"Mr. Davey" interviewed by Today's Matt Lauer

October 18, 2002, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Norton Davey, at 84 the oldest competitor here in Kona, was interviewed this morning for his live appearance on NBC's "Today" show. A segment about Norton and his preparation for Kona ("We'll get along a lot better if you call me Norton," he told host Matt Lauer, who called him "Mr. Davey" at the start of the interview) appeared on the show's "Forever Young" segment. The piece included footage of Davey in training and a short interview with friends and his wife of 60 years, Betty.

"Some of his friends think he's crazy," she said. "I tell them, 'That's just Norton.'"

Davey said he does the race "very carefully and with some difficulty," acknowledging that making the bike cutoff will be the toughest part of his day. While the endurance is there, he said, "the leg strength has waned as the years have gone by."

He said he feels mentally and physically prepared for the challenge, even while admitting that the unpredictable weather of the Kona course can make it tough for competitors to gauge how they'll fare on race day. But no matter what Mother Nature or Madam Pele tosses his way on Saturday, he'll be living by this credo: "Never say never."

---

Kids triathlon program expands

February 18, 2002, Blue Jay, California

Top U.S. age-grouper Cherie Gruenfeld is sharing her passion for triathlon by helping train a group of low-income children.

It all started when Gruenfeld, who has won her age group multiple times at Ironman Hawaii and also holds age-group titles at Ironman USA and Roth, spoke at a program called Exceeding Expectations at Cypress Elementary School in Highland, Calif.

She used her Ironman experience to help illustrate her points about working to achieve goals. At the school, she spoke with some of the teachers about the possibility of some of the students doing a triathlon in a nearby town. Nearly 200 students showed up for tryouts, and twelve 11- and 12-year-olds were chosen to be trained.

Now, the program she began last year has expanded, and we asked her for an update. In her own words:

"Thanks to two corporate grants and many, many generous donations from 'Friends of Cypress,' we have been able to grow the team and now have 30 kids racing triathlons. When we go to running races, we're taking around 40 kids.

"[Over the weekend] the team did the Redlands Tri. The race director is a real fan and supporter of the team and would happily have 'comped' them all into the race, but we felt that there was a better way, a way that would benefit everyone. We solicited 'sponsors' for the kids. The responsibility of a sponsor was to pay the entry fee for that athlete. People were wonderful and we quickly had sponsors for each of the kids and many of the sponsors were able to get more personally involved. One sponsor raced with her athlete. Several others bought equipment for their kids and/or bonded over the months before the race.

"Nearly half of the group was doing a triathlon for the first time, but they were helped along in their pre-race activities by those old veterans, and everyone made it to the start line in plenty of time.

"One difference in this race from earlier races is that we had eight families there watching their kids and two fathers acting as mechanics, getting all the bikes in working order. A year ago we had absolutely no parental involvement. In several cases the parents don't speak English, but they understood the loud cheering from the crowd as being for their child.

"We also had three Cypress teachers, along with the two that run the program with me, there to support their students and each of the three made a point of telling me about individual kids and how their grades and behavior had changed since joining the team. It doesn't get any better than this.

"They race in bright blue team shirts which make them easily identifiable as Cypress Kids. Having raced as a team for a year and with some very nice press they've received, they've become local celebrities of sorts. So we've been working on social skills that go along with that, such as writing thank-you letters, shaking hands, looking folks in the eye and introducing themselves.

"Some went home with medals for placing but all went home with a finisher's medal and a huge sense on accomplishment. The big question being asked at the end of the day was, 'When is the next race?'"

If you're interested in helping Gruenfeld and the Cypress Kids, you can email her at GruenfeldC@aol.com.

-----

Age-groupers battle in Kona: a look at the results

October 21, 2001, Seaside, California

The pros weren't the only ones to suffer along the Queen K during the 25th running of the Ironman World Championships in Kona. The heat and winds took their toll on this field as well, toppling some long-time champions and giving everyone the ultimate in bragging rights back home just for finishing.

Some highlights:

o Sister Madonna Buder of the U.S., coming back from a horrendous crash at last year's race in which she was blown off of her bike, triumphing against the wind to finish in 16:49 at age 71.

o The sight at the awards banquet of top five finishers among the men 70-74, with champion Bob Scott of the U.S. in first place in 12:59:02 and looking at least 20 years younger. As the annoucers told the crowd during the awards banquet, "Maybe we should start carding these guys!" Scott was the first in his age group to dip under 13 hours, and in doing so this year also improved his time by 14 minutes over his 2000 finish.

o Cherie Gruenfeld (55-59) of the U.S. nabbing her fifth age-group win in 12:46.

o The youngest competitor, 19-year-old James Cotter of Kona, finishing third in the 18-24 age group in 9:44. And by the way, Cotter swam a 52:05—just four seconds slower than race winner Tim DeBoom.

o Jill Shaeffer of Canada, racing in the 40-44 age group, setting the fastest bike split among the women (5:33:25) en route to a 13th place finish. Timo Bracht of Germany in the 25-29 age group turned in the fastest split among the men, in 5:07:42, and took second in the division.

Men 18-24
Last year's champion Daniel Blankenfuland of Germany failed to finish the race this year, apparently dropping out during the bike ride. The remaining men in contention staged a close fight: The title went to last year's third-place finisher, Matthas Heim of Germany, in 9:36:47, with Hayato Kawahara of Japan just ten seconds behind him. Kawahara's 2:56 marathon was the only sub-three-hour effort in the division. Americans James Cotter (9:44:40) and Gabriel Urban (9:45:04) took third and fourth with just 24 seconds between them. In fifth was Jens Lehmann of Germany, in 9:51:25.

Women 18-24
Jo-anne Davies of Australia was the champion here in11:04:22. Canadiane Marie-Claude Gagnon came home second in 11:18:17, followed by German Wiebke Kluessendorf in 11:59:53 and Canadian Julia Desramaux in 12:02:36. The podium was rounded out by Kristianna Gough of the U.S. in 12:10:18.

Men 25-29
Finn Tom Soderdahl topped this division in 9:11:47, with Germany's Timo Bracht in second in 9:23:42. Although Bracht had the day's fastest amateur bike split, it was not enough to hold off Soderdahl's 3:03 marathon. Philippe Achleitner of Switzerland finished third in 9:27:05, with Germany's Joern Thiele in fourth in 9:35:41. Rounding out the podium was Denmark's Mogens Jensen in 9:44:13.

Women 25-29
New Zealand's Lynley Allison turned in a 3:30 marathon to come home first in 10:29:08. In second, just three minutes behind, was American Deirdre Tennant, in 10:32:10. American Karen Holloway was next in 10:38:03. Kelly Keane's 3:28:02 marathon wasn't enough to bridge the gap, and she came home fourth in 10:52:30. In fifth was Canadian Katie Kniaziew in 11:05:17.

Men 30-34
Germans claimed the top three places in this division, with Alexander Lang posting a 9:20:13—and a 2:57 marathon—to claim the top spot, one better than his second-place finish last year. He was followed by Eric Kappes in 9:26 and Andreas Schmitz in 9:37:21. Frederic Duboux of Switzerland went 9:42:42 en route to a fourth-place finish, with Australian Craig Maskiell home fifth in 9:45:58.

Women 30-34
The top four finishers here all turned in sub-11-hour performances. American Brigitte Egbert took top honors in 10:25:04, with Sweden's Anna Svardstrom home second in 10:33:33. American Diana Hassel was less than a minute back in 10:34:25, good enough for a repeat of her third place last year. Fourth was claimed by American Michelle Gwozdo in 10:54:46, with American Judith McSweeney home fifth in 11:03:09.

Men 35-39
The top spot was claimed by Ulrich Nieper of Germany in 9:31:17, with Japan's Shinichi Ide coming home just 29 seconds later in 9:31:46. Ide's 3:08 marathon just fell short of bridging the gap. Canada's Len Gushe—last year's winner—came third in 9:48:40, with Germany's Michael Krueger, in 9:53:50, and Switzerland's Urban Schumacher, in 9:57:54, rounding out fourth and fifth places. Krueger moved up a place over last year's finish, with Ide, who aged up into this group, improving markedly over his eighth-place finish last year—and going two minutes faster.

Women 35-39
American women took the top four spots here, starting with Kathy Winkler in first with a 10:53:15. The next two places were separated by just 18 seconds—Liz Vitai in second with a 10:59:06 and Laurie Sigloch in third with a 10:59:24. Fourth place went to Rachel Wood in 11:04:37, with Canada's Jackie Hatherly home fifth in 11:14:51. Hatherly is the only member of last year's podium finishers to repeat; she came fourth in 2000.

Men 40-44
The top four podium places went to Americans, with David Gatz claiming the top prize and the sole sub-10-hour finish in 9:53:23. Behind him was Bill Kverkas in 10:00:33, Michael Blue in10:04:57 in third and Donald Fink—who took third last year—in 10:14:14. Fifth place was nailed down by Canada's Brian Keast in 10:16:22.

Women 40-44
Kathleen Hughes of the U.S. came home in first place in 11:26:04, a half-hour clear of Switzerland's Jris Wyss, in 11:56:3. Hughes, no stranger to podium finishes, was third for two years and sixth last year. In third was Germany's Maria Raether, in 11:58:39. Fourth and fifth went to Linda Van Uden of New Zealand, in 12:00:08, and Monika Saur of Germany, in 12:02:31.

Men 45-49
Perennial age-group champion Joe Bonness improved on last year's third-place finish by claiming the win in 10:01:30, nearly nine minutes clear of Japan's Norimitsu Shiromoto—the defending champion—in 10:10:27. Australia's Michael Tagell came home third in 10:29:17 as Belgium's Christian Mueser (10:36:05) held off Germany's Otto Hoter (10:36:40) for fourth.

Women 45-49
A shocker here: American Missy LeStrange, holder of 12 Kona age-group titles and two age-group course records, was defeated by countrywoman Laurie Sophiea in a race that went down to the wire. Sophiea, moving up two places over last year's third-place finish, came home in 11:20:19, making up a large deficit to LeStrange off the bike by running a 3:42 marathon. LeStrange's 4:08 could not hold off Sophiea, and she finished in 11:21:44. Rounding out the all-U.S. podium was Linda Jannelli in 11:57:29, Bonnie Boyer in 12:34:51 and Nancy Lipira-Hoest in 12:36:34.

Men 50-54
American Bill McDermott took the championship in 10:55:44, with countryman Chris Johnson just two minutes behind in 10:57:47. Third place went to Australia's Michael Benson in 11:10:52, with Germany's Wilhelm Krach in fourth in 11:11:26 and American Jack Boyster in fifth in 11:19:36.

Women 50-54
Diane Ridgway of the U.S. took the top honors in this age group in 12:37:18, running the division's only sub-four-hour marathon, in 3:56:21. Trynie Roozendaal of the Netherlands came home second less than a minute back, in 12:28:04. In third was American Susan Shafer in 12:55:54, with countrywoman Cindi Toepel in fourth in 13:15:17. Germany's Gertrud Krach completed the podium in 13:32:16.

Men 55-59
Hansjorg Fassler of Switzerland was a new arrival to this age group—he went 10:43 last year to take third in the 50-54 division. This year he claimed the top prize in his new division in 11:19:27. Fassler's 5:54:49 was also the only sub-six-hour bike ride in his division, and was actually faster than any bike split turned in among the men 50-54. Behind him was Canada's Peter Holubar in 11:23:58, with Germany's Willi Mennig taking third in 11:30:10. Fourth place went to Australia's Geoff Thorsen in 11:32:53, with Japan's Takahisa Mitsumori fifth in 11:38:30.

Women 55-59
This was an all-American podium. Cherie Gruenfeld successfully defended her title in 12:46:29, with Mariana Phipps repeating her second-place performance in 13:24:33. In third was Marge Burley in 13:50:50, with Wendy Minor (14:28:09) and Karen Aydelott (14:39:11) in fourth and fifth.

Men 60-64
Bruce Buchanan of the U.S. added to his Kona trophy prize list with a win in this division in 11:38:44—and the only sub-12-hour day among his peers. In second was Germany's Gerhard Niessner in 12:12:56, followed by two-time defending champion, American Richard Clark, in 12:25:30. Fourth place went to American Leonard Peddicord in 12:44:39, with Switzerland's Heinz Giger home fifth in 12:44:39.

Women 60-64
There were eight entrants in this division, and five finishers—a testament to the rugged conditions. Canadian Mae Palm took top honors in 14:46:55. Behind her were four Americans: Mary Nathan in 15:46:44, Bobbie Williams in 16:39:54, Annmarie Demonte (second in 2000) in 16:53:29, and Peggy McDowell-Cramer (the race's final official finisher) in 16:55:33.

Men 65-69
Last year's champion, Roger Brockenbrough of the U.S., took more than 20 minutes off his winning time and finished third this year—that's how rugged the competition was in this division, which was claimed by American Marcos Alegre in 12:42:47 on the strength of a smoking 6:40 bike split. His was the day's sole sub-13-hour performance. In second was Germany's Kurt Einsiedel in 13:39:09, with Brockenbrough behind him in 13:43:45. Fourth place went to Japan's Kazuharu Tsuji in 14:16:09, with American Mike Laramie rounding out the podium in 14:29:17.

Women 65-69
Harriet Anderson of the U.S. took the top prize in this age group, in 16:28:50—and was the only finisher out of three who started the day. Anderson is a new arrival to this division; last year she won the women's 60-64.

Men 70-74
What a day these men had! American Bob Scott took the top prize—and a history-making sub-13-hour finish—in 12:59:02, posting a 4:33 marathon and a 6:46 bike ride en route to the victory and a defense of his title. (And he took a big chunk of time out of last year's winning time of 13:13.) In second was American Dick Robinson, who repeated his second-place finish of last year in 13:22:43. Slovenia's France Cokan, no stranger to podium finishes but a new arrival to this age group, finished third on the day in 14:12:39, with Americans Lew Hollander (14:51:43) and Lyle Roberts (14:58:27) in fourth and fifth.

