Kona Age-Group Coverage

Here’s a look at how things went on the Queen K for the majority of the 1,500 racers at the Hawaii Ironman—the age-groupers. As has been widely reported, it was a rough-and-tumble day in Kona, with conditions said to be the worst in recent memory: vicious head- and crosswinds, rain at some points, then blistering heat and humidity. For age-groupers toward the middle and back of the pack, conditions were said to be even worse: while some riders had the benefit of a tailwind on the return from Hawi, many didn’t get to savor that treat but instead just battled more wind, coming from a different direction.

Many were blown off their bikes by sudden crosswinds. Sister Madonna Buder, locked in a battle with fellow 70-74-year-old Ester Autorino, was one victim. She told Inside Triathlon that she feels lucky to be alive after the crash that left her with a broken scapula, many cuts and bruises and 20 stitches on her face. She’s now on the mend at home in Washington state.

Then there was the story of Katie Knight-Perry, competing as the lone entrant in the women’s 65-69 category. Katie lost husband Ralph to cancer in December, and was racing on his birthday in his honor. Katie, with seven Kona finishes to her credit, crossed the finish line in 17:04—just four minutes beyond the midnight cutoff. Together, Katie and Ralph helped found and organize the world-famous St. Pete Mad Dogs Triathlon Club, which now boasts 1,000 members, many of whom were on hand in Kona to cheer their fellow club members.

MEN 18-24

1999’s second-place finisher, Daniel Blankenfuland of Germany (9:12), took four minutes OFF of his time in this year’s brutal conditions to win the division by almost a half-hour. His bike time? 4:51. Second was Fabio Carvalho of Brazil in 9:34, followed by Matthias Heim of Germany in 9:39.

WOMEN 18-24

Elizabeth Anderson of the U.S., who finished in fourth in 1999 with a 10:46, claimed victory in 10:41. She was followed by Desiree Ficker of the U.S. in 10:45, who took a half-hour off her seventh-place finish time of 11:15 last year. Third place went to Wenke Kujala of Germany in 11:19. And Lokelani McMichael (left) of the U.S. repeated her tenth-place finish from last year in 12:39. She holds the record for the youngest finisher (18) in the Ironman with her 15:21 in 1995. Last year’s winner, Veronica Avene of Argentina, did not finish.

MEN 25-29

Tim Luchinske of the U.S. took this category in 8:50, moving up five places and taking 20 minutes off his time from 1999. Behind him was Bruno Von Flue of Switzerland in 8:51, and Lance Muzslay of the U.S. in 9:12. Didier Curtet (left) of France, a fourth-place finisher (9:09) last year, was seventh in 9:22.

WOMEN 25-29

Joanna Lawn of New Zealand topped this age group in 10:28, followed by Susanna Gaunt of the U.S. in 10:42 and Kim Liljeblad of the U.S. in 10:44. Last year’s second-place finisher, Carolyn Lowe-Thompson of the U.S. (10:17), the sole representative of last year’s top 10, finished in fourth with a 10:47.

MEN 30-34

Kai-Michael Roeckert, champion of last year’s 25-29 men’s race, aged up—and took victory in his new age group with a 9:01. Last year’s champion, Alexander Lang of Germany (8:56), finished just a minute behind him in 9:02. Michal Pilousek of the Czech Republic reprised his third-place performance from 1999 with 9:10. Another notable in this age group was team Telekom cyclist Udo Boelts of Germany, completing his first-ever Ironman in 10:02, good for 39th place. His bike split: 4:42, the fastest in the group.

WOMEN 30-34

Susan Burr of the U.S. nabbed first place in 10:22, with Maria Monica of the U.S. in second with a 10:26. Diana Hassel of the U.S. took third with a 10:31, while last year’s second-place finisher, Yoko Hori of Japan (10:21), was fourth in 10:41. Last year’s third-place finisher, Martina Lang of Germany (10:28), came eighth with 10:55.

MEN 35-39

Len Gushe of Canada emerged the winner in 9:25. He put time into the field early with a 51-minute swim. Rod Raymond of the U.S. was second in 9:37. Last year’s third-place finisher, Frank-Paul Muschalek of Germany (9:23), earned third again in 9:37. This is also the age group containing ex-professional cyclist Steve Hegg of the U.S., who finished his first Ironman in 11:23—with a 5:01 bike split, the fastest in his age group.

