigate the Ironman swim course. We then went through methods of warm-up specific to this course and the group was given 10 minutes to get in the water and rehearse their race day warm-up routine. We joined the athletes in the water on our kayaks, one of the greatest ways to coach on the open water, where we practiced treading water, race starts, and drafting. Earlier in the day a number of athletes had told us about a floating ocean espresso bar on
the race course. Could this be true - coffee served out on the swim course? A coach's dream come true! So after our clinic was complete we paddle 700 yards out on to the race course to find CoffeesOfHawaii.com serving Gatorade, water, iced and hot coffee from an anchored catamaran turned coffee bar. It was quite a sight to see dozens of Ironman athletes swimming up to a catamaran, treading water and sipping a cup of joe out in the Pacific Ocean. We anchored our kayaks to the vessel as if we were docking to the space station and joined the party. Maybe next year there can be an afternoon session by Kona brewing?

8:15 am Underwear Run:

On our way back to shore, while sipping our espresso's we looked over only to see 400 near naked bodies running down Ali'i drive in their underwear. There were athletes of all different shapes, sizes and ages, with unique costumes and wigs running down the main street in their underwear. Needless to say it was a true gong show. In case you didn't know this has become a popular tradition now at the Ironman and each year tends to get bigger with more risqué attire. So, its only 8:15am and we have now experience a floating coffee bar and an underwear run. Who says Ironman Hawaii is all business and no fun?


9 am T3 Time-Out:

After packing up the kayaks we headed over to the Ironman Expo to prep for a clinic at our Lifesport tent. Once I reached the LifeSport booth I look to my right only to see Michellie Jones and Karen Smyers promoting T3 Recovery mattresses in the booth next door. How often do you get to see two of the legends of Hawaii hanging out on
mattresses mingling with the other athletes? Both of these women have been World Champions in Olympic and Ironman Distance races and it is pretty amazing to see how classy and approachable these athletes truly are. I also understand why they are hanging out on the T3 mattresses - I have one at home and it is so comfortable that it makes you want to rest more (and recover!), the very concept that I encourage all my busy athletes to follow.

12 pm Bean Around the World:

I ventured down the road to the Hula Bean Coffee shop to grab a bite to eat. Although the Lava Java is possibly the more renowned coffee shop in the downtown area (and I love it) I really enjoy the Hula Bean for its coffee. As I was sitting outside I came across a man who had just came off one of the cruise ships. We chatted and he came to tell me that he had just bought upwards of 50 lbs of Hula Bean coffee to bring back to the mainland. He said that he has traveled the world and that this coffee was on his top 3 bean list of all time. My next sip tasted just a little richer.


2pm The Bachelor Himself:

I arrive back to the LifeSport booth at the expo and one of LifeSport coaches, a former national team triathlete that I used to coach, is excited to tell me a story. She has never been to an Ironman before, let alone the Hawaii Ironman, and she is a kid in a candy store. She goes on to tell me that the night before she had a nice chat with Andy Baldwin,
the naval Lieutenant and Ironman athlete from Honolulu who was the star from reality TV's the Bachelor. She said he was very charismatic and they had a long talk about the behind the scenes of filming a reality TV show and the fame that has come since. She admits to me that after the conversation she felt a little flustered and tingly. I am sorry to
report that there was no proposal.


3pm Natural Wonders:

One of the greatest parts of my day is talking with my athletes. I can never get enough of that. Today I met up with one of my age-group athletes from New York who told me about how he and his children witnessed a dolphin giving birth out at the Hilton Waikoloa. What an experience. I am sure that it is something that will stay with their family for a lifetime.


6pm The Amazing Race

I arrived at the King Kamehameha Hotel for the carbo load party. Along with the incredible dinner there were many video tributes including the amazing Sara Reinertsen. She is a young, enthusiastic woman with a lower limb prosthetic, who against many odds is now an Ironman athlete. I spoke with her about her busy year which included not only
triathlon racing but being on the Amazing Race TV show. Her chronicles about her adventure on the show with her partner were absolutely hilarious. Let's just say I have a feeling that I don't believe they will be going on any long rides in the near future. It is pretty fun when you hear stories like this and see how much our sport has spilled into the
mainstream of pop culture.

Well, I've shared with you quite a different view of the Ironman experience from this day and although the athletes here take the Hawaii Ironman very seriously, the unique character of this race has a lighter side too. And, when the athletes return to their hometowns around the world and relay their war stories from race day to friends and family, don't be surprised if they also include random accounts of underpants runs, celebrities, interacting with heroes, and floating coffee bars.


Paul Regensburg is an Olympic, Pan Am Games, and Ironman Coach and Team Manager. Paul
is also a Senior Coach at LifeSport, the Official Coaches of Ironman. Visit LifeSport.ca for more
information or coaching inquiries.

The Ironman World Triathlon Championship or Ironman Triathlon is an annual triathlon race, made famous by its grueling length, race conditions, and sports television coverage.