Women 70-74
Only one entrant, and only one finisher: the remarkable Sister Madonna Buder of the U.S., in 16:49:09.

-----

Age-group notes from Kona

October 15, 2001, Seaside, California

They had heat, they had wind, they even faced a good, stiff current in the water. And 93 percent of them finished the race. The age-groupers at last week’s Hawaii Ironman persevered in the face of brutal conditions and returned stronger—and with some great stories to tell.

Like the story of Mariana Phipps, racing in the 55-59 age group. The morning before the race, she stepped out of the shower, slipped and crashed into a bathroom fixture, smashing her fourth toe. After she confirmed it wasn’t broken, she kept it iced and taped and hoped for the best.

"When you compare this to what’s going on around the world, it’s irrelevant," she said that Friday. "I’m having a wonderful time in Kona, and if I don’t finish tomorrow, that’s OK with me. It’s not as devastating to me as it would have been last year in regards to what happened last month."

But Phipps did start, and finish: "I started the race not knowing if I was going to finish due to the purple and swollen foot. The swim was slower than I would have liked—quite a bit of current after the turnaround. The bike leg was nasty—40 mph headwinds up to Hawi and then, expecting a tailwind on the way back, Madame Pele surprised us with another headwind part of the way back to Kona. At T2 I gingerly put my running shoes on and started the run. I must have had one heck of a lot of adrenaline pumping through my veins because it didn't feel too bad…for about 13 miles. I did manage a second place finish (to my surprise) and was thrilled. I felt great after the race, cleaned up and limped back to the finish line until midnight to see the last finisher in."

The Omaha, Neb. resident went on to finish second in her age group behind perennial champion Cherie Gruenfeld of California. And this is what Phipps has to say of Gruenfeld: "She’s not only my chief rival, but she’s also one of my idols."

As for Gruenfeld, she notched another win as well—her third in a row and fifth in Kona—in 12:46:29.

"The conditions were, as we all know, quite tough," she said. "Although my bike was very long, I felt that I rode strong the entire time. I am very fortunate in that I have the desert nearby where I can train in heavy winds. When I train in the desert, I tell myself, ‘I'm preparing for Kona,’ and when I race in Kona, I tell myself, ‘I've done this in the desert.’"

This was Simon Butterworth’s first trip to Kona—he qualified at Ironman Lake Placid.

"I may be nuts but I actually enjoyed the bike ride," he said. "For sure there were some moments of terror, especially when with no warning the first gust hit. I did a lot of sailing over the years and have experienced some nasty squall lines, but always there was some, albeit small, warning. There was none on Saturday."

Butterworth, racing in the 50-54 age group, had a tough time getting his legs under him after the blustery ride. "I had no idea how much the bike had taken out of me until I tried to stand up at the old airport," he said. "It usually takes me about a mile to get my running legs back. It took over five this time, and I never really got going well until I started hearing the crowd on Alii from the Queen K. I learned a lot about motivation this weekend and hope it will translate to much better times in the future."

Along with fellow teammates from Team Runner’s Edge in New York, Butterworth is busy plotting his best course back to Kona next year. And teammate Nancy Lipira-Hoest, continuing a remarkable comeback from injury last year, made the podium in her first trip to Kona (and her first Ironman) with a 12:36 that was good enough for fifth in the 45-49 age group.

"Nancy was awesome—she is an inspiration to everyone," Butterworth said. "When I saw her on the road to the Energy Lab, I knew she was in the running for a medal and was thrilled with the results."

Mary Nathan, 60, was back in Kona for the second time and looking to improve on her first-year finish. Goal accomplished: She took more than an hour off of her time and finished second in 15:46.

"The wind made this bike race more difficult than last year, though I thought last year was the worst," she said. "I had a bike crash at the end of June this year, dislocated and broke my elbow, and didn't have my upper body strength back; I could have used it on the bike."

Nathan said she got blown all the way across the road four times and, after getting off, had a hard time getting back on in the strong crosswinds, which made standing her bike upright a challenge.

"I really think experience on the course helped," she said. "Last year I had no idea what to expect and was so far out of my comfort zone that I just wanted to be anywhere but on the course—especially the bike course. This year I knew what it might be like (though days I trained the wind was calm!), and had a very positive attitude. I just kept getting back on the bike and actually looked forward to NOT getting blown down."

Nathan noticed that her training this year was improved, too. "[I] wasn’t tired going into the race—I was charged up before the race and ended up still energized. ‘You can stop running,’ they told me at the finish line, so I just walked fast."

Then there was Peggy McDowell-Cramer of California, also racing in the 60-64 age group. She was the last official finisher, in 16:55, and finished fifth in her age group. Of the bike ride, she said: "I do these things for fun, and IMH is a good deal of fun, but this was over the edge and into not fun. At first the wind’s in your face, which is at least steady. But the further north you go, the more it varies and comes in gusts, which then produces the shaking fear of God in any sentient person. It also accelerated the normal thought process during triathlons of steadily lowering expectations."

McDowell-Cramer said she never looked at the time, so she didn’t know how much of a struggle her ride had actually been until she arrived at the transition area with only 10 minutes to spare before the cutoff. She’d been dealing with a hip injury that had curtailed her running over the end of the summer, so she was now concerned she might not make the midnight deadline.

She just determined to keep a steady cadence to the finish and hope that her body would allow her to do it—and she did.

"When I hit Alii Drive it was quiet in the first little bit, then I came into sight of the huge lights and the crowds. It’s a quarter-mile to the line and I could hear the announcer going crazy. I heard massive yelling, people trying to high-five me, and I was ecstatic about making it before midnight. The kids say the announcer got the crowd going on my name, in a two-beat chant, and that's because they had been following the will-she-make-it scene on the PA system for a while."

"As it turns out, I got there with 4:27 to spare and was the last of all. And I was happy past description. I’ve always thought I’d be absolutely mortified if I were the last in any race. But at IMH 2001, I was simply ecstatic that I did make it. And the ensuing hoopla over that finish turned it into something quite wonderful. Or more than wonderful."

-----

One Kona qualifier chose to stay home this year

October 7, 2001, Kona, Hawaii

New York City firefighter Larry Parker was on vacation when terrorist attacks collapsed the two World Trade Center towers. He didn't stay that way long; he headed straight to work and spent the next 10 days sorting through the pile of rubble in a search for survivors.

In the end, the NYFD lost 340 firefighters in the attack, which killed more than 5,000 people.

But Larry Parker is also a triathlete, and a good one. The 38-year-old qualified for Kona at Ironman Lake Placid by finishing fourth in his age group. He was, he said, in the best shape of his life after that race, and he'd already booked a place to stay and made his travel plans. Come Sept. 11, though, those plans were put on hold. Ultimately, he made a decision he knows was the right one.

"It really was a tough decision," he said. "I wanted to be appropriate, and with so many of my brothers buried in the rubble, I just couldn't go to Hawaii."

While part of him wanted to go just to show the world the resilience of New York City firefighters even in the face of such a monstrous tragedy, on a personal level, he said, "I just didn't feel right about it."

In addition to wanting to respect the many colleagues he lost, Parker also was motivated by loyalty to his job: "They need as many people as possible," he said.

Parker has been a firefighter for five years, a profession he took a 50 percent pay cut to join. "It's just one of those decisions that you know is the right decision," he said. "I always wanted to do it." Four years in the U.S. Marine Corps showed him that he valued working in small teams and helping people through difficult situations, so firefighting seemed natural.

"I just like helping people, and having someone glad to see you in a situation they're not too comfortable in," he said.

When he first headed downtown toward the trade center last month, he couldn't believe the sight that greeted him.

"I've seen a lot of pretty horrific things, and my mouth just opened up when I walked down the street," he said. "It was just like a war zone." He was actually grateful to have the work to do, he said, because it kept him occupied and feeling like he was contributing.

He's been heartened by the outpouring of support for firefighters, a growing sense of community as people help one another in the city, and the patriotism that people are showing around the country. "This is the only really good thing that came out of this," he said. "It's definitely a life-changing event."

So Larry Parker is staying home, working on rotations that still take him to the pile of rubble at the southern tip of Manhattan. His bib number would have been 702, and this would have been his second trip to Kona. Last year, in wretchedly bad conditions, he posted a 10:25.

He says he'll be even hungrier to return to Hawaii next year. And he wants to come back when he's 40 and seek a high placing.

And he's started training again. Parker and a New York City police officer have plans to raise money by running the New York City Marathon—and starting last. Parker, who ran a sub-3 hour marathon there last year just a few weeks after Kona, will raise $5 for each person he passes through sponsorship from JP Morgan Chase & Co. They hope to raise thousands of dollars for relief efforts.

-----

Battered NYers make their way to Kona

October 5, 2001, Kona, Hawaii

On Sept. 11, David Schneider of Long Island was in Rimini, Italy, preparing for the duathlon world championships when he heard that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. He raced for a television and was horrified by what unfolded before him.

He made frantic calls to New York trying to learn whether his son, who works just blocks from the trade center, was OK. Finally, after five hours, he learned his son had escaped harm: "For five hours, I was a wreck," he said.

American duathletes competing that weekend in Rimini used black pens draw their own black armbands on race day. "It was somber," he said.

Schneider, who has competed several times at the world championships, suffered a flat on the bike that ended his day. But the 55-year-old said that frustration paled in comparison to what was happening in the world.

Now Schneider, along with several friends from Team Runner's Edge in Farmingdale, N.Y., is readying for his first attempt at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, half a world away from the tragedy in New York.

Teammates Simon Butterworth, 54, and Nancy Lipira-Hoest, 45, are also in Kona for the first time. But even though they are now focusing on their race preparations, their minds and hearts are never far from home.

One teammate, firefighter Larry Parker, qualified for Kona at Ironman Lake Placid but chose to stay behind to work on the pile of rubble that remains of two giant towers of steel. He's not far from their thoughts, either. They watch CNN and stay glued to the news for updated and new information.

All agree that training and preparing for Kona took an immediate back seat when the trade towers collapsed Sept. 11 after hijackers crashed two jumbo jets into them. "I think we all were impacted that first week, walking around just numb," said Lipira-Hoest. "It stepped everything down."

Butterworth said that while he didn't stop training, the tragedy around them all was never far from his mind. While on long runs, instead of thinking about the run itself, he found his mind fixated on the events of the day. He was "just going through the motions," he said, and found himself thinking about how unimportant his triathlon pursuits now seemed in the grand scheme of things.

At the same time, though, he believes it is vital to at least try to move forward. Butterworth, the child of parents who lived in England during the Blitz of World War II, remembers the stories they told of how people worked hard to live normal lives despite constant bombing raids that left them feeling helpless and vulnerable.

And he recalled how he this week saw New York City's mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, on television urging New Yorkers and everyone in the U.S. to return to their daily routines-because doing any less would give the terrorists the victory they sought.

"[Giuliani] was adamant," Butterworth said-and, he believes, right on the money. "What we've got to do is go back to our lives."

-----

Athlete's recovering body propels her to Kona

October 5, 2001, Kona, Hawaii

Not only is this Nancy Lipira-Hoest's first race at Kona, it's her first Ironman. She qualified at the Blackwater Eagleman half-Ironman (her first try at that distance) by winning her age group.

But hers is a rugged story on the road to Kona.

Lipira-Hoest entered Blackwater to give herself a good goal to shoot for after she was struck by a car last June while riding her bike. She recalled how, during her recovery from the crash-which shattered her forearm, left her with multiple fractures in her knee, a herniated disk in her neck and a concussion-she saw an entry form online for Eagleman. She mailed it in, she said, while she "still had rods in my arm."

While she's been racing more than 15 years, she'd never attempted an Ironman or half-Ironman before Blackwater-but she had several friends who planned to go and she wanted to give it a try.

"I went to go and have a good time," she said. When she finished first, her husband, John, was at the finish line: "He was saying, 'We're going to Hawaii!'" She couldn't quite believe it. While her recovery is complete, Lipira-Hoest said, "Everything hurts."

"I'm thrilled to be here; it's just incredible," she said. "I'm grateful that I'm here."

-----

Age-groupers steel themselves for Saturday's battle

October 5, 2001, Kona, Hawaii

Hundreds of age-groupers will test themselves against the heat and wind in the lava fields of the Big Island. Here's a look at the past champions who will toe the line on Saturday.

Men 18-24 Last year, this race was won by Germany's Daniel Blankenfuland in a scorching 9:08, nearly half an hour clear of his closest rival, American Fabio Carvalho, in 9:34. Blankenfuland is back this year, as is last year's third-place finisher, Matthias Heim, also of Germany. Blankenfuland also was second here in '99.

Women 18-24 Returning from the 2000 race are fourth-place finisher Amy Farrell of the U.S. (11:23) and Lokelani McMichael, tenth in 12:39. McMichael also holds the record as the youngest female finisher at Kona; she went 15:21 in 1995. Last year's third-place finisher, Germany's Wenke Kujala (11:19), is racing as a pro this year.

Men 25-29 Several of this age-group's past champions have since turned pro, including the first amateur finisher from last year, American Tim Luchinske (8:50). Other new pros coming out of this age group: last year's second-place finisher, Switzerland's Bruno Von Flue (8:51); third-place finisher, Lance Muszlay of the U.S. (9:12), and eighth-place finisher Chris Lieto of the U.S. (9:24). Didier Curtet of France, who was fourth in 1999, is back.

Women 25-29 This age-group also produced new pros this year, including New Zealand's Joanna Lawn, who was first in 10:28. Last year's ninth-place finisher, Gabriela Loskotova of Czechoslovakia (11:04), and the eighth-place finisher, American Kirsten Black (11:03), are back. Men 30-34 Returning from the 2000 race is Alexander Lang of Germany, who finished second in 9:02. Lang also won in 1999 in 8:56. Last year's eighth-place finisher, Shinichi Ide of Japan (9:33), has aged up.