WOMEN 35-39

Donna Kay-Ness of the U.S. topped this age group in 10:19. Sandy Gresko of the U.S., age-group champion in 1998 and 1999, finished sixth in 10:57. Anim Marx of Canada did a 10:38 for second, while Karen Embrey of the U.S. finished third in 10:45. New arrivals to this age group, Francoise Wellekens of Belgium, last year’s seventh-place finisher (10:48), finished ninth in 11:03 while countrywoman Florence Crowet, who finished eighth in 1999 with a 10:51 and third in 1998 with a 10:53, came 12th in 11:14.

MEN 40-44

Jeffrey Cuddeback of the U.S. was victorious in 9:05, followed by John Brockenbrough of the U.S. in 9:43. In third was Robert Fink of the U.S. (9:46), 1998’s second-place finisher in 9:30. Cuddeback also put time into the field early with a 51-minute swim. Last year’s second-place finisher, Chuck Sperazza of the U.S., finished sixth in 9:56. I spot another familiar name here, Bart Yasso of Runner’s World magazine, who finished in 11:43.

WOMEN 40-44

Kelly Molaski of the U.S., fifth in ’99 with a 10:49 and second in ’98 with an 11:13, nabbed the top prize this year with a 10:55. Teresa Rider of Australia was second in 11:10, followed by Maria-Teresa Raether of Germany in 11:25. Raether, racing in a new age group in 2000, finished seventh last year in 10:52.

MEN 45-49

This year’s race featured past champions from the last two years and a few who were new to the age group, but not to the top five. Last year’s winner, Cliff Rigsbee, finished 30th in 11:27. But the winner was Norimitsu Shiromoto of Japan in 9:38. In second was Kalli Nottrodt of Germany in 9:48—adding to his1998 championship and his second place from last year. A new arrival to the age group, last year’s fourth-place finisher Joe Boness of the U.S., finished third in 9:56. Last year’s ninth-place finisher, Kevin Moats of the U.S., moved up to fourth this year in 10 hours flat.

WOMEN 45-49

Missy LeStrange of the U.S. continued her string of dominating performances in the lava fields. She scored her twelfth age-group win with an 11:16. Magdalena Lobbert of Germany finished second to LeStrange again (something she did in 1998, too) in 11:42. In third was Laura Sophiea of the U.S. in 12:02.

MEN 50-54

On paper, this looked like a super-competitive race—and it didn’t disappoint. Brian Barr of the U.S. emerged as the winner in 10:33. Nino Michelon of Austria was second in 10:42, reprising his second-place performance from 1999. Hansjorg Fassler of Switzerland, last year’s seventh-place finisher (10:47) and the winner in ’98 (10:26), took third in 10:43. Steven Smith of the U.S., runner-up in 1998, came fifth in 10:51. The third-place finisher from 1999, Allan Pitman of Australia, took sixth in 10:55. More top ten performances were repeated by last year’s fifth-place finisher Jack Boyster of the U.S., who finished ninth in 10:58, and Fred Clayton of the U.S., who again took tenth place in 11:10.

WOMEN 50-54

This was another field thick with returning champions and top-10 finishers. First place went to Sandi Wiebe of the U.S. in 12:19, with last year’s champion, Diane Ridgway of the U.S. (12:06), finishing behind her in 12:25. Jo Adamson of the U.S., who finished fourth in ’99 with a 13:08, finished fifth this year with a 13:36. 1998’s champion, Lesley Cens-McDowell (left) of the U.S., finished in eighth in 14:09.

MEN 55-59

Pierre Manz of Switzerland, second in 1998 in 11:32, triumphed this year in 11:09:42, apparently one of the many competitors who seem to thrive in rough conditions. Just 18 seconds behind him was Griff Weste of Australia, 11:10 flat. In third was Dennis West of the U.S. in 11:31. Michael Keiser of the U.S., eighth last year with an 11:56, moved up a place to seventh with a 12:04.

WOMEN 55-59

Defending champion Cherie Gruenfeld of the U.S. retained her title in 12:25. Cherie also holds the distinction of being the first 50-plus woman to go under 12 hours, a feat she accomplished in 1999 with an 11:58. Mariana Phipps of the U.S. took second in 12:49, while Monique Blattmann of Switzerland came third in 13:06.

MEN 60-64

Richard Clark of the U.S. defended his title in a time of 11:41, just minutes off of his winning pace of 11:35 from the year earlier. Joachim Sackel of Germany nabbed second place two minutes back in 11:43. In third with an 11:59 was Jon Adamson of the U.S., who finished fourth last year with a 12:23. Bruce Buchanan of the U.S., champion of the 55-59 men last year, aged up and finished fifth this year in 12:46.

