Ultraman was born in 1983 as a sacred triathletic circumnavigation of Hawaii’s Big Island. In a post-Thanksgiving celebration, aerobic gluttons begin to work off the turkey and poi at dawn Friday with a 10km swim from Kailua Pier to Keauhou Bay. Then they hop on their bikes and ride 90 miles south, culminating with a 4,000-foot climb from sea level up to Volcanoes National Monument. Day two is a 171.4-mile bike from Volcanoes, through Hilo, up a 3,000-foot hill to Waimea and the Parker Ranch, then up and over the spine of the 3,400-foot Kohalas and down to Hawi. Day three is a double marathon on the Queen K Highway from Hawi to the old airport at Kailua-Kona. When it’s over, contestants have covered 320 miles, 12 climate zones, and dipped into reserves of strength and character they might never reach anywhere else on earth.




The odds breakdown

The Men

Basically, this is a three-man race which on form should be won handily for the fourth time by Alexandre Ribeiro of Rio de Janeiro. After all, Ribeiro came within 8 minutes of the course record and won by 46 minutes over a PR by third place Miro Kregar and left an ailing Peter Kotland 1:49 in his dust. However, Kotland was fighting an infection and figures to be much stronger when fully healthy. Can the Czech-born, South Carolina ultra hero return to his 1997 glory and duel with the Brazilian? If both men are off form, Slovenian Miro Kregar, who took third last year with a race-best 6:14 double marathon on Day Three will pick up the pieces.

Alexandre Ribeiro, Brazil, age 44, 3-1

The elegant Brazilian is Mr. Ultra Reliable. He has won three times - 2003, 2005 and 2008 - and finished second to Jonas Colting in 2007. His best time of 21:49:38 last year is just 8 minutes 16 seconds off the course record set by Holger Spiegel in 1998, and 7 minutes and 3 minutes 13 seconds better than Peter Kotland’s 1997 best when the Czech-born, US citizen finished his victory with an unbreakable 5:33:57 double marathon. Ribeiro’s 2:40:30 best swim in 2003 is 14 minutes faster than Kotland’s 1997 best. And his best Ultraman bike is 25 minutes better than Kotland. Upset with his slower 3:12:00 swim last year, he was still 7:58 better than Kotland.

Peter Kotland, Moore South Carolina, age 37, 5-1

Unhappy with his 11-year encore 4th place return to Ultraman after his spectacular 1997 win, the 37-year-old Ironman and Ultra specialist had good reasons for optimism this year. He is healthy. Last summer, he incurred an eardrum infection incurred in dirty water at a local South Carolina race, suffered through a painful outing at Ironman Florida and barely made it to the Ultraman start heavily dosed with antibiotics. He hung tough until mile 30 of the marathon when the lights went out. "It was extreme dehydration and it went from my stomach to my legs.” Walking much of the way, Kotland struggled mightily to hit the line with a run of 7:33:20, almost precisely two hours slower than his 1998 moment. If he is at his best, Kotland thinks he can run at least 6 hours, which would be 15 minutes better than Ribeiro last year, with the course record in reach.

Miro Kregar, Slovenia, age 47, 7-1

The 47-year-old Slovenian finished second in 2001 in 23:15:58 and PR’d last year with 22:35:24 for third place, finishing with the fastest run of 6:14:16. His consistent finishes mark him as the only serious threat to a Ribeiro-Kotland duel.

Jochen Dembeck, age 42, Germany, 10-1

This 42-year-old logistician (a peculiar occupation for something as quixotic as Ultraman) finished this race in 24:59:49 in 1999 in 6th place topped off with a 7:28 run. He’s back for the usual reasons “Because I love the complete Big island and I have the chance to see a lot of it.”

Peter Mueller, Switzerland, age 47, 16-1

This Swiss flight attendant looks more like an accountant than a killer ultra endurance athlete – but killer he is. He was fighting injuries and illness last year and ran in with Shanna Armstrong in 26:05:05. More representative of his talents was his third place finish in 2001 in a time of 23:58:11 with a 7:56:51 run. His record elsewhere is stellar – including a 3rd overall at the rugged Badwater 137-mile footrace, a 1999 finish at the six-day Marathon des Sables, and five Ironman Hawaii finishes.