Women 30-34 This field is deep with returning top-10 finishers, including champion Susan Burr of the U.S. (10:22), second-place finisher Maria Monica of the U.S. (10:26), and third-place finisher Diana Hassel (10:31), also of the U.S. Japan's Yoko Hori, who was fourth here last year in 10:41, is racing as a pro this year.

Men 35-39 Len Gushe of Canada is back to defend his first-place finish (9:25) here from last year, as is Michael Krueger of Germany, who was fifth last year in 9:46. Japan's Shinichi Ide, eighth in 9:33 last year, has aged up into this age group.

Women 35-39 Canadian Anim Marx, second last year in 10:38, has returned to Kona, as has fourth-place finisher Jackie Hatherly, a fellow Canadian, who finished last year in 10:45.

Men 40-44 Michael Bennett of the U.S., last year's fourth-place finisher (9:49), is returning, as is third-place finisher Robert Fink, also of the U.S. (9:46). Jurgen Siebenborn of Germany, eighth in 1999, is also back on the island.

Women 40-44 Kathleen Hughes of the U.S. has a long history of top-10 finishes in the lava fields, and she's back this year after last year's sixth-place finish (11:32). She also was third in 1999 with a 10:46 and third in '98 with an 11:16. Alisa Goughnour of the U.S., seventh in 11:36 last year, is also back.

Men 45-49 Kalli Nottrodt of Germany repeated his second-place finish here last year in 9:48, and last year's winner, Norimitsu Shiromoto of Japan, is also back. He posted a 9:38 to win the division last year. But this field is deep with Kona experience: It includes Joe Bonness of the U.S., who was third in 9:56, Kevin Moats of the U.S., who was fourth in 10:00; and Tom Shinners of the U.S., who was seventh in 10:27. Also returning is the 1999 champion, Hawaii's own Cliff Rigsbee.

Women 45-49 Missy LeStrange made it 12 age-group titles last year, winning her division in 11:16. LeStrange also holds two age-group records: 40-44 in 10:05, a mark she set in 1993 when she was 41, and 45-49, 10:51, a record she set in 1999 when she was 47. Third-place finisher Laura Sophiea of the U.S. (12:02) is returning, as is Marise Nunes of Brazil, who went 12:20 to take sixth last year. Mary Jo Stevenson of the U.S., who was tenth in 1999, is also part of this field.

Men 50-54 Two of last year's top-10 finishers are returning-Jack Boyster of the U.S., who posted a 10:58 for ninth place and Fred Clayton of the U.S., whose 11:10 took tenth last year. Also back is Allan Pitman of Australia, who was third in 1999. Konrad Diem of Switzerland, eighth in the 45-49 age group last year in 10:29, has aged up into this category. Also racing in this age group is USA Triathlon executive director Steve Locke.

Women 50-54 Defending champ Sandi Wiebe is back to defend the title she won in 12:19, as is last year's second-place finisher, Diane Ridgway of the U.S., who went 12:25. Jeanine Hartnett is back as well-she turned in a 13:44 to take sixth last year. Trynie Roozendaal of the Netherlands is newly arrived in this age group; she took fifth in 1999 in 12:14.

Men 55-59 American Dennis West, third last year in 11:31, is back, along with last year's seventh-place finisher, Michael Keiser of the U.S. (12:04), and the tenth-place finisher, Otto Tylkowski of Germany (12:09). Hansjorg Fassler of Switzerland is a new arrival to this age group; he went 10:43 last year to take third in the 50-54 division. Also back is Vic Birtalan, who took fourth in 1999. Takahisa Mitsumori of Japan, who placed third in 1999, is back as well.

Women 55-59 Defending champion Cherie Gruenfeld of the U.S. is back to defend her title for the third time. She owns the course record for this age-group, 11:58, which she set in 1999. She was also the first woman over 50 to go under 12 hours when she set that record. And she's not done setting records-she set a course record at Ironman Lake Placid for her age group this year. Also back this year is Mariana Phipps of the U.S., who was second in 12:48, and Wendy Minor of the U.S., who was sixth in 15:01. New to this age group is Karen Aydelott of the U.S., who took seventh in the 50-54 division last year in 13:54.

Men 60-64 Richard Clark of the U.S. is back seeking a third win in this division, which he captured in 11:41 last year. Also returning are Bruce Buchanan of the U.S., fifth last year in 12:46; Mike Durrie of the U.S., seventh in 13:07; Richard Litzel of the U.S., eighth in 13:15; Winfried Schmidt of Germany, ninth in 13:36; and Roger Little of the U.S., tenth in 13:39.

Women 60-64 Annmarie Demonte of the U.S., second here in 15:38, is back. Last year's champion, Harriet Anderson of the U.S. (15:31), has aged up.

Men 65-69 Defending champion Roger Brockenbrough of the U.S., whose 14:08 was nearly an hour clear of the second-place finisher last year, is back to seek a repeat. Also returning is John Cook of the U.S., who took fifth in 16:08. Women 65-69 Harriet Anderson, champion of the 60-64's last year, has aged up into this division. Mickie Shapiro, who was fifth in 1999, is in the running, too.

Men 70-74 This field is deep with returning top-10 competitors. Last year's winner, Bob Scott of the U.S., posted a remarkable 13:13 in 2000. In second last year was Dick Robinson of the U.S. (13:32), and he is back as well. Lew Hollander of the U.S., whose 14:57 took third, has returned, as have Allen Winston of the U.S., fifth in 15:18, and Bill Albrecht of the U.S., who went 16:44 for seventh. France Cokan of the U.S., whose 14:22 in the 65-69 age group was good enough for second in 1999, is back in a new category.

Women 70-74 There's only one competitor in this category, and there's no doubt she'll be searching for a good result after a nasty crash brought on by last year's howling winds: Sister Madonna Buder of the U.S. Buder holds course records in two age groups: she went 13:19 at 62 in 1992, and she posted a 14:27 at 66 in 1996. The course record for women 70-74 was set last year by Ethel Autorino of the U.S., in 15:19.

Men 75-79 This category will feature a battle between perennial Ironman competitor Bill Bell of the U.S. and countryman Max Burdick. Both are 78.

-----

Worlds age-group round-up

July 23, 2001, Edmonton, Canada:

Youngsters from Australia and Great Britain produced the fastest times at the ITU World Championships for age-groupers in Edmondton, Canada during the weekend. The competition for world’s best honors was fierce across the age groups, however, with lots of close finishes and quick times.

Paul Matthews of Australia, racing in the men’s 16-19, posted the fastest time of the day, a 1:57:31. Following him just 30 seconds back was Leonardo Chacon of Costa Rica, with Michael Cupitt of Australia third home in 1:58:48. Cupitt also posted the day’s fastest swim split, a 17:43 for the 1,500 meter swim.

The fastest women’s time was found in the 20-24 age group. Great Britain’s Catriona Morrison, in 2:06, was three minutes clear of the woman in second, countrywoman Tanja Allen, in 2:09. Third spot went to Adrianne Ngawati of New Zealand, in 2:10.

By the numbers

In the men’s 20-24, it was Mexico’s Francisco Serrano who took the win in 1:58:04. The remaining two podium spots went to Americans: Christoph O’Donnell in 1:58:18 and David Julian in 1:58:41.

The men’s 25-29 was again a battle of seconds, with Canadian Graeme Martindale taking top honors in 1:58:44, followed closely by Craig O’Connell of Australia in 1:58:55, and Marco Campagna of the U.S. in 1:59:09.

Fergus Maclean of Great Britain won the men’s 30-34 in 1:59:09 with a pair of Americans on his heels: Chris Peeters in 1:59:52 and Joseph Fogarty in 1:59:59.

Great Britain’s Jack Maitland used the day’s fastest run split, a 35:17, to vault himself to the top of the men’s 35-39 in 1:58:07, a time that would have been good enough to win the age group ahead of him as well. Maitland was trailed by American Bruce Gennari in 1:58:16 and Austrialian Peter Treppo in 1:59:01.

Kevin Ferguson of Australia turned in the day’s fastest bike split—a 58:53—and it helped propel him to the win in the men’s 40-44 age group in an overall time of 1:59:38. Behind him were Americans John Brockenbrough in 1:59:53, and Tony Schiller in 1:59:59.

The men’s 45-49 saw a pair of Americans atop the podium, with Des Nunan coming home first in 2:02:30, followed by Jim Bruskewitz in 2:03:24. Australian Jim Denholm, in 2:05:27, rounded out the top three.

Americans also dominated the podium in the men’s 50-54, with Duane Fritchie taking the win in 2:09:14. He was stalked by Gar Hackney, who finished in 2:09:53, and Chris Johnson, in 2:10:30.

In the men’s 55-59 Frenchman Jean-Claude Cestideau took the win in 2:13:19, nearly five minutes clear of the Americans in second and third place, David McNedy in 2:18:04 and Thomas Dutton in 2:18:23.

Orjan Sandler of Sweden won the men’s 60-64 in 2:10 flat, a time good enough to take the age group ahead of him, too, and nearly six minutes ahead of second place—Australian Kevin Taylor, in 2:15:50. Third place went to Canadian David Terry in 2:22:42.

Germany’s Guenter Beilstein was the top 65-69-year-old man, in 2:21:31. New Zealand’s Robert Goddard took second in 2:29:17, followed by Germany’s Herbert Radicke in 2:31:57.

The men’s 70-74 was hotly contested, with Dick Robinson of the U.S. taking home first place in 2:44:07, followed by Frenchman Jean Zabek in 2:44:48. American Lew Hollander came home third in 2:49:07.

Americans swept the men’s 75-79, with Walter Palmer in first with a 3:04:59, followed by Robert McKeague in 3:11:37 and Bill Schweizer in 3:16:32.

Charles Futrell of the U.S. was the lone competitor in the men’s 80-84, and he finished in 4:38:44.

In the women’s 16-19, it was Ashley Carusone of the U.S. who came home first, in 2:17:28, followed closely by pair of Aussies: Peta Haesler in 2:18:15 and Amelia Cox in 2:18:58. Carusone also posted the day’s fastest swim split, a smokin’ 18:10.

Kiwi Megan Hall took the win in the women’s 25-29 in 2:08:09, with countrywoman Samantha Warriner just 11 seconds back. Third place went to American Kelly Rea in 2:12:03.

Heather Gollnick of the U.S. won the women’s 30-34 in 2:09:50, followed by Canadian Sabina Valentine in 2:10:29 and American Amy Cashion in 2:11:24.

The fastest bike split of the day—a 1:04:30—and the win in the women’s 35-39 went to American Donna Kay-Ness in 2:10:23. She was two minutes clear of second place, New Zealand’s Anna Tyler, in 2:12:33. Third spot went to American Chris Farias in 2:13:57.

Great Britain’s Helen Cawthorne ran herself into first place in the women’s 40-44 by posting the day’s quickest run split, a 37:40. Her winning overall time of 2:13:17 was more than five minutes faster than second place, held by Canadian Edie Fisher in 2:18:27. Third place went to New Zealand’s Josie Sinclair in 2:19:30.

Karen McKeachie of the U.S. took first prize in the women’s 45-49, posting a 2:19:58. Two Americans were behind her: Laura Sophiea in 2:20:42 and Susan Griffin-Kaklikian in 2:23:48.

In the women’s 50-54, top honors went to Canadian Linda Hickman in 2:29:17. Susan Bathgate of Great Britain came second in 2:30:41, with Paula Hickman of Canada in 2:31:07.

Canadian Irene Becker dominated the women’s 55-59 in 2:30:01, six minutes clear of New Zealander Tiare Lund in 2:36:18. Third spot went to American Paula Larsen in 2:38:41.

Joan Coates of Australia claimed top prize in the women’s 60-64 in 2:44:23, followed by Corinna Goodman of Canada in 2:45:32 and Susan Bradley-Cox in 2:50:58.

In the women’s 65-69, Harriet Anderson of the U.S. came home in 3:04:13, more than 10 minutes ahead of second place, which went to countrywoman Pat Fossum in 3:14:42. Third place went to Canadian Kathie Leitch in 3:28:55.

Sister Madonna Buder of the U.S. was the lone competitor in the women’s 70-74, finishing in 3:03:21—a time that would have won the division ahead of her.

-----

Clydesdale Worlds

July 23, 2001, Edmonton, Canada:

This year’s triathlon World Championships also featured a demonstration event that gave Clydesdales their own world championships. Athletes had two categories, 39 and under and 40-plus. For the men, the weight requirement was 200 pounds; for the women, it was 150.

In the men 39 and below, the winner was Canadian Darren Henry in 2:06:14, followed by California’s Mike Shaffer in 2:13:35 and American David Kalinowski in 2:17:01. Canadian Ross Manning took the men’s 40-plus in 2:32:50, followed by American David Maher in 2:34:07 and Canadian Marinko Biljan in 2:41:45.

In the women’s race, Stephanie Kieffer of Canada took the win in the women’s 39 and under in 2:47:53. In the women’s 40-plus, the winner was Canadian June Hole in 3:45:02.

-----

Mark Montgomery has pacemaker installed

June 18, 2001, Torrance, California:

One of triathlon's early heroes, Mark Montgomery, had a pacemaker installed on Saturday, only four days after finishing third among all L.A. lifeguards in their annual requalification swim, and three days after a subsquent troubled bike ride.

Now a top age-grouper qualified for Edmonton's world championship, Montgomery noticed his heart rate monitor dropping to 60 beats-per-minute during a Wednesday training ride.

"I started feeling funny the afternoon after our annual swim. Then the next day I went on an easy bike ride, and at first I thought it was just the usual sort of thing heart monitors do," he said. "But then I started to feel funny. So I went to the emergency room, and they gave me a monitor that recorded my pulse over a 24-hour period. When I spoke to my doctor the next day he said, 'Your heart is skipping ten beats at a time. We've got to get a pacemaker in you, and right now.'"