WOMEN 60-64

The championship went to 1998’s third-place finisher, Harriet Anderson of the U.S., in 15:31—a more than 20-minute improvement over her finish time from that year, when conditions were also challenging. Annmarie Demonte of the U.S. was second with a 15:38, followed by Daphne Belt of Great Britain in 16:30.

MEN 65-69

Roger Brockenbrough of the U.S. took the top spot in this age group in 14:08. In second was Joe McReynolds of the U.S. in 15:06, and behind him was Matija Horvat of Slovenia in15:35. Keiichiro Nakahara of Japan, last year’s eighth-place finisher in 15:01, moved up a place with a time of 16:13, a testament to the difficult conditions.

WOMEN 65-69

Katie Knight-Perry of the U.S. was the lone competitor here, finishing just after the midnight cutoff in 17:04.

MEN 70-74

This one was shaping up as an epic battle, with three top finishers from the 65-69 age group moving up into this category for 2000. In the end it was Bob Scott (left) of the U.S., last year’s champion of the 65-69 age group, who triumphed in 13:13. Behind him in second was Dick Robinson of the U.S. in 13:32, followed by Lewis Hollander of the U.S. in third in 14:57—he went 14:52 last year for seventh place in his old age group. Ken Nash of the U.S., who went 16:10 last year for sixth place, improved to 15:12 to take fourth place, while Bill Albrecht of the U.S. went 16:44 for seventh place. He finished fifth last year in 15:42, and second in ’98 with a 15:21. A deep and consistent field, was this one.

WOMEN 70-74

The battle for this age group went to Ethel Autorino of the U.S. in 15:19. Sister Madonna Buder of the U.S., who holds the course records for the 60-64 and 65-69 age groups, saw her race end on the bike course when she was blown off in a sudden crosswind.

MEN 75+

Newcomer to this age group Robert McKeague, who went 15:51 in ’98 as a 70-74, took the title in 15:53. He was the lone competitor in the three-man field to finish within the cutoff. Perennial competitor Bill Bell of the U.S. did not finish by midnight. William Gordon of the U.S. did not finish.

MEN 80+

Norton Davey of the U.S. was thwarted by the rough conditions in his attempt to become, at 82, the oldest person to complete the Hawaii Ironman.

