Bentley runs sub-3 to take IM Canada
August 25, 2003, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Canada’s Lisa Bentley and South Africa’s Raynard Tissink claimed the women’s and men’s title respectively at the 2003 Subaru Ironman Canada triathlon, taking place on Sunday in Penticton and the surrounding Okanagan Valley.
Early in the week there was question whether or not the event would take place, as forest fires threatened the nearby communities of Kelowna and Okanagan Falls, on opposite ends of Penticton. But despite smoky conditions on race day, and last-minute course changes, the full event took place. Bentley, who claimed her fifth career Ironman title with the victory, used a superb run of two hours, 59 minutes and 56 seconds to win her first Subaru Ironman Canada title. The 34-year-old finished second to fellow Canadian Lori Bowden one year ago.
Bentley’s overall time of 9:21:18 was more than 25 minutes faster than second- place finisher Gillian Bakker’s overall time of 9:47:09. Bakker, the 2001 Subaru Ironman Canada champion, overtook Texan Andrea Fisher late in the run to finish second.
Fisher led throughout the day, posting the fastest swim among the women and led off the bike, but faded on the run to finish third in 9:51:20. Deanna Frank (Birmingham, Ala.) was fourth in 9:53:17, while Penticton’s own Barb Scatchard finished fifth in 9:56:56.
The men’s race really hit home for much of the Okanagan Valley that was suffering with major fires, as Naramata’s Tom Evans led throughout most of the event. Evans’ home in the nearby community was on evacuation alert due to the Kelowna wildfire that has claimed more than 250 homes. Despite that, Evans raced and held the lead throughout the day, until passed late on the run by Tissink, the 2002 Ironman Korea champion.
Tissink’s overall time of 8:35:11, was less than two minutes faster than second-place finisher Evans (8:37:01), while Gordo Byrn, who's from Canada, Hong, Kong, Australia, New Zealand, or the U.S. — take your pick — used the fastest marathon registered on the day (2:49) to finish third in 8:46:57. Faris Al-Sultan of Germany finished fourth in 8:48:45 with defending champion Garrett MacFadyen (Penticton, B.C.) fifth in 8:51:40.
(RESULTS)
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Bowden, MacFadyen take wins
August 26, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Ironman Canada celebrated its 20th running on Sunday, and Canadian athletes brought home victories in front of the home crowd to help that celebration.
Lori Bowden logged her fifth win in Penticton, and 35-year-old pro Garrett MacFadyen his first.
It was MacFadyen's first Ironman victory, and it came after he made up the deficit caused by a 1:02:42 swim that left him in 31st place out of the water. He put together the day's fastest bike and run splits to come home first in 8:30:57. Fellow Canadian Jasper Blake, who moved through the field on the run, took second 12 minutes back. Germany's Stefan Holzner was third, less than a minute behind Blake.
Aussie Chris Legh exited T2 with a five-minute lead off the bike. Early on the run, despite having what he called "an easy, controlled race," he started to cough up blood and withdrew from the race.
In a day of drama in the pro race, Bowden overcame a serious deficit at T2 to run herself into first place past Lori-Lynn Leach and fearsome runner Lisa Bentley. Bowden finished 13th overall, one place ahead of two-time Ironman Canada winner Mike McCormack of Canada, who at 42 was returning to racing after years of battling injury.
"As soon as I got on the bike I immediately knew there was absolutely nothing in my legs," said Bowden. "I was patient and just kept hoping they would come around but they didn't. After a very emotional spell, I decided to keep riding, even if it meant a 6-hour ride. I also decided that I would have some fun, no matter what. I started the run in the same frame of mind, just enjoy the race and keep moving. I kept eating my Clif Shots and started to feel pretty fluid and good, especially in comparison to how I felt on the bike. This rates as one of my most treasured wins. I wasn't even in the race for most of the day and the fact that I could keep things together and win is pretty amazing."
Bentley held on for second place, with Leach in third.
Athletes where vying for 100 Kona slots; pros split a $75,000 (Canadian) prize purse.
Ironman North American spokesman Shane Facteau said the swim start surpassed last year's world-record-setting figure with 2,040 athletes taking to the waters of Okanagan Lake, the most ever in an Ironman race. The previous record was set at Ironman Canada last year, with 1,992.
Complete results are at Ironmanlive.com.
(RESULTS)
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Ironman Canada 2001 signups now go to the lottery
August 30, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada (www.triathloncanada.com):
As expected, the 1,500 available places for people who stood in line on Monday to register for the 2001 Ironman Canada, are all gone. Now, everyone who wants "in" for the August 26, 2001, race, has to try his or her luck via an online registration for the lottery.