On Saturday Montgomery had his pacemaker inserted into his shoulder, with electric leads routed through a vein into his heart.

The day after his surgery an upbeat Montgomery said, "My doctor says I can resume training and racing, which I intend to do. He says there is no problem raising my heart rate, it is just problematic at its low end. The pacemaker is just there to give my heart a jump if it falls below a certain level, say, 40 beats per minute. It'll take a little while to get it dialed in, and then it'll have to be monitored every couple of months, which they can actually do over the telephone. Then they'll have to change the battery every five years."

Montomery's doctor has among his patients several athletes who've had pacemakers installed for the same reason, and three of them are triathletes. One has raced Ironman Hawaii.

Montgomery––known by friends in the tri worlds as Monty––has had over 50 professional wins during a triathlon career which started in 1979. The full-time L.A. County lifeguard also has several world lifeguard championships to his credit. He had taken several years off as a triathlete to focus on lifeguard competitions, and is just this year returning to triathlon form, having placed third in the 45-49 age-group in the Lake Placid worlds qualifier.

"Right now," Montgomery says, "My doctors say I'm good as new, and can resume training in a couple of weeks. But I'm not thinking about Edmonton or anything else right now. I'm just glad I'm waking up every day. This thing they stuck in me is a marvel. I just hope it's Japanese-made, since they seem to make the best microelectonic devices."

-----

Fisher, Duprex victorious at Blackwater Eagleman

June 3, 2001, Cambridge, Maryland:

Andrea Fisher of Austin, Texas and Scott Duprex of Bayonne, N.J., won the pro race at the Blackwater Eagleman half-Ironman on June 3 in Cambridge, Md. Fisher finished in 4:37, and Duprex finished in 4:22.

The Eagleman, in its 21st year, is one of the few remaining half-Ironman Kona qualifiers, with 25 slots on offer this year. The race, with a swim in the Choptank River and a bike course that winds through the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, regularly draws a crowd. This year, 1,350 athletes toed the line.

A handful of athletes, including pros Jamie Cleveland and Todd Wiley (who went 4:01), were disqualified after it was learned they'd gone the wrong way on the bike course. Several top age-groupers also were included on the DQ list.

Top age-group honors among the men went to Benjamin Hastings (30) of Ohio, in 4:14, with George Newsome (27) of New York in second in 4:18, and Timothy Monaco (34) of California in third in 4:19. Rounding out the top five were James Vavra (31) of South Carolina in 4:20:37 and Matthew Dixon (27), also of South Carolina, just six seconds back.

The top female age-groupers were Amy Farrell (24) of New York in 4:39, Kirstie Kniaziew (26) of Canada in 4:40, Catherine Phillips (26) of Virginia in 4:42, Laurie Sigloch (36) of Vermont in 4:45, and Judith McSweeney (32) of Florida in 4:46.

Among masters, it would surprise no one to see that Joe Bonness (45) of Florida continued his dominating ways with a 4:23, fully five minutes ahead of the man in second, Steve Pettit (40), also of Florida. In third was Robert Roller (42) of Florida in 4:30:01, with Michael Buonaugurio (45) of Virginia 21 seconds back and Herb Spicer (45) of Maryland in 4:31.

The top three masters women were Kathleen Hughes (43) of Ohio, in 4:53, followed by Stephanie Landy (41) of New York in 5:08 and Kathryn Roche (40) of Michigan in 5:09.
Among grand masters, top honors went to Antonio Panizza (62) of Virginia in 5:22 and Linda Horowitz (50) of New Jersey in 5:33.

Race Director Robert Vigorito said the bike course problem was set in motion when one volunteer, who was helping out on another station, arrived at his post late—moments after the lead men came through. Other volunteers set out after the athletes to get them back on the right path, but some didn't get the message. Although there is a lead car, gaps can be created between the first few cyclists, Vigorito said.

Vigorito, in his 16th year as a race director, said he'd never seen anything like it over the 50 or so races he's directed: "I was speechless." He estimated that most athletes who went the wrong way actually ended up adding miles to their ride, not shortening it.
Volunteers just didn't realize the lead cyclists would be coming through as quickly as they did, he said.

"We'll rectify it next year," he said. "What has to be rectified is pretty darn easy."
USA Triathlon officials determined that it was impossible to know who might have gained an advantage, so the penalty was set at disqualification instead of additional time.

"That was USAT's decision," Vigorito said. "I can't get involved in that final decision."
USAT's competitive rules require that athletes are familiar with the course, and maps were readily available.

Vigorito, a popular and well-respected race director on the East Coast, offers a prize purse of $4,800 that includes cash for age-groupers, masters and grand masters. He also puts up swim, bike and run primes, adding another $1,000 to the kitty.

Although he said he was really bothered by what happened, Vigorito said the overwhelming feedback on this year's event was positive—athletes enjoyed the race, the scenery and the competition. And, echoing the thoughts of many veteran race directors, he said: "The most important thing for me—it was safe."

-----

Age-groupers heat up Lake Placid

June 3, 2001, Lake Placid, New York (www.triathlonlive.com):

Despite cold air and water temperatures, approximately 148 age group women and 268 age group men completed the Mrs. T's Pierogies USA Triathlon World Championship Qualifier on Saturday (June 2) in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Matt Cooke, 21, of Washington D.C. and Donna Kay-Ness, 38, of Enfield, Conn., were the men and women's overall winners for the modified triathlon that consisted of a 500-meter swim, 40K bike and 10K run.

On Thursday, organizers cancelled the swim and planned to make the race a duathlon, fearing that the cold water and air temperatures could cause hypothermia in some athletes. However, they changed that decision Friday and instead chose to shorten the swim. Originally, the swim was to be 1.5K. (See related stories)

Cooke finished the men's race in 1 hour, 45 minutes and 27 seconds. Emilio Desoto (41; San Diego) was second in 1:45:47 and Branden Rakita (20; Durango, Colo.) was third in 1:46:18.

Three-time national age group champion Kay-Ness finished the women's race in 1:59:21. Monica Caplan (25; Boulder, Colo.) was second and Kelly Rea (27; Marietta, Ga.) was third in 2:00:19.

The top six finishers in each age group qualified for the International Triathlon Union World Championships on July 21-22 in Edmonton, Canada.

(Note: Thanks to USAT's BJ Evans for this story)

(RESULTS)

-----

Age-group round-up at IM California

May 31, 2001, Seaside, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

Ironman California produced a host of outstanding age group results and qualified many for the Ironman World Championships in Kona this October.

In the men’s 18-24, Chris Williams of Kalispell, Montana went 9:40 to come home with the top prize. Behind him were Brendan Whitworth of Oceanside, California, in 9:49, and Bryan Scullin of Annapolis, Md. in 9:51.

The men’s 25-29 was a tighter battle, with the top three men all going under 9:30: Patrick Schuster of Irving, Texas in 9:25, Carlos Sandoval of Garza Garcia, Mexico in 9:27 and Clas Myrestam of Stockholm, Sweden in 9:29. Sandoval ran a 3:04 marathon to move himself into second.

Jay Berberie of Vancouver, British Columbia, took the men’s 30-34 in 9:11 on the strength of a 3:03 marathon. Behind him were Mike Swan of Goleta, Ca., in 9:14 and James Murphy of Nantucket, Mass., in 9:17.

The men’s 35-39 saw Naoto Yoshimura of Yorktown, Va. turn in a blazing marathon split of 2:59 to run himself into second place, in 9:31 overall. Steve Stowers of Berkeley claimed the top prize in 9:29, and Mike Nichol of Encinitas, Ca. came home in 9:43 claim third place.

Donald Fink of Short Hills, N.J. used footspeed—a 3:14 marathon—to claim the top prize in the men’s 40-44, in 9:34. Joe Foster of Alamo, Ca. held down second with a 9:46, and Gregg Trent of San Jose took third with a 9:48.

New Canaan, Conn. resident Oakes Ames took the men’s 45-49 in 10:16, with Faron Reed of Fresno, Ca. behind him in 10:19. In third was Nelson Watson of Columbus, Indiana, in 10:35.

The men’s 50-54 saw several outstanding performances, including two sub-10-hour finishes: for winner Bill McDermott of La Habra Heights, Ca., in 9:56 and for Chris Johnson of Laguna Niguel, Ca. just a minute back in 9:57. Third went to Fred Clayton of Minneapolis, Minn. in 10:25. The top two were fast enough to have won the men’s 45-49 race, too. Clayton finished tenth in his age group at Kona last year, going 11:10 in brutal conditions.

In the men’s 55-59, it was Dennis Kasischke of San Diego under the wire first in 10:49, with Vic Birtalan of Goleta, Ca. in second with an 11:11. Robert Williams of Severna Park, Md. came home third in 11:23. Williams, one of the country’s top masters swimmers, posted a swim split of 55:09 en route to his third-place finish.

Richard Clark of Tiburon, Ca.—champion of his age group at Kona last year and with a long course win at Wildflower already to his credit this year—took the top prize in the men’s 60-64 with an 11:08. Mike Durrie of Inverness, Ca., was second in 12:07, and Toshio Shiomoto of Japan took third with a 12:32. Durrie is also no stranger to Kona, finishing seventh in his age group there last year.

Art Fredericks of Tehachapi, Ca. claimed the men’s 65-59 in 13:55, shadowed by Ben Horner of Arroyo Grande, Ca., in 13:56. In third was Cliff Eggink of Scottsdale, Ariz., in 15:46.

The men’s 70-74 saw Leonard Loren of Hawthorne, Ca. take the win in 15:48, and Bill Bell came home in 16:56 to take the men’s 75-79.

In the women’s races, the 18-24 title went to Kristianna Gough of San Leandro, Ca., in 10:56. Second place went to Ashley Miller of Orem, Vermont, in 11:49, while third place was held by Heather Hubbard of Cardiff, Ca., in 11:54.

The women’s 25-29 saw Kelly Keane of Allston, Md., take home the top prize in 10:12, with Anissa Seguin of Valencia, Ca. behind her in 10:36. Seguin’s bike split of 5:22 was the third fastest on the day overall, putting her behind Iron legend Paula Newby-Fraser. Angie Rile of Palm Desert, Ca., took home third in 10:44.

The women’s 30-34 also saw several smoking bike splits, including that of winner Anna Svardstrom of Stockholm, with a 9:54. Her split of 5:14 was second only to Natascha Badmann (5:07) on the day. In second was Diana Hassel of Davis, Ca. The Kona podium finisher (third last year) turned in another fast bike split, a 5:20, to come home in 9:59 overall. Holding down third was Allie Lawler of Omaha, Neb., in 10:18.

Karin Swenson of San Ramon, Ca., took top honors in the women’s 35-39, going 10 hours flat. Liz Vitai of San Francisco nailed second with a 10:12, and in third was Karin Forsberg of Stockholm in 10:18.

In the women’s 40-44, the winner was Elizabeth Bulman of San Diego, in 10:50. Jill Hamilton of San Francisco came second in 11:39, with Beverly Carpenter of Gilbert, Ariz., holding down third in 11:54.

Linda Jannelli of Encinitas, Ca. turned in a 10:48 to claim the women’s 45-49—a time good enough to also win the age group ahead of her. Beatrice Van Horne of Fort Collins, Colo., took second in 12:03, followed by Beth Sanden of San Clemente, Ca. in 12:41.

The top prize in the women’s 50-54 went to Deborah Hodesson of Santa Rosa, Ca., in 12:27, with Denise Middlebrooks of San Diego in second with a 12:42. Amy Fredericks of Tehachapi, Ca., claimed third with a 13:23.

The women’s 55-59 category saw Karen Aydelott of San Luis Obispo, Ca. claim top honors in 12:31.

-----

Age-group round-up at St. Croix

May 13, 2001, Seaside, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

Vying for 30 slots to Ironman Hawaii, more than 700 amateur and professional athletes made the commitment to tackle "the Beast" and race the new half-Ironman distance in St. Croix on May 5.

Many Hawaii veterans emerged on the podium, too, in search of another ticket to the Ironman world championships in October.

But heat and humidity, in addition to the famous climb dubbed "the Beast" greeted all competitors. And the extra bike loop added to bring St. Croix's bike course up to the 56-mile half-Ironman distance was, several competitors said, no walk in the park.

It all added up to a race that delivered on the promise of a good, early-season test.

The first amateur was Gabe Urban (men's 20-24) of Wayne, Penn., in 4:29:55. He was 12th overall, just two places and seven minutes behind his coach, veteran pro Ken Glah. In the men's 25-29, Jan Sibbersen of New York City took the top prize. He was also the second amateur across the finish line, less than a minute behind Urban in 4:30:32—a time good enough for 14th overall.

Farshad Charmforoos of Orlando, Fla. took top honors in the men's 30-34 age group in 4:39, while Stewart Murray of Amissville, Va. won the men's 35-39 in 4:44. Haluk Sarci of Cresskill, N.J. was the first men's 40-44 finisher, in 4:46, and age-group legend Joe Bonness, continuing to dominate in long-distance racing, captured the men's 45-49 by a four-minute margin, in 4:54.

Luis Lombana of Bogota, Colombia came away with the win in the men's 50-54 in 5:14, while Kent Dobbins of Lawrence, Kansas went 5:47 to capture the men's 55-59 race.

Roger Little of Bedford, Mass., who came 10th in the men's 60-64 at Ironman Hawaii last year, claimed victory in 5:55. Behind him was fellow Ironman vet Jon Adamson of Alpharetta, Ga.—third at Ironman last year in 11:59 and second here in 5:59.

In the men's 65-69, the victor was Sid Kastner in 7:23.