Mike Le Roux, Australia, age 33, 18-1

This 33-year-old project manager from North Cairns, Queensland, Australia finished the 2006 Ironman Hawaii in 9:29, and finished the 2008 Marathon des Sables, and favors events like the North Face 100k and Kokoda 100k Track and Trail Run. He’s a hard man, as Aussies like to say. “I have chosen this event because of it extreme nature and pinnacle position in ultra-endurance racing.”

Gary Wang, Corte Madera California, age 42, 20-1

This 42-year-old engineer who can bike like a demon but swims and runs like an ordinary man, has fallen in love with Ultraman and has placed 6th, 4th, 5th, 3rd, 3rd and 9th since 2001. A sure bet for top 10, a long shot for the podium. Well, Gary does not quite run like an ordinary man, but he takes a little longer to warm up than the Ultraman double marathon. He is an 11-time Western States 100 finisher.

Rip Oldmeadow, Kailua-Kona Hawaii, age 40, 22-1

This promising triathlete’s pro career was cut short when he got hit by a passing RV while riding in Colorado in 2001. But the powerfully built Kona realtor is back in business with a 9:57:25 at Ironman Hawaii this year and similarly good age group finishes at Ironmans Coeur d’Alene and Busselton and the Honu 70.3.

Mark Ford, Carlsbad California, age 47, 35-1

This 47-year-old phys ed teacher from Carlsbad, California finished this race in 26:43:44 last year and also took on the Tahoe Rim 100-mile run and Ironman Hawaii in 10:48:41.

The women

To cut to the chase, 5-time Ultraman champion Shanna Armstrong is a little vulnerable this year thanks to a rugged firefighting training regimen and a move from her ling time home in Lubbock to Fort Worth. The sign was an uncharacteristic third-place finish, albeit undertrained, at Ultraman Canada. Back in 2007, she had more than enough to fight off the swift run of Ultraman rookie Ann Heaslett. But with Heaslett a little more experienced, Armstrong will be tested.

Shanna Armstrong, Fort Worth, Texas, age 35, 3-1

This 35-year-old massage therapist, 5-time Ultraman champion, 2006 RAAM solo woman winner, 3rd place finisher in the 2008 Badwater ultra run, and former Furnace Creek 508 cycling winner broke into Ultraman by taking down Tina Bischoff’s swim record in 2003, dropped her own run from 9:05:23 in 2006 to 8:17:13 last year and brought her Ultraman PR to within an hour of Tina Bischoff’s 1989 course record of 25:45:51. However, Armstrong has had a tough summer, finishing third at Ultraman Canada behind super-rookie Amber Monforte, who will postpone her Kona Ultraman debut to 2010. Armstrong is struggling to maintain winning form because of a rugged training to become a Fort Worth firefighter.

Ann Heaslett, Madison Wisconsin, age 45, 9-2

This 45-year-old Madison Wisconsin physician had a spectacular Ultraman debut in 2007 with a second place finish in 27:18:32, capped off by a 7:58 run. Heaslett is an ultrarunning star, with sub-20 hour finishes at 100-milers and could push Armstrong to the limit.

Toni Barstis, Niles Michigan, age 43, 8-1

This 43-year-old college professor from Niles, Michigan was the 2007 Ultraman Canada champion in 29:34:55. Why Ultraman? “As an asthmatic and cancer survivor, I never thought I would be able to participate let alone finish an Ultraman. I’ve been fortunate enough to do both. This year’s Ultraman World Championships will be a great challenge for me. I’ve spent the last two years engrossed in work and am taking a sabbatical to rejuvenate and relocate my focus and balance.”

Suzanna Degazon, Glendora California, Rep. Puerto Rico, age 45, 10-1

Under the coaching of husband Al Wiscowitz, Degazon took on several double century bike rides and cut over an hour from her Ultraman PR in 2008 with a 29:46:49 finish, but slipped a bit last year with a time of 31:23:52. Degazon is logging her 12th consecutive Ultraman Hawaii start.

Trix Zgraggen, Switzerland, age 43, 20-1

This Swiss homemaker and Ultraman rookie has plenty of ultra events under her belt, including two wins at the Swiss Gigathlon and several Ironman Switzerland and Ironman Austria finishes.

Sheena Miller, Penticton, BC Canada, age 26, 30-1

This 26-year-old Canadian firefighter and high school teacher won Ultraman Canada in 2008 in 30:49:20, is an Eco-Challenge adventure race veteran and is a tough cross country skier, taking on events as long as 300 kilometers.