The lottery registration, via active.com, started Tuesday. It extends for two weeks, through midnight, September 11. The $20 application fee will go toward one's race entry (US$350) if you're selected. (And if you are not, it has cost you $20 to try).
About 100 more Penticton-area residents registered on Wednesday, two days after the registration for 1,500 open and closed. The Penticton people, who knew there were 100 slots reserved for them, were asked to respect the crowd and come back on Wednesday.
Some 145 more race slots will go to qualifiers in four Canadian races (Muskoka, 30; Victoria, 25; Stony Plain, 35; and Peterborough, 20), plus more from St. Cros (10) and Ironman California (25).
Pros -- there were about 70 this year -- take up more starting places.
Several dozen other slots are held open for tour groups from Germany, New Zealand and elsewhere. In all, race organizers will "overbook" the 2001 event, because of the predictable fall-out factor between registration and the race.
The 2000 race, last Sunday, set records for both the number of starters (1,815) and finishers (1,660). The previous year's race (1999) had 1,772 starters and 1,652 finishers.
"Absolutely everything went beautifully this year," race director Jeanine Prichard said on Wednesday afternoon. "The registration has been so orderly, too. But now it all goes to the lottery."
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Ironman Canada has a couple of winners in Reid, Bowden
August 28, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada (www.slowtwitch.com):
In spite of its deepest and most competitive pro field ever, Sunday's Subaru Ironman Canada went to a pair of homegrown winners, the husband-and-wife team of Peter Reid and Lori Bowden.
It was the second time that Reid and Bowden, currently the most celebrated Ironman-distance triathletes of today, both won an Ironman race. The first time, Ironman Australia in April 1999, they made Ironman history as the first husband-and-wife to win the same race on the same day.
This time, they did it again, and both with apparent ease. Reid won in 8:29:49, some 13 minutes faster than runner-up Stefan Holzner of Germany. Bowden had an even more incredible margin, as two of the top contenders, Donna Peters and Tara-Lee Marshall, both ended up dropping out. Bowden won in 9:17:23, to Laura Drake's runner-up 9:51:05.
It was, for Bowden, her fifth straight Ironman win. This time, she finished off with a 3:02:24 marathon.
Reid, like Bowden, had taken his lead on the bike. Ironman novice Ben Sanson, a swimming champion from France, had led everyone out of the water in 46:00. Reid came out in 51:07, then posted the fastest bike (4:45:15) and run (2:50:59) splits to win with comfort.
Defending champ Chuck Veylupek finished 11th.
(RESULTS)
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Ute Mueckel turns to Ironman Canada
August 14, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada (www.slowtwitch.com):
Germany's Ute Mueckel is the latest woman to enter the August 27 Ironman Canada after other Ironman efforts didn't work out this summer.
Mueckel joins USA's Andrea Fisher and Lauren Alexander, both DNFs from Ironman USA on July 30, and Canada's Jacqueline Lewis, whose leg injury kept her from starting Ironman California, on the late-signup list. They join Lori Bowden, winner the last three years here and the absolute favorite.
Mueckel is chasing after a place in the Hawaii Ironman, which she last raced in 1998 (and finished 17th). Since, she had focused on gaining qualification for the Olympics. She was ranked No. 78 by the ITU, but missed out when the German Olympic Committee decided to take only two women to Sydney, rather than the three it was allowed.
"Ute hasn't had much luck in 2000," said Thorsten Frahm, her manager. "But she will race to show her power.
"There was a problem and mistake with the slots after the Ironman in Roth, so Ute must go to start in an other Ironman to get a slot for Hawaii.
"When the year 2000 was starting, Ute was only go to train for short triathon and Olympics. She was the third woman (after Anja Dittmer and Joelle Franzmann), but the DTU didn´t take her for the team.
"Then Ute changed and was the third woman in the Ironman Europe (after Heather Fuhr and Lisa Bentley). But on the day after the race, something went wrong with the slot, and she wasn't able to get it. Now she must go to start in one more Ironman to get the slot for Hawaii 2000."
In Roth, Mueckle did 9:38:18, just six minutes off of Fuhr's winning 9:32:08 pace.
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Bowden and a cast of Canadians for Ironman Canada
August 8, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada (www.slowtwitch.com):
With four different Canadian winners in five Ironmans so far, 2000 is shaping up as the "Year of the Canadian Woman." Victoria's Lori Bowden -- already a winner in April in Ironman Australia -- hopes to continue that trend at the August 27 Ironman Canada.