Like the men's race, the women's contest at St. Croix was full of Ironman veterans seeking a good test of their form in hot conditions and the qualifying slots that would get them to Kona this year.

The top female amateur was Amanda Gillam (25-29) of Baltimore in 5:03:08. She was stalked by Anim Marx, in the 35-39 age group. Marx, second in her age group at Hawaii last year in 10:38, was the second amateur at St. Croix, in 5:03:25. Marx's age group was a tough one: podium finishers included Bodil Alexander, 14th in Kona last year and third at St. Croix, and Elizabeth Nowak, another Kona veteran who was fourth at St. Croix.

In the women's 20-24, top honors went to Angie DeFilippi of Colchester, Vermont, in 5:43, while first in the women's 30-34 was Jenny Garcia in 5:11.

More Kona veterans could be found in the women's 40-44, where the winner was Kathleen Hughes of Columbus, Ohio in 5:25. Hughes was sixth in her age group in Hawaii last year, in 11:32. Valerie Ells of Crestline, Calif., came third in 5:50—and she was 13th in Kona in 12:16.

In the women's 45-49, Laura Sophiea of Pleasant Ridge, Mich. emerged the winner in 5:29. She was third in her age group last year in Kona in 12:02. The 50-54 race was won by Judy Sears of Prescott, Ariz., in 6:12. Sister Madonna Buder of Spokane, Wash. has returned to racing after the crash that knocked her out of contention in Kona last year. She captured the women's 70+ category in 7:33.

-----

Age-group round-up at Wildflower

May 10, 2001, Seaside, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

Several familiar faces made appearances at the top of the podium after Saturday’s long course race at Wildflower—California stars of long-course racing like Visalia's Missy LeStrange , Blue Jay's Cherie Gruenfeld and Tiburon's Richard Clark.

On a day that featured rugged conditions—heat, heat, heat in addition to the hills, hills, hills—many age-group performances would stand out.

Scott Devore of Goleta brought home the men's 20-24 title in 4:55. Jonathan Toker of La Jolla's 4:32:33, which made him the 25-29 champ, would have been good enough for 21st male pro. His elders in the 30-34 category went just as fast, though, with that group's winner, Jim Grant of Walnut Creek, blazing home in 4:33:16.

The men's 35-39 went to multi-time national champ Pete Kain of Cupertino, who finished in 4:35. Duane Franks of Mill Valley took out the win in 40-44 with a 4:53, while the 45-49 race went to Rick Trachok of Reno in 4:58.

In the men's 50-54, it was Duncan Thomas of Santa Barbara who conquered the hills fastest, with a 5:03. Kenneth Runyan of Boise, Idaho claimed the men's 55-59 in 5:51.

Past Wildflower champ and Ironman age-group winner Richard Clark took the men's 60-64 in 5:32, a time that would have been good enough to take the age group ahead of him, too.

And finally, Alan Carlisle of Upland, at 71, claimed the men's 65+ in 6:54.

In the women's 20-24, the top prize went to Carriee Chaney of Colorado Springs, who claimed victory with a 5:30. In the women's 25-29, the age group previously dominated by nuevo pro Alexis Waddel, Anissa Seguin of Valencia took the win in 5:10.

San Jose's Erin McCarty dominated the women's 30-34 with a 4:48:04, more than 15 minutes ahead of second place and the fastest female age-grouper in the race. In fact, McCarty's time would have been good enough to place her fifth overall between Canada's Heather Fuhr and New Zealand's Joanna Lawn. And her 2:38 bike split appears to have been the fastest women's split on the day—pro or age-grouper.

The 35-39 winner was Liz Vitai of San Francisco in 5:09, while the women's 40-44 was claimed by Pacific Grove's Heidi Haussermann in 5:38. Haussermann was actually undecided on the race until the night before, when she decided she would bring her running shoes to the transition area. Her running more than held up and she came home the winner.

The women’s 45-49 was a tough one, featuring Ironman age-group legend Missy LeStrange of Visalia, Calif., who streaked home with the win in 5:36. Behind her was Jeri Howland of Corte Madera, Calif., in 5:41, and in third was Hawaii Ironman vet and Ultraman finisher Cecilia Ramos in 6:16.

In the women’s 50-54, it was Capitola, Calif. resident Katherine Frank who came across the line first in 6:20.

Past champion Cherie Gruenfeld captured the women’s 55-59 in 5:56, punctuating the victory with a 1:56 half-marathon. And her time would have made her the winner in the women’s 50-54 age group, too. Harriet Anderson, in the women’s 65-69, took victory with a 7:53. Both are regular age-group winners at the Hawaii Ironman.

-----

Early season age-group performances

May 1, 2001, Vista, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

A few notable age-group performances stuck out from among the many results across the country during the past week.

At the first L.A. Triathlon Series race, Emilio De Soto, president of De Soto Sport, came fourth overall across the line in a time of 54:49, showing early 40-44 form. In the same race supervet Bill Leach has apparently overcome the injury problems that have plagued him over recent years, and the 55-59 winner raced to an extremely fast 55:44 over the 500-yard swim, 14-mile bike, 2-mile run course.

At the Rocky Point Triathlon in Puerto Penasco, Mexico––just south of the U.S. border and a favorite of Arizona-based athletes––Lance Muszlay blasted the Olympic-distance course in 2:03:54, finishing third overall, just a minute down on the winer.

Meanwhile, at St. Anthony's, Daniel Domingo improved on his 2000 performance while Susie Stark got the biggest victory of her short triathlon career. Domingo (Jacksonville, Fla.), 27, won the men's overall age group title in a time of 1 hour, 56 minutes and 57 seconds. Domingo finished second overall last year in 1:57:24.

Stark (Jacksonville, N.C.), 24, a Marine who has only been doing triathlons for a year and a half, won the women's overall title in 2:11:15.

Stark said her swimming background helped her navigate the rough waters at the start of the swim.

"The water was choppy and it was tough, even with my swimming background," she said. "Once I swam past the first buoy it got a little smoother."

Unfortunately, Stark's performance was not enough to get a victory for the U.S. military team, which lost by a narrow margin to Canada.

The men's race came down to a sprint finish between Domingo and Marty Gaal (Orlando, Fla.), 28, an elite triathlete who did not qualify for the ITU World Cup race Saturday. Gaal finished third overall last year.

"I ran my best 10K ever. I think it was 36 flat," Gaal said. "My hat's off to Dan Domingo. He out-kicked me at the end."

In the junior elite race, which served as a qualifier for the ITU World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on July 21-22, Sara McLarty, 18, of Deland, Fla., took one women's spot while Bryan Beckman, 18, of El Dorado Hills, Calif., earned the men's spot.

Among other impressive age-group results, Linda Musante (Tampa, Fla.), 47, repeated as the women's masters overall champion and Harry Barnes (Campbellville, Ontario, Canada), 53, repeated as the men's grand masters overall champion.

-----

Gruenfeld exceeds expectations

April 30, 2001, Highland, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

Top age-grouper Cherie Gruenfeld has found a new way to share her passion for triathlon—by helping train a group of low-income children for their first race.

Gruenfeld, who has won her age group multiple times at Ironman Hawaii and also holds age-group titles at Ironman USA and Roth, spoke in December at a program called Exceeding Expectations at Cypress Elementary School in Highland, Calif.

"The general theme of my talk to the kids was about setting goals and working to achieve these goals," Gruenfeld said. "Of course, I used my Ironman experience as the background for doing this. To conclude the talk I showed them a short video of me doing Kona."
Gruenfeld said when she went to the school to speak, she met with the teachers to talk about the possibility of some of the kids doing a little triathlon in a nearby town. The teachers liked the idea and arranged tryouts for the next week. Nearly 200 kids showed up, with twelve 11- and 12-year-olds chosen to be trained.

"Every Saturday the teachers and one fantastic teacher's aide got in a van and drove around gathering the kids up," Gruenfeld said. "Those that lived nearby just showed up at the appointed time. We started weekly bike and run training with them and entered them in a local 5K for a training run."

Gruenfeld said she realized quickly that they needed money to get the program going and to keep it afloat, and the fundraising began. "The kids didn't have running shoes, biking equipment and certainly no means of paying entry fees," she said. "I wrote a letter and sent it out or handed it out to whomever I could find. People were wonderful and responded with cash. Race directors were happy to comp the kids into their races. We have now gone through three rounds of funding, and it will be an ongoing process."

The children were a big hit with the crowd at their first 5K, Gruenfeld said, and "they all ran a tough course beautifully." They even had enough energy to run with Gruenfeld as she wrapped up the last quarter-mile of a half-marathon she was running at the same race.
They completed their first triathlon in February as members of relay teams using swimmers Gruenfeld helped recruit—among them publisher and triathlon legend Bob Babbitt. "None of these kids have spent any time in a pool and several, although living an hour from the ocean, have never seen the ocean," she said.

Their next adventure came at the Desert Tri, where race director Greg Klein offered to comp five teams into the race. This meant an overnight stay for the kids and some more hunting for swimmers who could do the open-water swim.

"One of the teachers has a son who is on a high school swim team," Gruenfeld said. "He got four of his swim-mates to join him and the five of them joined the teams. Three of our kids did both the bike and the run. It was a real adventure and the kids did fantastic, again thrilling the crowd with their grit and determination."

Now the children are enrolled in a local YMCA for swimming lessons and plan on doing a short race with a pool swim in June—and they'll do the entire race solo. "One little guy has proclaimed that he intends to do an Ironman when he's 18, and he will," Gruenfeld said.
Gruenfeld said that while she provides the motivation and inspiration, "the real force that makes this all possible is the teachers. These folks will do anything for these kids." Gruenfeld plans the training, works with the kids on the weekends, organizes the fundraising and communicates with race directors. "But without the teachers what I do would go nowhere," she said.

Earlier this month she had to tell the kids that start of her competitive season was coming and that she wouldn't be able to spend as much time training them for a while. But a young man Gruenfeld has been helping prepare for Wildflower has joined her in training the kids, and he's planning to assume more of the training duties from May to October.

"I'm nuts about these kids," Gruenfeld said. "I love seeing their eyes light up when they accomplish a goal." She admits she's also shameless in asking for money for the cause. If you're interested in helping, you can mail a check to: Cypress Elementary School, c/o Ms. Jacque Irons, 26825 Cypress Street, Highland, CA 92346.

-----

First race memories

March 8, 2001, Vista, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

Getting ready for your first triathlon this year? Or stepping up to a longer distance race? Or perhaps you’re just sick of riding the bike to nowhere while snowdrifts are piling up outside and you wonder why on earth you ever wanted to do a triathlon.

We have the cure for any angst you might be feeling. We asked our group of top age-groupers to reflect on their memories of their first race. Remember, these are folks who would go on to win their age groups at Ironman Hawaii, or represent their nation at world championships. But most recount humble beginnings: a heavy bike with everything but a basket on the front, a run that was a blur of pain, a swim that was a chaotic mess with some hypothermia thrown in for good measure. Not everyone can win his or her age group first time out of the blocks, in other words.

So if you’re seeking inspiration or a reminder of why the multisport life can be so addicting, look no further.

Memories of first triathlon:

Jon Adamson: I did my first tri in 1982 in Tennessee. The water was very cold and I had no wetsuit. I was not trained very well and my time was very slow, but I liked the sport and got hooked. I have done about 200 tris since that time.

Jenny Arbetman: My first triathlon ever was Danskin. I remember waiting until the last woman finished and cheering her on with my family. It was a great experience to see all of the camaraderie. I fell in love then.

Ethel Autorino: My first race was in Longbeach, New Jersey. The water was 61 degrees so you couldn't wear wetsuits (in those days 60 was the cutoff). But it was a beautiful day in May; the bike and run were flat. I had just bought a bike and learned to use shifts. My bike as a kid didn't have gears. I won my age group and was hooked. That was 1983.

Kes Aleknavicius: How completely unprepared I was to combine the disciplines, what clothes to wear, but an overall feeling of utter elation at my meager achievement.

Susan Bradley-Cox: My first triathlon was what brought me into the sport! I had to borrow a bike (my bike was a Sears with no gears and had two seats on it for children). I did not know how to shift gears. It was hysterical! I did fine on the 1000 swim, and managed to finish the 25-mile bike in one gear! On the run there was a barrel of water with cups halfway through the six-mile run course. When I finished I had won the women's division and was absolutely intrigued with the whole idea. I have loved the sport ever since 1983!

Roger Brockenbrough: The first one I remember was a small one not too far from home. It was billed as a triathlon, but was really a du. I mainly remember how hot it was and how bad my gut hurt when I tried to run fast. In one of those early ones, I completely forgot about my helmet until I was finishing the bike. And in another I started the run with my helmet on but soon figured out why I was top-heavy.

Simon Butterworth: The first I raced in was local, the Seacrest Oyster Bay Tri on Long Island. I’d never done a brick prior to the race and could hardly run after getting off the bike. The surprise was that with very little training I pulled in 4th in a Clydesdale division. I was hooked. The other surprise was how hard it was in subsequent races to move 4th to 1st—it took two years.

Rich Clark: Donner Lake in 1989. It is a tough Olympic distance race that takes place at 6,000 feet with nothing but climbing and descents on the bike and a long run. I made the swim cutoff by 45 seconds. Scared the hell out of me, but after I got on the bike and started passing people everything was OK. I've done the race every year since but unfortunately will miss it this year because of Ironman Austria.