KONA AGE-GROUP MEN'S RESULTS






			AGE-GROUP POST-RACE REDUX Here’s a look at how things went on the Queen K for the majority of the 1,500 racers at the Hawaii Ironman—the age-groupers. As has been widely reported, it was a rough-and-tumble day in Kona, with conditions said to be the worst in recent memory: vicious head- and crosswinds, rain at some points, then blistering heat and humidity. For age-groupers toward the middle and back of the pack, conditions were said to be even worse: while some riders had the benefit of a tailwind on the return from Hawi, many didn’t get to savor that treat but instead just battled more wind, coming from a different direction. Many were blown off their bikes by sudden crosswinds. Sister Madonna Buder, locked in a battle with fellow 70-74-year-old Ester Autorino, was one victim. She told Inside Triathlon that she feels lucky to be alive after the crash that left her with a broken scapula, many cuts and bruises and 20 stitches on her face. She’s now on the mend at home in Washington state. Then there was the story of Katie Knight-Perry, competing as the lone entrant in the women’s 65-69 category. Katie lost husband Ralph to cancer in December, and was racing on his birthday in his honor. Katie, with seven Kona finishes to her credit, crossed the finish line in 17:04—just four minutes beyond the midnight cutoff. Together, Katie and Ralph helped found and organize the world-famous St. Pete Mad Dogs Triathlon Club, which now boasts 1,000 members, many of whom were on hand in Kona to cheer their fellow club members. MEN 18-24 1999’s second-place finisher, Daniel Blankenfuland of Germany (9:12), took four minutes OFF of his time in this year’s brutal conditions to win the division by almost a half-hour. His bike time? 4:51. Second was Fabio Carvalho of Brazil in 9:34, followed by Matthias Heim of Germany in 9:39. WOMEN 18-24 Elizabeth Anderson of the U.S., who finished in fourth in 1999 with a 10:46, claimed victory in 10:41. She was followed by Desiree Ficker of the U.S. in 10:45, who took a half-hour off her seventh-place finish time of 11:15 last year. Third place went to Wenke Kujala of Germany in 11:19. And Lokelani McMichael (left) of the U.S. repeated her tenth-place finish from last year in 12:39. She holds the record for the youngest finisher (18) in the Ironman with her 15:21 in 1995. Last year’s winner, Veronica Avene of Argentina, did not finish. MEN 25-29 Tim Luchinske of the U.S. took this category in 8:50, moving up five places and taking 20 minutes off his time from 1999. Behind him was Bruno Von Flue of Switzerland in 8:51, and Lance Muzslay of the U.S. in 9:12. Didier Curtet (left) of France, a fourth-place finisher (9:09) last year, was seventh in 9:22. WOMEN 25-29 Joanna Lawn of New Zealand topped this age group in 10:28, followed by Susanna Gaunt of the U.S. in 10:42 and Kim Liljeblad of the U.S. in 10:44. Last year’s second-place finisher, Carolyn Lowe-Thompson of the U.S. (10:17), the sole representative of last year’s top 10, finished in fourth with a 10:47. MEN 30-34 Kai-Michael Roeckert, champion of last year’s 25-29 men’s race, aged up—and took victory in his new age group with a 9:01. Last year’s champion, Alexander Lang of Germany (8:56), finished just a minute behind him in 9:02. Michal Pilousek of the Czech Republic reprised his third-place performance from 1999 with 9:10. Another notable in this age group was team Telekom cyclist Udo Boelts of Germany, completing his first-ever Ironman in 10:02, good for 39th place. His bike split: 4:42, the fastest in the group. WOMEN 30-34 Susan Burr of the U.S. nabbed first place in 10:22, with Maria Monica of the U.S. in second with a 10:26. Diana Hassel of the U.S. took third with a 10:31, while last year’s second-place finisher, Yoko Hori of Japan (10:21), was fourth in 10:41. Last year’s third-place finisher, Martina Lang of Germany (10:28), came eighth with 10:55. MEN 35-39 Len Gushe of Canada emerged the winner in 9:25. He put time into the field early with a 51-minute swim. Rod Raymond of the U.S. was second in 9:37. Last year’s third-place finisher, Frank-Paul Muschalek of Germany (9:23), earned third again in 9:37. This is also the age group containing ex-professional cyclist Steve Hegg of the U.S., who finished his first Ironman in 11:23—with a 5:01 bike split, the fastest in his age group. WOMEN 35-39 Donna Kay-Ness of the U.S. topped this age group in 10:19. Sandy Gresko of the U.S., age-group champion in 1998 and 1999, finished sixth in 10:57. Anim Marx of Canada did a 10:38 for second, while Karen Embrey of the U.S. finished third in 10:45. New arrivals to this age group, Francoise Wellekens of Belgium, last year’s seventh-place finisher (10:48), finished ninth in 11:03 while countrywoman Florence Crowet, who finished eighth in 1999 with a 10:51 and third in 1998 with a 10:53, came 12th in 11:14. MEN 40-44 Jeffrey Cuddeback of the U.S. was victorious in 9:05, followed by John Brockenbrough of the U.S. in 9:43. In third was Robert Fink of the U.S. (9:46), 1998’s second-place finisher in 9:30. Cuddeback also put time into the field early with a 51-minute swim. Last year’s second-place finisher, Chuck Sperazza of the U.S., finished sixth in 9:56. I spot another familiar name here, Bart Yasso of Runner’s World magazine, who finished in 11:43. WOMEN 40-44 Kelly Molaski of the U.S., fifth in ’99 with a 10:49 and second in ’98 with an 11:13, nabbed the top prize this year with a 10:55. Teresa Rider of Australia was second in 11:10, followed by Maria-Teresa Raether