Held every Fall in the US city of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii the race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim in Kailua-Kona Bay, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride across the Hawaiian lava desert to Hawi and back), and ending with a 26 7/32 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island (from Keauhou to Keahole Point to Kailua-Kona); finishing on Ali'i Drive.

Qualifying events for the Hawaii Ironman take place annually around the world, in places such as Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, the Canary Islands (Spain), South Africa, and Europe.

The logo shown above is a trademark of the World Triathlon Corporation. The WTC has also registered the trademark "Ironman Triathlon"? for its athletic competitions, and the trademark "Ironman"? for a line of clothing, athletic equipment, and souvenirs. Organizations may also refer to their triathlons generically as a "Full Distance Triathlon" to designate a triathlon of a similar distance.

Contents
1 History
2 Today
2.1 Ironman 70.3
3 Qualifying events
3.1 American Ironmans
3.2 European Ironmans
3.3 Australian Ironmans
3.4 Other Ironmans
4 Legendary Ironman triathletes
5 Winners
5.1 Women
5.2 Men
6 References
7 External links



[edit] History

Start & Finish line of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship on Ali'i Drive in Kona Hawaii.The sport of Triathlon was born in Southern California, where multisport events involving swimming, cycling, running, and other things were run by athletic clubs celebrating summer exercise. Ironman Triathlon was the first major competition to extend the distance to an extreme endurance event. The first Ironman Triathlon was held in 1978 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was there until 1980. In 1981, the competition was moved to the less urbanized Big Island by Valerie Silk. The following year, Silk moved the race date from February to October. There were two Ironman Triathlon events in 1982 as a result of the change.

The idea for the original Ironman Triathlon arose during the awards ceremony for the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay (a running race for 5-person teams). Among the participants were numerous representatives of both the Mid-Pacific Road Runners and the Waikiki Swim Club, whose members had long been debating which athletes were more fit, runners or swimmers.

On this occasion, U.S. Navy Commander John Collins pointed out that a recent article in Sports Illustrated magazine had declared that Eddy Merckx, the great Belgian cyclist, had the highest recorded "oxygen uptake" of any athlete ever measured, so perhaps cyclists were more fit than anyone. Cdr. Collins and his wife, Judy, had taken part in the triathlons staged in 1974 and 1975 by the San Diego Track Club in and around Mission Bay, California, as well as the Optimist Sports Fiesta Triathlon in Coronado, California, in 1975. A number of the other military athletes in attendance were also familiar with the San Diego races, so they understood the concept when Cdr. Collins suggested that the debate should be settled through a race combining the three existing long-distance competitions already on the island: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 mi./3.85 km), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles; originally a two-day event) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 mi./42.195 km).

It is worth noting that no one present had ever done the bike race; Cdr. Collins calculated that, by shaving 3 miles off the course and riding counter-clockwise around the island, the bike leg could start at the finish of the Waikiki Rough Water and end at the Aloha Tower, the traditional start of the Honolulu Marathon. Prior to racing, each athlete received three sheets of paper listing a few rules and a course description. Handwritten on the last page was this exhortation: "Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life", now a registered trademark.

With a nod to a local runner who was notorious for his demanding workouts, Collins said, "Whoever finishes first, we'll call him the Iron Man." Each of the racers had their own support crew to supply libations, nutrition, and encouragement during their long journey. Of the fifteen men to start off the in early morning on February 18th, 1978, twelve completed the race. Gordon Haller was the first to earn the title Ironman by completing the course in a time of 11 hours, 46 minutes, and 40 seconds.

With no further marketing efforts, the race gathered as many as 50 athletes the following year. The race, however, was postponed a day because of bad weather conditions and only fifteen competitors started off the race Sunday morning. San Diego's Tom Warren, age 35, won in 11 hours, 15 minutes, and 56 seconds. Lyn Lemaire, a championship cyclist from Boston, placed sixth overall and became the first "Ironwoman".

Collins planned on changing the race into a relay event to draw more participants, but Sports Illustrated's journalist Barry McDermott, in the area to cover a golf tournament, discovered the race and wrote a ten page account of it. During the following year, hundreds of curious participants contacted Collins.

A milestone in the marketing of the legend and history of the race happened in February 1982. Julie Moss, a college student competing to gather research for her exercise physiology thesis, moved toward the finish line in first place. As she came nearer to the finish line, sever fatigue and dehydration set in. In the homestretch, she staggeredfell like a punch-drunk boxer. Just yards away from the finish line, she fell to the ground. Although Kathleen McCartney passed her for the women's title, Moss nevertheless crawled to the finish line. Her performance was broadcast worldwide and created the Ironman mantra that just finishing is a victory.

The sport of triathlon was added as an Olympic sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney as a shorter distance race (1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle, 10 km run).