Ken DaVico: It was a Bud Lite series Olympic distance on Guam. I had been training for the 1987 South Pacific Games to be held in New Caledonia. At 51, I was the oldest ever to qualify for cycling. I intended to do my very best to represent the Territory of Guam. Two weeks prior to this triathlon I decided I needed a little diversion in my cycling training. The tri seemed a piece of cake. I had been cycling 400 miles a week, so it should be an easy matter to do this event. Well, I joined my wife Judy for her morning run and what a shocker that was. I had never run before and figured that anyone who could cycle 120 miles in six hours would breeze through it. Ha. I could not run the first half-mile. I was hurting and out of breath trying to stay with Judy and had to quit after the first mile. OK, so I learned that I would have to break in a new set of muscles for running. Next day I decided I would go swim the mile course. I used to swim all the time when I was a kid and I was one of the best free divers and SCUBA divers in the region, so how easy swimming a mile would be. Sure enough, the water was flat, clear and tropical warm. I had some goggles that I’d purchased the day before. I jumped in and started my swim. Perhaps that was a bad term, as I was doing everything but swimming. I was gagging for breath, peering through blurry, water-filled goggles and my shoulders were, I was sure sure, falling off. What a disaster—but not being one to quit, I kept at the running and swimming every day. Run in the morning, cycle to work and swim on the way home. OK, the day arrived. My longest swim had been about three-quarters of a mile solo, my longest run five miles, but my biking was the best ever, up to 500 miles per week. I looked at all the others and realized I needed to think about where to start. Heck, anyone knows that you need to be up front. I got right into the front row behind the pros. The gun went off and I did not know what happened when 500 people passed over me, pulling my goggles down, grabbing my very embarrassing Speedo and turning the water into a thrashing mass of foam. I remember looking up, thinking about quitting right then, knowing very well that I was in the process of drowning. Well, I think everyone passed me. Forty-two minutes of virtual drowning experience later, I climbed out of the ocean and headed to the bike. This is the part I will never forget. Judy, my wife, coach, and all those other things that go into this sport, stood looking at my pathetic, swollen eyes and gasping chest and asked me if I was really going to go on and finish this thing. It took a few breaths to recover before I could speak but I managed a "Yeah, I think I can." Once on the bike my life started to return, I felt I would live to see another day, I had survived the swim. Biking was smooth and I turned in the second-fastest split of the race at 56 minutes for the 40K. I hated to see the bike come to an end—it was getting "Guam hot," I was beat from the swim, eyes still swollen from losing the goggles, but I told myself anyone who’d just swum a mile and biked 26 could easily run 6.2 miles. I can remember how slow the ground was moving under me when I started. It seemed to just stay in one place, defying my forward motion. That was a very long, actually the longest 6.2 miles I have ever run but there it was, the finish line, cheering crowd and a big sign that said "ICE COLD BUD LITE". Well, I won the Masters over-40 group and became hooked.
Kevin Drake: Doing the backstroke because I didn't know how to swim. After getting out of the water (close to dead last), I remember how much fun it was to zoom along on my bicycle and try to catch up to someone, anyone. Starting the run I think I was as tired as I've ever been, but found that I could still run. By the end I was more tired than I’d ever been, but it was a great feeling. It was the most challenging thing I’d ever done and I was hooked for life!

Amy Farrell: My first triathlon was better than I hoped. I'd been training like a triathlete for a while and thought it would be OK, but this was way better than OK. In the 11 years of running leading to triathlon, I'd only once come close to feeling so powerful, and that only lasted for four and half minutes because it was a 1500m. I qualified for Kona and ran a 15K PR.

Rich Gizzie: My first triathlon was this little one on a military base outside of Norfolk, Va. It was a very unexpected surprise. I was leading for the entire race until I took a wrong turn on the run. I ended up second. I could not believe that I was in the lead during the bike. I thought that I was going to get killed in my first race.

Cherie Gruenfeld: My first-ever triathlon was an Olympic distance race. I had fun but didn't get hooked. At the time, I was running marathons and I found the distance event to be more fun. When I did my first Ironman in Kona, that hooked me. I spent all day with a big, silly grin on my face, not really believing I was doing the thing. When I crossed the finish line, I ran right into my husband's arms and said, "I've found what I want to do. I love this!" And I've crossed the Ironman finish line 11 times since then.

Diana Hassel: As is probably true for most people, I had a complete blast in my first triathlon. It was a local sprint tri about three years ago, and I can still vividly remember the "lead legs" on the run. Of course I had done zero running training and never practiced a brick until that day! Despite the painful and eternal 5K run, I became hooked on triathlon from that day forward.

Ruth Kazez: Baltimore was my first, and it was wonderful because my daughter came to watch. She and I had formed our only concept of triathlon from watching Julie Moss do her crawl thing, and my daughter fully expected to see me do the same act. As I finished, wonderful Mike Plant announced my name and said I looked like I could do it all over again. Then, at the awards ceremony, his acknowledgement that this was my first triathlon brought a storm of applause. My daughter was overwhelmed and I was beside myself. It was topped off by a pic of me in Triathlete. Great race for all reasons. The location of both the ride and run was superb.

Lucia Kuehner: My first triathlon ever was the long-distance race in Nice in 1997. Never did a triathlon before and was quite nervous and kind of anxious: 4km in the open sea, 130km very hilly bike course, 30 km run. It was hard to say if was capable of finishing it. But I had a lot of friends with me who raced, too, and I just never really thought not to finish. Altogether it was the best experience in my life so far. Looking back, I never felt too tired, I never felt that the race was getting too much (just the last 6 km on the run!) and actually without any pressure on me and no problems regarding eating, injuries, flats… I just kept going and going and enjoyed the great atmosphere, the great weather, the pretty country. I also had no idea what my time was and which place I was. It was absolutely not important to me. The last 1000m through the crowd on the boulevard in Nice were incredible! Tears came down my face—I was so happy! My boyfriend was waiting at the finish line, and was so proud, too! I would have won my age group if I had gone for the world championship, he told me—in my first triathlon! I started in the open class, unfortunately, but that didn’t matter at all.

Gary Leske: My first triathlon was a total disaster! The water temperature was 53 degrees and I didn't have a full wetsuit. But because of the water temperature I got out of the water in record time. However, in the transition area I forgot to take off my swim boots and couldn't get off my wetsuit. It took me six and a half minutes to get out of the transition area. I would like to end this story on a happy note but, alas, I lost the race by 33 seconds. Great learning experience.

William Marshall: It was a short race with the half-mile swim in the Russian River, and I didn't known how to swim. I figured I could sidestroke, backstroke and dog-paddle upstream and if need be to float down the river coming back. My bike was an old 50-pound-plus bike with a kickstand and headlight. The only thing missing was the bell and the basket on front. I think I was very near the last one over the finish line. This was in ’84, and after I learned how to swim it has been downhill ever since.

Joann Pope: My first triathlon was the Tin Man at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. It was back in 1986 and was a very short race—quarter-mile swim, 11-mile bike and a 3-mile run. It got me hooked on triathlons for life.

Mike Plumb: Calloway Gardens Triathlon in September 1984. It was a 2km swim, 40km bike and 15km run. I remember how hard it was—I thought that it was going to be easy given my running background, and that I would win it easily. I ended up 17th overall. Afterwards, I felt like I had just raced a marathon. It hooked me, though. It was the next great challenge that I was looking for after running.

Roland Samuelson: Biscayne Bay Triathlon, Florida, March 2-4, 1983. Assistants were required to manage and care for your change of clothes and your equipment because it was a point-to-point race for the bike and run, and because this was the thinking in 1983. My wife (then girlfriend) was my assistant. This was my first triathlon because I wasn't able to do the first triathlon that I actually wanted to do in December 1982 because of a broken finger. I thought I had trained enough. I had actually simulated the open ocean water half-mile swim "distance" in a 25-yard swimming pool. I bought a used six-speed bike (about 38 pounds), and had actually ridden it 20 miles once. The bike leg was 15 miles. I had done several 10K road races and this was a 5K run leg. However: I almost didn't finish the rough-water swim, the swim-to-run transition was delayed because I had pinned my number completely through my T-shirt and I couldn't put my T-shirt on, and the mild wind during the entire bike leg felt like I was riding into a hurricane. The run was OK. The upbeat experience was that I was finally started passing people on the run, and I finished 3rd in my age group. I didn't fully understand this outcome until I discovered that there were only three people entered in my age group.

Tony Schiller: It was wonderful. I was thankful to not be seeded in a fast wave I'd foolishly requested. It would have been a disaster for me. It was fun finishing 900th out of 1000 in the water, riding my 30-pound junker 20mph past quite a few people and then running a certified 10K in 31 flat to win the run and move into the top 50. I was hooked.

Tom Shinners: It was the Bud Light Del Mar days, 1984. It was a positive experience. Swam open ocean one mile without drowning, ran in soft sand without falling and then crossed the finish line on my Schwinn Tour de Luxe touring bike without crashing. I think there was a train and track crossing problem, but then some memories do fade.

Bill Shirer: It was Bud Light Houston ‘86 or ‘87. I remember feeling like Gumby on the run after the bike. And the course was possibly the ugliest ever. Nothing beats biking by chemical plants. It was a fine experience. I didn't know any better, coming from Texas, you know.

Les Waddel: I had been racing bikes for a few years and swimming in high school and college prior to that. Then in 1978 I read about this new sport called triathlon, CRAZY! I could do the swim and bike but then to run 26 miles? I forgot about it until next year on Wide World of Sports [when I saw] first coverage of this triathlon thing. OK, you got my attention—all I have to do is learn how to run 26 miles. I began training and looking for a triathlon in California where I could try my new abilities. The Lodi Triathlon was the first available in the season. Actually, there were only about five triathlons that I could find at all in California at this time. I showed up at a small park on the north end of town with a small lake in the middle. There were men, women and kids, most exhibiting amazing physiques. I became very nervous when I spotted a few of the competitors prior to the race with Ironman finishers T-shirts on. The race began with a run around the park. I was amazed when I came in about 10th place. We hopped on our bikes and out of the park to the east we charged. I began picking off bikers, first one, then another. By the time I turned the corner back into the park, I was in fourth place. Dean Harper, in third place, and I dove into the lake at the same time. We swam stroke for stroke for about 100 yards. As I turned my head to breathe, a giant green skraggly piece of moss was draped across my face. I had to stop and get it off. I charged ahead to catch Dean. We both passed another competitor just before we scrambled out of the water and charged across the finish line, Dean second and I third!

-----

Top AGers list top races

March 7, 2001, Vista, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

Surely you have one—a race you wouldn’t miss for anything, one that you look forward to all year long. We asked our elite age-groupers to tell us a little about their favorites, and about some of the races they aspire to do. The results are in—Wildflower, St. Croix and the Escape from Alcatraz, along with Ironman races in Europe and Oceania, find their way onto lots of people’s to-do lists. Naturally, Ironman Hawaii is mentioned more than any other as a race to aspire to—and as a race to return to again and again.

Some people like the excuse of a race to, say, travel to someplace warm, like Florida, in the spring. Others like a really rugged challenge with some good scenery—which you can definitely find by the fistful at, for example, Ethel Autorino’s favorite race, The Survival of the Shawangunks. Many mentioned the obvious care a race director puts into his or her event—an excellent awards ceremony, a well-marshaled, safe course and good post-race food can make for a memorable day and a return trip the next year.

Have a look at our list and maybe you’ll find a new favorite to add to your own to-do list.

We asked: Tell us about your favorite race, and why you return to it year after year. Here’s what our age-groupers said:

Jon Adamson: Memphis in May is my favorite. I like the time trial start, the overall organization and the course.

Kes Aleknavicius: Ironman Canada: the location, the nature of the people in the race and the friendly help of those volunteering and cheering.

Ethel Autorino: The SOS in New Paltz, N.Y. is my favorite race. The entire name is Survival of the Shawangunks. You ride 30 miles (the last six uphill to the Lake Minnewaska parking lot), hand off your bike to your support crew, run up the mountain four miles, swim a quarter-mile across Lake Minnewaska, run five miles to Lake Awosting, swim a half-mile, run eight miles to Lake Mohonk, swim another half-mile and then run 0.7-mile up the mountain to the fire tower. It is the most beautiful race in the world. During the run on top of the mountains you can see five states. You end looking down on the beautiful Mohonk Mountain House.

Susan Bradley-Cox: Although I have several favorite races I like to return to each year, I will brag about Sylvania. It is a fun atmosphere with much recognition given to age-group triathletes. Joyce and Jim do a terrific job as race directors! Plus the course is safe and well-patrolled.

Roger Brockenbrough: St. Anthony's in St. Petersburg is my favorite. It feels so great to race in Florida in April after a winter in Pittsburgh and to see old friends as the season begins. Not only that, free beer after!

Simon Butterworth: It would be much easier for me to tell you about my least favorite race (I only have one), but those at the top of my list are several. They do have things in common—an outstanding race course, and those at the very top would include a superb location and the best race management. Hagg Lake, Ore. certainly hits all those points, as did the World Championship in Perth in 1997 and 2000 (except for the short run for the professional women). At Hagg Lake I found my concentration failing on the second bike loop—the location is magic.

Rich Clark: Wildflower. The combination of a very difficult course, the location, the history, and the multiple races that fill up the weekend of this event make it very special.

Ken DaVico: My favorite race has been the Saipan Tagaman Triathlon. It is a one-mile swim, 40-mile bike and 9.1-mile run. It is the spirit of the race that makes it the best. Wonderful volunteers, good director. People come out and sit by the roadside cheering. It has been a policy that the local contractors volunteer their services the evening before the race by bringing out their mobile air compressors and clearing off the road. It is just damn fun, in a fantastic setting with great people behind it. When it comes to Ironman qualifier races none are better than Keauhou-Kona (http://www.keauhoutriathlon.com/). The race director, volunteers and location could not be better. Food and the awards ceremony are always excellent. Course marshals are there and accurate in calls. Seems to draw a great group of contestants also. The best in the country always show for my age group.

Kevin Drake: My favorite race is Ironman Florida. The race was very well organized, the other participants were very nice and friendly, and the volunteers and spectators were all very encouraging. It didn't hurt that the course is flat and fast, and the weather was beautiful!

