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Silvia Balbach had the second fastest female age group run split and finished as the fourth overall fastest female amateur in Kona this year. A chance encounter prior to the race led to this interview with the speedy German.

The fastest age group bike split in Kona belonged to Stefan Werner from Germany. But more importantly, he also was the age group World Champion in M30-34 and the second fastest overall amateur.

The Frazz comic strip has given many of us a laugh as the stories seem to take pages out of our lives. Jef Mallett from Lansing, Michigan is the man behind Frazz and he recently published Trizophrenia - Inside the Minds Of a Triathlete.

At the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championships, Max "Rocco" Renko won the 18-24 age group and posted the 3rd fastest age group time overall. This young Austrian athlete is not only very fast, he also has quite a few things to say.

With the Maui 2009 XTERRA World Championships coming up this weekend, many eyes will be on Conrad Stoltz, Nicolas Lebrun and last year's winner Ruben Luzafa. One dark horse on not so many lists is Richard Ussher.

Christian Mueller was the fastest overall age grouper in Kona this year with a 1:00:21 swim, a 4:47:09 bike and a 3:08:11 run for a 9:01:32 total time. That was good enough for 32nd place overall and thus a great bib number for 2010.

Age grouper Kathleen Calkins broke the overall female age group record in Kona, Hawaii with her 9:46:27 finish at the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championships. With that great time she also managed to be the 12th overall female.

Missoula, Montana triathlete Brendan Halpin turned a few heads at the 2009 Avia Wildflower Triathlon as the fastest overall age grouper, and we can certainly expect to see more of him next season. Slowtwitch had a few words with him.

Defending Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander is the odds on favorite to repeat. As perhaps the man with the most professional approach, he's not keying off anyone else in the field, but ready for anything.

Two years ago, Samantha McGlone was the touted rookie who executed a perfect race but lost by five minutes to dark horse Chrissie Wellington. Today, Wellington is the Queen of Ironman and McGlone is quietly returning from injury.

After her disastrous 2007 crash on the bike at Kona, six-time Ironman World Champion Natascha Badmann went through 18 months of hellish surgeries, painful rehab, uncertainty and doubts. Now she's 42 and ready to unleash the Natascha of old.

Two-time Ironman World Champion Normann Stadler is coming off two disappointing races at Kona. But marriage and fatherhood have given him new strength and he is ready to tear up the Queen K once again.

Looking for a dark horse to challenge Crowie, Macca and Normann? How about this 20-year-old Brit who thinks he might just win this mighty race not just once, but "2-3-4, even 5-6-7 times."

Was Timo Bracht a loose cannon, refusing to stop in the penalty box last year at Kona, running it in 5th across the line only to get properly DQ'd? Or was this year's sensational Frankfurt sub-8 winner just the victim of a misunderstanding?

Linsey Corbin has been in Hawaii since early September to get herself ready acclimatized and ready for the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championships. She talked with slowtwitch from Kona.

Australian Ironman athlete Chris McDonald has lightened up his racing schedule this year as he returns this weekend to defend his 2008 Ironman Wisconsin title. He lives in New Zealand but maintains that he is true blue kangaroo.

A few weeks ago Jenna Shoemaker narrowly missed out on winning the USAT Elite National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but with so many greatly results this year she must be quite happy and looking forward to 2010.

In January 2009 Caterpillar offered Andrew Starykowicz a severance package and he accepted it to pursue the dream of being a Pro triathlete. He is known for his bike prowess, but Sunday's Chicago Triathlon did not go as planned.

One of the most talented men in the sport of triathlon returns to competition after an 8-month battle with an ailment that afflicts Aussie rules footballers. Q&A with Chris Legh.

This Aussie has won 11 Ironman races, came back and won Honu 70.3 just three months iliac artery surgery, has finished 33 straight Ironman-distance events and calls herself ‘Megamouth.’ Meet Belinda Granger.

The 2007 U23 World Champion Lisa Norden has matured quite a bit and sits in second place in the Dextro Energy ITU World Championship Series. She is currently in Yokohama, Japan and had a few words with slowtwitch before the big race.

At age 31, with boyfriend Conrad Stoltz on her crew, Xterra veteran and full time nurse Amber Monforte smashed the Ultraman Canada women’s course record and went quicker than the best Ultraman women’s time set in Hawaii in 1989.

Charlotte Kolters finished right in between Chrissie Wellington and Yvonne Van Vlerken at the 2008 European Long Course Championships in Almere, and would be quite fine with a similar position in Kona later this year.

Mike Caiazzo recently finished 4th at Ironman Lake Placid, but in addition to racing and training as a Pro triathlete he has to deal with his full time hedge fund job and his role as a husband and father. That is a tricky balancing act indeed.

Joanna Zeiger is her sport’s Job of elusive-to-diagnose and tough-to-treat maladies. After winning a four-year battle with back and leg woes, now her toughest opponent is a recurring case of the dizzies.