IM Japan closed to travelers due to SARS scare
May 7, 2003, Tarpon Springs, Florida (www.slowtwitch.com):
Thinking of cherry-picking yourself into an IQ spot in IM Japan? Think again.
World Triathlon Corporation and organizers of the upcoming Ironman Japan Triathlon announced that due to the recent concern about the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia, the government on Goto Island, Japan, has limited participation in the May 18 Ironman Japan to triathletes currently living in Japan. No competitors will be permitted to travel from outside Japan to compete.
This travel ban affects a total of 48 athletes from 12 different countries including: Australia, England, Italy, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Philippines, South Africa, Switzerland, Hong Kong and the United States.
Entry fees for these athletes will be refunded in full and these athletes will receive complimentary entry into the 2004 Ironman Japan. World Triathlon Corporation has confirmed slots for displaced athletes interested in competing at Ironman Lanzarote in the Canary Islands (May 17), Ironman Brazil (May 24), or any other Ironman qualifying event this season.
Ironman Japan will provide competitors with a letter written by the mayor of Fukue Island explaining their decision, which should help athletes with travel insurance claims should they not be able to obtain a refund on air tickets and other travel bookings. For assistance with refunds and insurance claims, athletes should contact Graeme Hannan at -hannans@ozemail.com.au.
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Newby-Fraser, Tamura take Ironman Japan
May 13, 2002, Fukue Island, Japan (www.slowtwitch.com):
Ironman legend Paula Newby-Fraser added to her legend in Japan on Sunday, taking her 23rd Ironman win in convincing fashion over California’s Wendy Ingraham.
Ingraham’s swim in the rough and choppy conditions off Fukue Island was strong enough to win the leg outright, making her only the second woman in Ironman history to win the swim overall. (The first woman to do so was New Zealand’s Rina Hill at Ironman Switzerland in 2000.)
But she surrendered her lead to Newby-Fraser on the bike and the Queen of Kona never looked back to cross the tape more than 12 minutes clear of Ingraham in second. At 39 years and 335 days old, Newby-Fraser becomes the oldest person to win an Ironman, agent Murphy Reinschreiber reported.
"I had a solid day out there," said Newby-Fraser, now a five-time Ironman Japan champion whose last win in IM Japan came in 1992. "I stuck to my plan completely--I knew I didn't have the training under my belt to crank it up early, especially after seeing the course. I stayed very mellow early in the bike and didn't rush to catch Wendy. The first 30km was into a ridiculous headwind, and people were hammering too hard early. I caught Wing at about 60 miles and then just rode with her until the last 30 miles when I started to put the hammer down on the last climbs. I felt great the whole time--just stayed at upbeat training pace.
"On the run I just set my pace--pretty much even split the marathon--no low points the whole day. I didn't get any splits the whole day so just kept chugging along. The course was very tough, particularly the swim and bike. The race was amazingly well-organized right down to the chilled gels at the aid stations!"
Defending champion Yoko Okuda of Japan finished fourth after dropping a place to Martina Lang of Germany during the marathon.
In the men's race, Japan's Yoshinori Tamura successfully defended his title against a much stronger field this year--one that included two-time Ironman Australia champ and two-time third-place Kona finisher Normann Stadler of Germany.
Tamura was fifth off the hilly and windy bike ride--and nine minutes down on the leaders--but turned in a 2:40 marathon to vault into the lead. He's only one of three Japanese athletes to win an Ironman--and he's won three.
Stadler, with the ankle he hurt earlier this year on ice after the race, told Ironmanlive's Nick Munting that he "rode with one leg over the final kilometers of the bike then found the road running very hard." But his sub-3:00 marathon was good enough to keep him in fourth place overall behind Tamura and up-and-coming Aussies Courtney Ogden in second and Grant Webster in third.
Australia's Robyn Roocke and New Zealand's Joanna Lawn were expected on the start line but wound up as no-shows, Roocke with travel difficulties and Lawn with illness. On the men's side, South Africa's Glenn Gore and Australia's Matt Stevens also did not start.
Ironman Japan, now in the second year of its revival, drew a field of 900 athletes to Fukue Island in the Nagasaki Prefecture.
Fifty Kona slots were on offer, five for the pros and the remainder for age-groupers.
(RESULTS)
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Tomura runs to IM Japan win
July 23, 2001, Fukue Island, Japan (www.slowtwitch.com):
Yoshinori Tamura of Japan became the first champion of the reborn Ironman Japan in Gota, Nagasaki on Sunday. Tamura, down by eight minutes to Australian Jason Shortis at T2, ran a 3:01 marathon—the day’s fastest—in scorching heat and humidity to run down Shortis and finish just less than a minute up on the Aussie.
Tamura’s winning time of 9:09 was testament to the tough conditions of the race: 90 percent humidity and air temperatures that soared into the 90s as the day wore on. Add to that hilly run and bike courses and a 15-hour cutoff and it’s not surprising that there were 118 DNF’s from among the 712 starters.
Takumi Obara of Japan took third in 9:12, followed by countrymen Hayato Kawahara in 9:26 and Yuji Adachi in 9:40.
With his win, Tamura became the first Japanese triathlete to win Ironman Japan—and it was his second Ironman victory on the year, as he also took home top honors at Ironman Korea.
History was made in the women’s race, too, as Japan’s Yoko Okuda, who lives in Australia, became Japan’s first female Ironman champion in 10:40. Okuda and Australia’s Louise Davoren were seen as the pre-race favorites, but Davoren was forced out of the race during the bike ride when she broke two spokes on her front wheel and a spare could not be found in time.
Home second was Japan’s Noriko Yamakura, in 11:07, followed by 28-year-old age-grouper Sachi Kojima, in 11:43.
(RESULTS)
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Ironman Japan re-joins the Ironman field
October 13, 2000, Kona, Hawaii (www.slowtwitch.com):
Ironman Japan will be a new addition to the Ironman family in 2001 -- but it wasn't officially announced as such at the usual, pre-Hawaii Ironman press conference.
The media was waiting to hear World Triathlon Corp. president Lew Friedland talk about new races on Thursday, just as he did a year ago when he announced Ironmans in South Africa, California, Lake Placid, Malaysia and Korea for this year.
But -- Friedland said nothing, turning the time over to Saucony for its announcement of Luc Van Lierde's last-minute withdrawal.
What gives?, we asked Friedland.
Both races are a go, he said privately. But particularly in the case of Ironman Japan, "not all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed."
Still, the Ironman Japan organizers were talking up their July 22 race, at Fukue Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, at the Ironman expo before Saturday's Hawaii Ironman. Race entry forms will be available on November 16, which is also the date when the website, www.ironmanjapan.com, will be operational.
The Ironman Asia race in July at Cheju Island, Korea, occurred to so much success that organizers are switching off that original switch-off plan -- and an Ironman Japan will have its own time-and-place, separate of the Ironman in Korea.
For 2001, Ironman Asia will remain in Korea -- on June 10. The 100 slots that Ironman Asia had in 2000 will split into 70 slots for Ironman Korea, and 30 slots for the tentatively scheduled Ironman Japan on July 22.
There was, for years, a well-respected Ironman Japan until 1997. Then it was cancelled in 1998, for "construction on the course." In 1999, it was superceded by Ironman Asia -- a race that, as announced here last year, was going to alternate between Korean and Japanese venues each year.
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• IM Japan closed to travelers due to SARS scare
• Newby-Fraser, Tamura take IM Japan
• Tomura runs to IM Japan win
• Ironman Japan re-joins the Ironman field