Amy Farrell: The Muskoka Long Course race is my absolute favorite because it was my first-ever tri and the place I qualified for Kona! About 30 seconds into the bike ride I realized that I was doing something I would love forever, and what a gorgeous place to figure it out! Great people, great scenery, great race—cold, clear Canadian water, huge pines everywhere, rolling hills. Love it all!

Bruce Gennari: My favorite race is the Gulf Coast Half-Ironman in Panama City. Besides the obvious reasons—sand, surf and sun. The course is flat and fast. The competition is also the best around. There are over 1,800 people competing in this race. The race is well directed and the awards breakfast the next day is second to none.

Rich Gizzie: I would have to say the Hawaii Ironman. It is so hard, and you never know how the conditions will be until you are out there race day. The only goal I realistically set for myself at Hawaii is just to finish. Everything else is bonus. There is no way you can set a time goal for yourself at that race. If you do, you will only become mentally frustrated when you hit the 50mph winds and see your predicted bike split go down the tubes. The only way you can prepare for Hawaii is if you put your bike on a trainer in a sauna/wind tunnel.

Cherie Gruenfeld: My favorite race is Ironman Hawaii and for the obvious reasons—the challenge, the competition, the Big Show. There is no other race like it. Other than Kona, I have two favorite races: Wildflower—the course is challenging, it's the first big race of the season, and you get to test yourself and assess the competition, the atmosphere is wonderful; and Keauhou-Kona—it's in Kona! You get to race fast on the Ironman course in the heat of the day. That makes it a different experience from Ironman.

Diana Hassel: My favorite race used to be Escape from Alcatraz until I experienced Ironman Hawaii. Everything about the race—from the volunteers to the weather conditions to the Queen K—is unbelievably great. (Oh, and the mai tais are pretty good, too!)

Ruth Kazez: I especially like Memphis in May because of its sensible start with each triathlete several seconds apart. Also, it's an easy race for so early in the season. Apart from the race, we always visit a first-rate zoo while we're there.

Lucia Kuehner: Ironman Hawaii 1998. Maybe because I just wanted to race there so badly and finally ended up at the starting line. The energy that’s around there in Kona is just amazing. It’s like a magic word that’s in the air all the time: Ironman! And then my finish: I got so much energy in the last 8 km that I overtook another three girls in my age group and fought with one of them very hard. In the end I made it and got second. That was something I never ever expected and the awards... amazing! Also my mum and dad and brother were in Kona, too. My boyfriend supported me in an indescribable way. All of that made the race unforgettable to me!

William Marshall: I think my favorite race was Ironman Canada, as this was my first
Ironman race and it was unbelievable. The people were so friendly, warm and supportive. The scenery was spectacular! I liked it so much I did it two more times. Coming across the finish line the first time was very emotional. All three of my finishes were within six minutes of each other.

Peggy McDowell-Cramer: Two, as they're at opposite ends of tri magnitude: the Los Angeles Triathlon series and Ironman Hawaii. The L.A. races are known as the Bonelli series (Bonelli is a huge county park near Pomona). They're local, the right price, friendly, well-run, great course, terrific competition. The tone is always upbeat and uplifting. The focus is on ALL. No matter how you race, you walk away from the awards saying, "That was fun." Ironman Hawaii: the luxury race. The social part of it is great, and the race is quite the challenge. It has created its own mental outlook of social closeness just by dint of people getting a slot there/being a part of a unique group. Race-wise, I love the even playing field: all start at the same moment, all do the same course, no drafting. Worlds: Not one race place, so this comment's about the fact of going to a world championship. Getting to race against the top of the world. Getting to know competitors from other nations. It's been very rich for me.

Joann Pope: My favorite race is St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida. The reason I like this race is because it is short and when I finish I don't hurt. Also, I am a member of the St. Pete Mad Dogs there and they go all-out to make you happy.

Mike Plumb: Heart of Dixie Triathlon in Philadelphia, Mississippi. It's a grass-roots triathlon, point to point, finishes on a dirt horse track and has huge silver cups for the winners. It is what triathlons used to be like 20 years ago.

Roland Samuelson: Ironman Hawaii. Why? A giga-reasons: The course doesn't change very often so you can accurately plan where you will be at any point in time. If you start to miss your arrival times at key points, then you know that: a) if you are early, the winds are light; b) if you are late, you will get progressively later at subsequent checkpoints because either it is more hot and windy than normal or your body isn't ready for the course. I am consistently good or bad at other races, but I'm always inconsistent at IM Hawaii. I want to do "my perfect" IM Hawaii race one day. The competition is the best of the best from around the world. Because of the training involved, I can feel comfortable that I won't develop the couch potato physique. I'm able to see many of my friends from across the globe all in one spot. I love hot weather.

Tony Schiller: My favorite race is in Minnesota—the Heart of the Lakes Triathlon. It's just a great race. I love to sleep in my own bed and drive in the morning to the event. Great atmosphere and energy.

Tom Shinners: My favorite race is Ironman USA in Lake Placid because it is both challenging, with a bike course that separates the men from the boys, and it is so very scenic. It is hard to get down on yourself when you’re surrounded by such natural beauty. The loops through town are a shot of adrenaline timed just right.

Bill Shirer: Buffalo Springs. The course is so difficult. You might go slow, but it is not ever easy.

Les Waddel: I've had many memorable races but the one that stands out the most has to be the Hawaii Ironman for a number of reasons. The focus of time and effort that goes into training for this distance of race is unimaginable to anyone who has not been there. You can tell it's a different race from the time you arrive in town. The support that the businesses give, the organization that begins at check-in, the FOOD, the volunteers, the FOOD, the post race awards ceremony, the FOOD. This is a race that you will not be able to say how you'll do 'til you finish—the environment changes. It's challenging!

Then we asked: Tell us about the races you’d like to do, and what attracts you to them? Here’s what our age-groupers said:

Jon Adamson: The Alcatraz triathlon held in August and put on by Dave Horning. I just want to do something different and challenging.

Ethel Autorino: I would like to do the Escape from Alcatraz. That really looks like a fun race.

Susan Bradley-Cox: I have always wanted to do Wildflower Triathlon. Living in Kentucky, I don't get the opportunity to go to California very often. I just hear such good things about the races there.

Roger Brockenbrough: I'd like to do the Wildflower long course some year. It seems to be a popular race and should be an interesting challenge.

Simon Butterworth: The Escape from Alcatraz is at or near the top of my must-do list. The idea of swimming a stretch of water once thought to be an impossible feat is the attraction (the location of the bike and run is certainly not shabby, either).

Ken DaVico: Ironman New Zealand in Taupo. I have done the old Auckland course and it was great but congested, with auto traffic over a portion of the bike course. The new location should solve that and add extreme beauty to the course. Swimming in Taupo will be a cold new challenge. The volunteers are not only great at providing the required stuff but are also great fun, lots of cheers and a bit of joking to boost your spirit. It will always have the best competition from New Zealand and draw some from other parts of the globe. When it's all over, what place could be better to extend the race into a vacation?

Kevin Drake: Ironman Hawaii. It is the Ironman World Championship with the best competition and most beautiful setting in the world.

Amy Farrell: Ironman USA because I lived in Lake Placid in the summer, trained on the course every day, and it's a magical place! I worked in a local bike shop, lived with a triathlete who’s done the race two years in row, and I'm so sick of watching and talking about it [that I] just wanna get out and try and tear it up!

Bruce Gennari: The race that I really want to do but haven't had the chance to do yet is Escape from Alcatraz. I believe this race would, and does, challenge a triathlete in every sense of the word. The frigid swim, the hilly bike and the sand stairs are enough to strike fear into even the most grizzled triathlete. And the location is nothing to sneeze at, either. I also see that the competition at this race is top-notch.

Cherie Gruenfeld: I'd like to do Ironman Australia and Ironman Austria because of the locations. I raced Ironman Germany and found it exciting to race with Europeans.

Diana Hassel: Someday I would like to compete at Ironman Austria. I have always wanted to travel to Austria, and I have heard only good things about the people and the race.

Peggy McDowell-Cramer: Maybe Memphis in May. Otherwise, races in Sweden. I did Long Course Worlds in Sater in 1999, which fulfilled part of that desire.

Ruth Kazez: Exotic location is the key for me. South America and the countries south of the Mediterranean would all be desirable. I might especially like to race in Turkey so I could shock all my in-laws.

Joann Pope: I would like to do St. Croix. I think the location is what piques my interest.

Mike Plumb: Wildflower Half-Ironman. Why? The challenge, all my friends that go to it each year, the competition, and the co-eds at the [mile 4] aid station.

Roland Samuelson: St. Croix Triathlon because it's a very tough race early in the season for Northern Hemisphere people. It is now a half-Ironman distance, and, other than sprint distances, this is my most successful triathlon distance to race.

Tony Schiller: The race I’ve done three times but never well is Hawaii. I want to someday be on the stand in Kona. To finish the race strong. But not this year.

Bill Shirer: Some race is California might be nice. I've never done one there before, and I hear they have some decent events. And it would be exotic, coming from Texas.

Les Waddel: I have enjoyed the World Championships lately, but a race that I haven't done that I would like to? None that I can think of right now. I do have events that I would like to do, such as: bike around the world chasing summer. I'd like to be the first 100-year-old triathlete. I'd like to do every Ironman race... in one year. Well, I can dream, can't I?

-----

Slow and steady wins the race

March 4, 2001, Taupo, New Zealand (www.triathlonlive.com):

California age-grouper Peggy McDowell-Cramer—a new arrival to the 60-64 age group—spent the past week preparing for, and racing, the Ironman New Zealand. This was her first time at Taupo, and she’s soaking up the environment. Her dispatches offer a unique glimpse into the mind of a meticulous, dedicated athlete making final preparations for a big race, and we thought you’d enjoy them.

You'll find them here.

McDowell-Cramer has competed both at nationals and at worlds, and has completed the Ironman World Championships.

-----

Triathlon's top amateurs follow pros into bike racing

February 27, 2001, Monterey, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

Bike racing during the winter/early spring is seen as a great way to hone cycling fitness and bike-handling skills during the off-season. Peter Reid, Jim Riccitello, Jurgen Zack, Mike Pigg, and of course most recently Spencer Smith, have tried their mettle against cycling's single-sport stars. Many of the top age-groupers we surveyed said they planned to try their hand at some races as well.

Among them will be:

• Bike terror Todd Gerlach (30-34) of Austin, Texas, who has already raced one USCF event this winter. "I rode the race as I would have if I was in mid-season form, but with my current fitness level I did not have the legs to execute the plan in my head," he said. "Change the strategy, you might say. Hogwash! Just get in better shape and try to punish them again." Gerlach regularly turns in punishing bike splits. He finished fourth and first amateur at Buffalo Springs Lake last year and was 12th at Ironman California after leading the bike ride for miles and miles.

• Dan Neyenhuis (55-59) of California. He’ll likely race the state tandem time-trial with his good friend Bill Leach, he says (Leach is himself a triathlon age-group legend). Neyenhuis was last year’s USTS champ in his age group. In the off-season, he also enjoys helicopter skiing in Canada.

• Harvard student Christoph O’Donnell, who plans on doing some USCF racing and will run outdoor track for the university. He hopes to turn pro after the World Championships this year. O’Donnell (20-24) placed sixth at nationals last year and third in ’99.

• Tom Shinners (45-49) of Virginia. He says he may try bike racing after Ironman California. " I have for the last few years given thought to racing USCF," he said. "That sentiment grows stronger each year, and if I am lucky enough to qualify for Hawaii early at Ironman California, then I suppose I will allot some time to race (road race and time-trial for sure, crits are somewhat more doubtful)." Shinners, 48, is a seven-time Hawaii Ironman finisher. He went 10:27 last year to finish seventh in his age group.

• Amy Farrell of New York, in her last year in the 18-24 age group. She plans to do some bike racing in the Lake Placid/Albany area, "soaking up as many hills as possible!" Farrell, who finished fourth in her age group at Ironman Hawaii last year, said she enjoys any ride on the Ironman Lake Placid course.

• Heidi Haussermann of California, who can usually be found racing both her mountain bike and her road bike during the Sea Otter Classic cycling festival in Monterey in mid-March. The four-day "unabashed celebration of the bicycle" features amateur and elite road racing and mountain bike racing, as well as trials, BMX and downhilling. Haussermann, in the 40-44 age group, plans to race long again this year and will be back to defend her podium spot at the Wildflower half-Ironman in May. In her first attempt at the long course last year, she finished second with a 5:33.

• Mike Llerandi is planning one USCF race this season, and it's a doozy: the Mt. Washington Hill Climb. He finished sixth (35-39) in last year's brutal conditions at Ironman Hawaii.

-----

Top AGs to going to Wildflower

February 27, 2001, Monterey, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

The long course half-Ironman at Wildflower is considered an early-season test for many long-distance triathletes on the West Coast of the U.S. It routinely sells out months in advance—this year before Christmas—and is considered the Woodstock of triathlon. Camping and a chance to see old friends and competitors rank it high on many must-do lists. And once it’s been done, it then becomes a "must go back" race—the challenge of the course make it a Rubic’s cube that many athletes will spend years trying to sort out.

So it isn’t surprising to see that this year’s Wildflower will feature some stiff competition in the age-group categories—despite the race’s loss of qualifying slots for the Ironman World Championships two years ago.

Rich Clark (60-64) will be back to defend his age-group win. Last year, he went 5:36 and finished a full hour ahead of his closest competitor. In 1999 he went 5:25 and won, too. He’ll be facing Bill Marshall, who turned in a 5:40 for seventh in 1999 while in the 55-59 category, and Roland Samuelson, last year’s champion in his age group at the Keauhou-Kona half-Ironman.

Cherie Gruenfeld (60-64), who won her age group in 1999 in a time of 5:47, will be back this year for another crack at the race. And John Dougery, who placed sixth last year in the 30-34 age group, has aged up into a new category and is listing himself as a possible starter at Wildflower.