of Germany in 11:25. Raether, racing in a new age group in 2000, finished seventh last year in 10:52. MEN 45-49 This year’s race featured past champions from the last two years and a few who were new to the age group, but not to the top five. Last year’s winner, Cliff Rigsbee, finished 30th in 11:27. But the winner was Norimitsu Shiromoto of Japan in 9:38. In second was Kalli Nottrodt of Germany in 9:48—adding to his1998 championship and his second place from last year. A new arrival to the age group, last year’s fourth-place finisher Joe Boness of the U.S., finished third in 9:56. Last year’s ninth-place finisher, Kevin Moats of the U.S., moved up to fourth this year in 10 hours flat. WOMEN 45-49 Missy LeStrange of the U.S. continued her string of dominating performances in the lava fields. She scored her twelfth age-group win with an 11:16. Magdalena Lobbert of Germany finished second to LeStrange again (something she did in 1998, too) in 11:42. In third was Laura Sophiea of the U.S. in 12:02. MEN 50-54 On paper, this looked like a super-competitive race—and it didn’t disappoint. Brian Barr of the U.S. emerged as the winner in 10:33. Nino Michelon of Austria was second in 10:42, reprising his second-place performance from 1999. Hansjorg Fassler of Switzerland, last year’s seventh-place finisher (10:47) and the winner in ’98 (10:26), took third in 10:43. Steven Smith of the U.S., runner-up in 1998, came fifth in 10:51. The third-place finisher from 1999, Allan Pitman of Australia, took sixth in 10:55. More top ten performances were repeated by last year’s fifth-place finisher Jack Boyster of the U.S., who finished ninth in 10:58, and Fred Clayton of the U.S., who again took tenth place in 11:10. WOMEN 50-54 This was another field thick with returning champions and top-10 finishers. First place went to Sandi Wiebe of the U.S. in 12:19, with last year’s champion, Diane Ridgway of the U.S. (12:06), finishing behind her in 12:25. Jo Adamson of the U.S., who finished fourth in ’99 with a 13:08, finished fifth this year with a 13:36. 1998’s champion, Lesley Cens-McDowell (left) of the U.S., finished in eighth in 14:09. MEN 55-59 Pierre Manz of Switzerland, second in 1998 in 11:32, triumphed this year in 11:09:42, apparently one of the many competitors who seem to thrive in rough conditions. Just 18 seconds behind him was Griff Weste of Australia, 11:10 flat. In third was Dennis West of the U.S. in 11:31. Michael Keiser of the U.S., eighth last year with an 11:56, moved up a place to seventh with a 12:04. WOMEN 55-59 Defending champion Cherie Gruenfeld of the U.S. retained her title in 12:25. Cherie also holds the distinction of being the first 50-plus woman to go under 12 hours, a feat she accomplished in 1999 with an 11:58. Mariana Phipps of the U.S. took second in 12:49, while Monique Blattmann of Switzerland came third in 13:06. MEN 60-64 Richard Clark of the U.S. defended his title in a time of 11:41, just minutes off of his winning pace of 11:35 from the year earlier. Joachim Sackel of Germany nabbed second place two minutes back in 11:43. In third with an 11:59 was Jon Adamson of the U.S., who finished fourth last year with a 12:23. Bruce Buchanan of the U.S., champion of the 55-59 men last year, aged up and finished fifth this year in 12:46. WOMEN 60-64 The championship went to 1998’s third-place finisher, Harriet Anderson of the U.S., in 15:31—a more than 20-minute improvement over her finish time from that year, when conditions were also challenging. Annmarie Demonte of the U.S. was second with a 15:38, followed by Daphne Belt of Great Britain in 16:30. MEN 65-69 Roger Brockenbrough of the U.S. took the top spot in this age group in 14:08. In second was Joe McReynolds of the U.S. in 15:06, and behind him was Matija Horvat of Slovenia in15:35. Keiichiro Nakahara of Japan, last year’s eighth-place finisher in 15:01, moved up a place with a time of 16:13, a testament to the difficult conditions. WOMEN 65-69 Katie Knight-Perry of the U.S. was the lone competitor here, finishing just after the midnight cutoff in 17:04. MEN 70-74 This one was shaping up as an epic battle, with three top finishers from the 65-69 age group moving up into this category for 2000. In the end it was Bob Scott (left) of the U.S., last year’s champion of the 65-69 age group, who triumphed in 13:13. Behind him in second was Dick Robinson of the U.S. in 13:32, followed by Lewis Hollander of the U.S. in third in 14:57—he went 14:52 last year for seventh place in his old age group. Ken Nash of the U.S., who went 16:10 last year for sixth place, improved to 15:12 to take fourth place, while Bill Albrecht of the U.S. went 16:44 for seventh place. He finished fifth last year in 15:42, and second in ’98 with a 15:21. A deep and consistent field, was this one. WOMEN 70-74 The battle for this age group went to Ethel Autorino of the U.S. in 15:19. Sister Madonna Buder of the U.S., who holds the course records for the 60-64 and 65-69 age groups, saw her race end on the bike course when she was blown off in a sudden crosswind. MEN 75+ Newcomer to this age group Robert McKeague, who went 15:51 in ’98 as a 70-74, took the title in 15:53. He was the lone competitor in the three-man field to finish within the cutoff. Perennial competitor Bill Bell of the U.S. did not finish by midnight. William Gordon of the U.S. did not finish. MEN 80+ Norton Davey of the U.S. was thwarted by the rough conditions in his attempt to become, at 82, the oldest person to complete the Hawaii Ironman. KONA AGE-GROUP MEN'S RESULTS