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Thanks to a November date and the new Ironman World Championship qualifying points system, Ironman Arizona now draws a high octane, boutique-sized field of forward thinking elites. This year Chrissie Wellington used all that Kona fitness that was thwarted by her illness to smash the Ironman brand women’s world best mark with a smashing 8:36 time that chicked all but 7 men. Timo Bracht didn’t have much left over after his Kona performance, nor did Rasmus Henning, but both men topped the IM Arizona course record despite energy-sucking, challenging head and side-winds. Not only Miss Wellington was challenging the glass ceilings left hanging over women. Sister Madonna Buder, who already holds the amazing world best 77 years old for an official Ironman 17-hour finish time, this year at Tempe she teed it up at age 80. But one of the most impressive performances against medical odds was made by a young elite performer who works for Slowtwitch when he isn’t winning Ironmans. Unable to run more than an hour just two months ago after a car ran into him on a training ride in March, defending Ironman Arizona champion Jordan Rapp looked super strong on the bike and held on for a 4th place finish.

All photographs © Timothy Carlson