Sure, look for stirring battles at the front of the race. But keep your eyes on the middle of the field. There’s bound to be some heavy action out there, too, over those famous hills.

-----

Nuovo pros

February 24, 2001, Tallahassee, Florida (www.triathlonlive.com):

2001 will mark the professional debut of several U.S. and foreign athletes who are stepping up from the age-group ranks to try making a living at the sport they love.

Among them are:

• College student Brian Fleischman, who plans to start his first season as a professional at Gulf Coast and continue on through Nationals, with likely stops at Memphis in May and Mrs. T’s. "I have done two USCF Cat 3 criteriums in preparation for the draft-legal ITU races which I plan on competing in," he said. The 22-year-old full-time student lives and trains in Tallahassee, where he just finished up his last year of eligibility with the Florida State University cross-country team. He won St. Anthony’s last year as an amateur and was second to Jeff Cuddeback at Gulf Coast. He earned second place at Nationals.

• Brian Lavelle, the 26-year-old Californian who turned pro last fall. This year, he plans to tackle his first long-course race at Wildflower. He also plans to do a little USCF racing to get himself used to draft-legal bike races. Last year he also raced at the ITU World Cup Cancun, finished sixth at the Triathlon at Pacific Grove and third at the NATS Championships. He was the first age-grouper in last year’s Olympic distance race at Wildflower.

• Tim Luchinske, 16th overall and first amateur in Kona last year. It was that result that spurred him to consider life as a pro triathlete. But it wasn’t just Kona where Luchinske shone last year: He finished 11th and first amateur at Ironman USA, and took sixth at the Buffalo Springs Lake Half-Ironman, 30 seconds ahead of The Man, Dave Scott. The Washington resident is coached by Thomas Chapple and is supporting himself by working part-time at Lew Composites while trying to train 30-40 hours a week.

• Susan Burr, who lives in the Northern Mariana Islands. She finished 18th in Kona—second amateur—last year and came sixth at the Keauhou-Kona Triathlon. "I'm better at longer races, so I'll probably focus on at least half-Ironman events," she said. Her long-term goals are a top-10 finish in Kona, to qualify for the Olympic Trials and to "still be doing triathlons when I'm 80." She works for the state of Hawaii’s Environmental Health Administration.

• Joanna Lawn of New Zealand, who will be making her pro debut at Ironman New Zealand. She finished fourth there last year, then went on to finish 25th—and fourth amateur—at Ironman Hawaii in the fall. She also was third at the Keauhou-Kona Triathlon, a race she won in 1999.

• Californian Alexis Waddel, who will also make her debut race at Ironman New Zealand—her first attempt at the distance. Last year, the 25-year-old Waddel was the 10th woman and first amateur across the finish line at the Wildflower Long Course in 5:01. She’d finished sixth in her age group at Worlds in Perth a week earlier. The next day at Wildflower, she finished first in her age group and sixth overall in the Olympic race. For 2001, she plans to return to Wildflower for the long course and she’ll be at Long Course Worlds in Fredericia, Denmark. She also plans to compete at the Triathlon at Pacific Grove in the fall. She says she’d like to try some World Cup races, too.

-----

Roeckert, Gruenfeld, take top IM age-group honors in La Jolla

February 14, 2001, La Jolla, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

Kai-Michael Roeckert was honored this past weekend at the Competitor Sports Awards as the Ironman Age-group Competitor of the year. The Tübingen-based teacher crossed the line in Kona in 9:01, first place in the 30-34 age group, ahead of countryman Alexander Lang. Roeckert was the 25-29 category winner last year in Kona.

He and his wife are expecting a child, and he therefore has an opportunity to take as much as two years off from his teaching job––but without pay. That allows him the time to train as a pro––should he decide to go in that direction––but not the finances. He'd have to secure sponsors first.

After spending a week in San Diego prior to the awards ceremony, Roeckert says he now understands why German stars like Jurgen Zäck and Normann Stadler like to train here.

Cherie Gruenfeld rules the lava fields like few others (Missy LeStrange, in the audience to watch Gruenfeld win her honor, is one of the few who have a more impressive Kona record). Gruenfeld has won her age-group in Kona four times in the past six years. Pretty good, considering she only started triathlons in 1991.

Gruenfeld gave perhaps the most eloquent speech on a night replete with endurance stars like Khalid Kannouchi, Pablo Morales, and Scott Tinley. She won the Ironman Competitor Award for women.

-----

Valerie Gattis: No more Mrs. Nice Guy

February 13, 2001, Louisville, Kentucky (www.triathlonlive.com):

The new leader of USA Triathlon’s Women’s Commission has issued a "call to arms" to the sport’s female leadership aimed at growing women’s participation in the sport.

Valerie Gattis—a triathlete for 15 years and a national-level USAT volunteer for five, most recently as chair of the Age Group Commission—said the response from all corners of the multisport world has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s been so good, in fact, that she’s working to put together a nationwide series of triathlon clinics aimed at novice women—with zero to three years in the sport—and focused around Danskin and Nike-sponsored women’s races. The clinics would be "put on by women, for women," Gattis said, and would focus on the basic how-tos of preparing for and racing a triathlon.

"It’s a new venture and we are very well-received," she said. "I have women from all sports—sailboarders, kayakers, adventure racers. I’ve got 20 women interested in doing what they can to promote women in multisport."

Gattis, in her email call to arms, cited statistics from triathlon’s national governing body that show women’s participation in triathlon on a steady rise, from 23.9 percent of competitors in February 1998 to 25.4 percent in January 2000. The greatest participation can be found in sprint and Olympic-distance races, where female competitors make up 26 percent and 23 percent of the field, respectively. As the distances get longer, women’s participation falls below 15 percent.

"The Women’s Commission has to be incredibly responsible to and for the continuation of this growth," she wrote in her email, urging women to set aside some time to get involved in helping continue the trend.

When Gattis, 48, began competing in triathlon in 1986, she said women typically made up less than 10 percent of the field.

-----

USAT announces its amateur triathletes of the year

January 23, 2001, Colorado Springs, Colorado (www.triathlonlive.com):

Tim Luchinske had a stellar year as an amateur triathlete, and he’s turning pro. His year was so good, in fact, that he’s been named USAT’s amateur of the year. While some might have thought Florida’s Jeff Cuddeback deserved the honor, it is hard to find fault with Luchinske’s season. John Brockenbrough of Pittsburgh was USAT’s male master of the year, again beating Cuddeback in the voting, and again the subject of a "pick ‘em." Either candidate would’ve been deserving. John Brockenbrough’s father, Roger, won the grandmaster’s title for duathlon.

Richard Clark won the grandmaster triathlon title in a race perhaps less tight, considering the great year Clark had.

Top female open and masters title went to Donna Kay Ness and Karen McKeachie respectively. Ethel Autorino won out over Sister Madonna Buder in the grandmaster category – quite a feat considering how soundly the well-known catholic nun trounces everyone in her age-group on a regular basis.

The rest of the results are below, along with those warranting an honorable mention (HM).

Male Open Winner: Tim Luchinske/Seattle, Wash./29 yrs. old
HM: Brian Fleischmann/Tallahassee, Fla./22 yrs. old
HM: Jeff Cuddeback/Longwood, Fla./42 yrs. old
HM: Pete Kain/Cupertino, Calif./37 yrs. old
HM: John Brockenbrough/Pittsburgh, Pa./42 yrs. old

Male Masters Winner: John Brockenbrough/Pittsburgh, Pa./42 yrs. old
HM: Jeff Cuddeback/Longwood, Fla./42 yrs. old
HM: Joe Bonness/Naples, Fla./45 yrs. old

Male Grandmasters Winner: Richard Clark/Tiburon, Calif./62 yrs. old
HM: Roger Brockenbrough/Pittsburgh, Pa./66 yrs. old
HM: Dick Robinson/Bonita, Calif./70 yrs. old
HM: Ken Nash/San Jose, Calif./72 yrs. old

Male Junior Winner: Imran Mahmood/Memphis, Tenn./16 yrs. old

Female Open Winner: Donna Kay-Ness/Enfield, Conn./37 yrs. old
HM: Heather Gollnick/Hartford, Wis./30 yrs. old
HM: Desiree Ficker/Potomac, Md./24 yrs. old

Female Masters Winner: Karen McKeachie/Ann Arbor, Mich./47 yrs. old
HM: Kathleen Hughes/Columbus, Ohio/42 yrs. old
HM: Laura Sophiea/Pleasant Ridge, Mich./45 yrs. old

Female Grandmasters Winner: Ethel Autorino/Edison, N.J./71 yrs. old
HM: Cherie Gruenfeld/Blue Jay, Calif./56 yrs. old
HM: Susan Bradley-Cox/Lexington, Ken./63 yrs. old
HM: Sr Madonna Buder/Spokane, Wash./70 yrs. old

Female Junior Winner: Sara McLarty/Deland, Fla./17 yrs. old

Female Open Winner: Heather Gollnick/Hartford, Wis./30 yrs. old

Female Masters Winner: Vickie Luebbers/Witchita, Kan./43 yrs. old
HM: Dianne Travis/Clermont, Fla./47 yrs. old

Female Grandmasters Winner: Pat Fossum/Montgomery, Ala./65 yrs. old
HM: Betty Skipp/Boulder, Colo./72 yrs. old
HM: Lynn Snowden/Louisville, Ken./67 yrs. old

Female Junior Winner: Terra Baker/Austin, Texas/20 yrs. old

Male Open Winner: Andy Ames/Boulder, Colo./38 yrs. old
HM: Eric McBride/Cincinnati, Ohio/26 yrs. old
HM: David Walters/Lisle, Ill./45 yrs. old
HM: Mike McCarty/New Bedford, Mass./55 yrs. old
HM: Kerry Mayer/Milwaukee, Wis./54 yrs. old

Male Masters Winner: David Walters/Lisle, Ill./45 yrs. old
HM: Kerry Mayer/Milwaukee, Wis./54 yrs. old
HM: Mike McCarty/New Bedford, Mass./55 yrs. old

Male Grandmasters Winner: Roger Brockenbrough/Pittsburgh, Pa./66 yrs. old
HM: Augusto Diamantini/Brookfield, Conn./66 yrs. old
HM: Warren Taylor/Telford, Pa./60 yrs. old

Male Junior Winner: Sean Ion/Shippenville, Pa./20 yrs. old

-----

DaVico grabs for the brass ring

January 19, 2001, Kauai, Hawaii (www.triathlonlive.com):

Two bike crashes exactly six months apart last year left age-grouper Ken DaVico with a pair of broken collarbones, 10 broken ribs and two punctured lungs along with the requisite road rash and bruises. And while the 64-year-old Kauai resident—a past winner of his age group at Ironman Hawaii and Ironman New Zealand, among others—may not be competing this year, he’s already got plans for his 2002 season. In the meantime, he’s fully enjoying his other passion—returning lost jewelry to people.

That’s jewelry that’s been lost in the sea, by the way.

In February 1999, DaVico wound up on "The Today Show" for finding a high school ring lost in 1967 and tracking down its owner in Pennsylvania, who thinks he lost it either while a student at Penn State University or while training for the Vietnam War. DaVico found the ring embedded in coral while snorkeling with a metal detector, a practice he routinely uses to find lost wedding rings for people.

DaVico also recently found and returned a class ring that had been buried on the ocean floor for 37 years. It was lost by a 9-year-old girl shortly after her father had given it to her. DaVico tracked down the family via Internet searches and returned the ring to the woman.

"Returning a ring is much like crossing that line on Alii Drive in Kona," DaVico said. "It takes an equal dedication for both, and the rewards for the inner self are priceless."

As for triathlon, DaVico says it’s the people who keep him enthused about the sport.

"When I won my age group at New Zealand a couple years ago, I was asked to come up on the stage and tell what motivated me. It was a surprise thing, and I am not very good with words.

"On my way up to the stage I thought about the question, and the answer was all around me. I simply answered by asking everyone to look around the room and said from my heart, ‘It's the people in this room, it's the people I meet training, those I meet at every start line, finish line or awards ceremony—that's what keeps me in triathlon.’"

DaVico says he’s "getting well again and enthused about competing," and plans to compete at Ironman New Zealand, the Keauhou-Kona Half-Ironman and Ironman Hawaii in 2002. He’ll be in a new age group then, so the already competitive 65-69 category just got a little more rugged.

-----

Busiest coach in the sport?

January 10, 2001, Malibu, California (www.triathlonlive.com):

He may be the busiest coach in triathlon. Ian Murray is the head coach for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training in Los Angeles. 2001 is the pilot program for the LA Chapter and, "We are sending 50 athletes to Wildflower for long course, Olympic and sprint."

He’s also the head coach for the Los Angeles Triathlon Club, with over 300 very active members racing all over the world. This team – previously Triathlete Zombies -- won last year’s Triathlon Club Regional Championships at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon. They also sent over 50 members to IM California.

Murray also helps "…organize the camps, clinics, and talks aimed at advancing the participation of our members at key races that range from micro sprints to Olympic distance to long course and to ultra distance events."

In his spare time Murray coaches a dozen or so multisport athletes privately. "I help triathletes, duathletes, cyclists and adventure racers prepare for everything from their first event to the national championships." He doesn’t coach big-time pros, although he’s coached pros in the past. "I find the rewards of helping a talented pro reach a pot of gold equally as marvelous as getting a first time Athena to the finish line."

In addition to the camps and clinics elsewhere, he holds monthly talks in his Malibu home on long term preparation for specific races. December's chat was directed at IM California, January’s talk will be for athletes bound for Wildflower long course."

Who passes out the chips and dip? Might be his wife, Alexandra Paul, herself an Ironman Hawaii finisher (with an interesting day job).

Murray’s also "…racing my ass off this year. Mostly road bike stuff early on then tris starting late April, where I'll be trying to help some of my La Grange teams mates make the podium."