So do, actually, a whole cast of Canadian would-be winners, including Julie Curwin, Cheryl Murphy, Jill Savege and Barb Scatchard.
None are well-known beyond Canada the way Bowden is, but then again, neither was Lisa Bentley when she won in Ironman New Zealand in March. (The other two with Ironman titles worldwide in '00 are Heather Fuhr, in both California and Europe, and Melissa Spooner two weeks ago in USA/Lake Placid).
Bowden's husband, Peter Reid, is favored to win the men's race. Chuck Veylupek, the spirited winner of the 1999 event, was announced on Monday as returning to Penticton. Also back is Shingo Tani, the Japanese who tooks second in a very close race last year: These three men should lead the pack.
Here, according to the race's website, is the list of who is expected:
- Men from Australia: Evan Moore
- Men from Canada: Mark Bates, Jasper Blake, Brendan Brazier, Jamie
Cleveland, Charlie Cooper, Kein Cutjar, Dave Dawson, Mike Flegel, Dean
Gavan, Garrett MacFayden, Darren Mealing, Rob Nielson, Peter Oyler, Richard
Pady, Joel Wilkinson
- Men from Japan: Makoto Imaeda, Shingo Tani
- Men from New Zealand: Bryan Rhodes, Andrew Vane
- Men from USA: Nicholas Cady, Kirk Framke, Ryan Huckabay, Brent Imonen,
Troy Jacobson, Tim Key, Bob Korock, Nenad Rodic
- Women from Canada: Lori Bowden, Julie Curwin, Cheryl Murphy, Jill Savege,
Barb Scatchard
- Women from New Zealand: Tara-Lee Marshall
- Women from USA: Lee DiPietro, Teri Duthie, Amy Hollingsworth-Caldwell
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Signup procedure for 2001 Ironman Canada detailed
August 2, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada (www.slowtwitch.com):
Organizers of Ironman Canada have at last announced the details for how the 2001 Ironman Canada race will be filled -- and it's actually not much different from how registration for the 2000 event was handled.
That is, it could potentially fill up in one single day -- just as the 2000 race did.
The procedure is this, as announced on the race's website on Wednesday: "On-site sign-up will begin at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Monday, Aug. 28 at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. Entries on-site will be limited to two person (the person in line and one other entry). Registration on-site will go until all applications have been filled, or all athletes attempting to sign up have done so."
The 1999 event had 1,770 starters. For 2001, each entrant will pay $350 as a registration fee.
If there are slots remaining after the on-site registration, there will be an online "lottery" registration starting on Tuesday, August 29, via Active.com.
After two weeks, Active.com will award spots by random selection. Active.com will then inform ALL athletes who applied for lottery whether their application has been selected or not via e-mail.
Additionally, there will also be 145 qualifying spots for the race from the following events:
St. Croix International Triathlon- 10 Ironman California-25 Muskoka- 30 Victoria- 25 Stony Plain- 35 Peterborough- 20
There will also be 100 spots reserved for locals.
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Poole's the one for Ironman Canada
January 28, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada (www.slowtwitch.com):
Drive a truck on race day enough times, work enough aid stations, and eventually someone in the race organization might notice and promote you. That's what has happened for Barry Poole, who now assumes the title of the sole race director for the Subaru Ironman Canada.
The longtime Penticton resident, a do-everything volunteer on the race since 1992, had been co-race director with Chris Gdanski since 1997. With more than 1,800 competitors each August, the race is one of the world's most popular Ironmans. Need proof? The 2000 race, scheduled for August 27, reached its registration limits only nine hours after the doors to sign up swung open on the day following the 1999 event.
Gdanski will still be on the race site: He has been promoted to technical director for Ironman North America, the Ontario-based company that organizes four Ironmans in Canada (one) and the U.S. (three).
And Poole's family will be on hand on race day, too. His wife, Judy, serves as the event's golf committee captain and the water captain.
Here's what Poole gets to deal with next August 27:
- A field that tops out at 1,848, plus however many pros show up;
- A field that is 76 percent men, 24 percent women;
- A race with 321 men in the 35-39 age group, the largest (17.4 percent) category in the field;
- A race with 927 entrants from Canada (50.2 percent), 838 from the U.S. (45.3 percent) and 19 other countries represented.
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• Bentley runs sub-3 to take IM Canada
• Bowden, MacFadyen take wins
• Ironman Canada 2001 signups now go to the lottery
• Ironman Canada has a couple of winners in Reid, Bowden
• Ute Mueckel turns to Ironman Canada
• Bowden and a cast of Canadians for Ironman Canada
• Signup procedure for 2001 Ironman Canada detailed