The original Ironman is held in conditions which are not uniquely suited to endurance racing: the Hawaii water is sufficiently warm that the helpfully buoyant wetsuits used in cooler triathlons are not allowed; though the cycling consists of long hills with only moderate gradients, strong and gusting cross-winds are normally found on the course; and the marathon leg of the race is usually strikingly hot. Other races under the WTC aegis have their own difficulties, characteristic of their setting and season. Anyone completing one of these races within the time limit, so long as it is the prescribed distance, is entitled to call him/herself an Ironman (the term being apparently gender-neutral). At one time there was no cut-off time, then a 15 hour time limit - for these events the normal time limit is now 17 hours. Some iron distance races (not sanctioned by the WTC corporation, but using the same standard distances) have different cut-off times.


[edit] Today
The Ironman format remains unchanged, and the Hawaiian Ironman is still regarded as the most honored and prestigious triathlon event to win worldwide. Many consider this to be the most difficult sport in the history of the world[citation needed]. For the 25th anniversary on October 18, 2003, nearly 1500 athletes were enlisted, most of which had to go through qualification competitions (although some were admitted through the lottery).

Although thousands of athletes worldwide compete at an Ironman event each year, the vast majority aim simply to set a PR time or even to finish the course. Only very talented athletes realistically compete for a spot in Hawaii, and just finishing an Ironman race is often the highlight of many triathletes' career. People completing such an event are agreed to be recognized as "Ironmen": the plural "Ironmans" refers to multiples of "Ironman" as a short form of "Ironman Triathlon". In the triathlon community an Ironman is someone who has completed a race of the appropriate distance, whether or not it falls under the aegis of WTC.

The Ironman Triathlon is a grueling event that pushes its participants to the limits of endurance. Some, however, find the prescribed distances fall short of these limits. Hence, events such as the double iron triathlon have come about. More extreme formats have evolved; there are in fact triple, quadruple, quintuple, deca, and 15× events that are multiples of the original Ironman distance triathlon. The world records in the quintuple and deca iron races are held by a woman, Astrid Ben?hr.


[edit] Ironman 70.3
In 2005, WTC instituted the Ironman 70.3 race series. This shorter course, previously known as a half ironman, consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run. As with the Ironman series, it consists of a number of qualifying races at various locations worldwide, culminating in a world championship race with athletes drawn largely from top finishers in the qualifying events. The world championship is held in Clearwater, Florida. [1] Some 70.3 events also act as qualifiers for the full Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.


[edit] Qualifying events
By 2007 there were 21 Ironman Triathlon qualifying races throughout the world:


[edit] American Ironmans
Ironman Arizona in Tempe, Arizona; added in 2005
Ironman Coeur d'Alene in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA; added in 2003
Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach, Florida; added in 1999
Ironman Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky; added in 2007
Ironman USA in Lake Placid, New York; added in 1999
Ironman Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin; added in 2002

[edit] European Ironmans
Ironman France in Nice, France
Ironman Germany in Frankfurt, Germany
Ironman Switzerland, in Zürich, Switzerland
Ironman UK in Sherborne, United Kingdom; added in 2005; transition is in the grounds of Sherborne Castle
Ironman Lanzarote in the Canary Islands
Ironman Austria in Klagenfurt, Austria

[edit] Australian Ironmans
Ironman Australia in Port Macquarie, Australia
Ironman Western Australia in Busselton, Australia

[edit] Other Ironmans
Ironman Brazil on Florianopolis Island, Brazil
Ironman Canada in Penticton, Canada
Ironman Japan in Gotō, Japan
Ironman Korea in Seogwipo, South Korea
Ironman Malaysia in Langkawi, Malaysia
Ironman New Zealand in Taupo, New Zealand
Ironman South Africa in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Another way of qualifying is the Ironman lottery. 200 spots are reserved for athletes that enter the lottery, 50 of them being international spots, the other 150 being US spots. The lottery entries are then drawn out of a pool of about 3,000 entries.


[edit] Legendary Ironman triathletes
Paula Newby-Fraser
8-time winner of the Ironman Hawaii (overall record)
4 consecutive victories in Hawaii (overall record)
24 Ironman victories overall (overall record)
Nickname is "The Queen of Kona"
Natascha Badmann
6-time winner of the Ironman Hawaii
Dave Scott
6-time winner of the Ironman Hawaii (men's record)
Nickname is "The Man"
Mark Allen
6-time winner of the Ironman Hawaii (men's record)
5 consecutive victories in Hawaii
Nickname is "The Grip"
Greg Welch
First non-American male winner of Ironman Hawaii
Won the Grand Slam of races during his career
Brian Maxwell, the Canadian marathon runner who created PowerBar in his kitchen about 25 years ago, probably didn?t imagine that the food he was creating to prevent him from bonking during his marathon races would become a staple for triathletes here at the Ford Ironman World Championship.

PowerBars and PowerGels, the official energy bars and gels of Ironman, will be available out on the course here in Kona, but almost as much product will be carried by the competitors as they leave the transition after the swim in the morning.