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The inaugural Abu Dhabi Triathlon is now only 2 days away and about 800 athletes have registered for the two distances offered. The Pro field assembled here is quite incredible and many of the editors here call it quite possibly the best field outside the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Today we went to the morning swim, attended the press conference and mingled with various athletes at the Park Rotana race hotel.

Related gallery
Abu Dhabi Triathlon images - Friday
The Abu Dhabi experience - images from the race launch in November

All images are © Herbert Krabel / slowtwitch.com

There is certainly a bit more tension in the air now with the race less than 24 hours away. We followed some of the athletes today as they got one more swim in and then started to check their bikes in.

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Abu Dhabi Triathlon images - Thursday
The Abu Dhabi experience - images from the race launch in November


All images are © Herbert Krabel / slowtwitch.com

The inaugural Abu Dhabi Triathlon was won by Eneko Llanos and Julie Dibens who took the lion share of the $230,000 Pro price purse. The field assembled in Abu Dhabi was pretty much the most impressive outside of Kona and the performances shown further supported that thought. The unique distance of a 3k swim, 200k bike and 20k run was unique in itself, but the exotic location added quite another touch to this event.


Related galleries

Images from the Abu Dhabi Triathlon - Friday
Images from the Abu Dhabi Triathlon - Thursday
The Abu Dhabi experience - images from the race launch in November

All images are © Herbert Krabel / slowtwitch.com

Defending champion Josh Shadle, a master massage therapist, and challenger Lars Finanger and a host of other crazies gathered Thursday at 3 PM at a secret location in North Boulder for the 4th annual Boulder Beer Mile. The goal: Beat the reported Encinitas Beer Mile winning time of 6:23 – despite freezing temps, an icy and slushy track, and thin air at 5,430 feet altitude.

Sadly, Shadle fell 13 secondd short in the battle of the triathlon Meccas.

The rules were simple: Drink one 12-ounce beer before each of four laps of the 400- meter track. Time starts when the first beer is cracked open. If an entrant spills too much beer or foam, they don’t have to drink another beer. But they must complete a fifth lap.

Three time defending women’s champion Joanna Zeiger was in attendance but not at the start line. She still has a pound of metal and screws rattling around in her shoulder holding the collarbone shattered in a bike crash at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship at Clearwater. Current Ironman 70.3 and Xterra world champion Julie Dibens, an aficionado of British pubs, was rumored to be a challenger, but failed to show.

But multisport whiz and chemical engineering whiz Amber Rydholm was ready and able to hold up the women’s honor, topping the category in 10:23, well off Zeiger’s 2008 mark. Two other women were game entries, but one chundered and the other called a halt after three laps of the 400- meter track.

In the men’s race, Shadle broke out to an early lead, but Finanger came on strong starting the final lap and took the lead. Two-time champ Shadle stayed cool, however. “He seemed very confident starting the lap, so I let him go,” said Shadle. “But I saw there was some lapped traffic on the backstretch, so I waited until he was pinched in and I went wide in the snow and shut him off.” Finanger, who shoveled snow to create a single track lane around the track, could not answer. Shadle hit the line in 6:36, breaking his own course record by one second, and Finanger finished second in 6:38, the closest Boulder Beer Mile finish. Dreier, former roommate of Finanger, scored the final podium spot in 7:04. Valentyik was 4th in 7:25, with Billy Edwards 5th in 8:32.

Onlookers included Zeiger, Tim O’Donnell, who may or may not have been scouting the race for 2010. The Man, Dave Scott, said he his visit was merely social. “I like to drink my beer in a more leisurely fashion,” he said.

Photo gallery © Timothy Carlson

The Windy City, home of the Cubs and White Sox, the Bears and the Bulls and the Blackhawks, Soldier Field, Harry Caray and Mike Ditka, one of the world’s fastest marathons, a NASCAR race track, and a 2016 Olympics finalist bidder, is also home to the world’s biggest triathlon. On August 30, Jan Caille’s Chicago Triathlon celebrated its 27th edition, welcoming more than 9,000 age group competitors over two days in events ranging from the McDonalds kids triathlon and a Super Sprint event on Saturday to a sprint and Olympic distance race in Sunday. All in all on the big final day, there were 57 age group waves that included the newly created Accenture Paralympic Challenge for 25 men and women from the Challenged Athlete Foundation, a category for police, elite amateurs, Clydesdales and Athenas, relays, and a sprint mountain bike division.

But when all is said and done, the lure of triathlon Chicago is the thrill of swimming in Monroe Harbor where your family and friends can cheer right next to you on the seawall, bike on the superfast Lakeshore Drive past Chicago’s world class glass and steel architectural wonders, and run though Grant Park and around the Shedd Aquarium with an unparalleled vista of Chicago’s waterfront and skyline. It’s an living ribbon of people in multicolored neoprene and formfitting spandex wrapping up one of the world’s great cities as well as conceptual artist Christo ever could.

Photo gallery by Timothy Carlson

The Chicago Triathlon is a North American non-drafting classic with a history of recognizing triathletic greatness throughout its 27-year history. Winners have included Hall of Famers Spencer Smith, Simon Lessing, Craig Walton, Chris McCormack, Mike Pigg, Greg Welch, and top rank women like Michellie Jones, Joanna Zeiger, Emma Snowsill, Karen Smyers, Barb Lindquist and Becky Lavelle. Sunday, Matt Reed and Sarah Haskins joined their ranks with great performances, aided in part by the unfortunate crashes of Andy Potts and Julie Dibens. The swim in the close quarters Monroe Harbor, the bike along the steel and glass canyons of speedy Lakeshore Drive, and the run around the aquarium all offer an urban amphitheater unparalleled in the sport.

Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson

This post-Thanksgiving celebration of excessive aerobic activity embracing nearly all 12 climatic zones of the mysterious and beautiful Big Island of Hawaii begins in the dark on a Friday as less exceptional humans are revving up to go shopping. As kayaks and paddles and liquids and gels are lined up on Kailua Pier, this select crew of athletes put on high-tech neoprene suits that would pass for seal costumes on Halloween. There are hugs and smiles, but some faces, like Jochen Dembeck of Germany seen in a 1/6 of a second blur under orange lights, reflect the spirit's proper awe and dread of the 320-miles and the accompanying pain that lies ahead. Even at maximum effort, many swimmers are relieved to see a little boat crammed with photographers visit and give the appropriate chaka signs. The happiest swimmers are those blessed by a visit by pods of playful dolphins passing beneath. Some rookies happy just to finish the 10k swim take their time in the first and only Ultraman transition. Others, like 1997 champion Peter Kotland, chasing a new chapter in history take less time. On the way to Volcanoes National monument 90 miles to the south over 7,600 feet of climbing, riders pass 1940s style wooden theaters, gorgeous passionately colored flowers, Longhorn cattle, lava and breathtaking vistas at South Point. When they arrive at the cool rain forest climate of Volcanoes 90 miles later, top finishers congratulate one another, the one defending champion kisses another, and one woman cries with relief for making the 12-hour cutoff by 10 seconds.

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Ultraman 09 day 2
Ultraman 09 day 3

Photo Gallery ® Timothy Carlson

Alexandre Ribeiro made his dozens of days riding 5 to 9 hours in the steep hills near his home in Rio de Janeiro pay off on November 28 on the second day of the 25th Ultraman World Championship. Ribeiro’s 7:30:35, 5th-best-ever split for the 171.4-mile ride from Volcanoes to Hawi, complete with 8,500 feet of climbing, gave him a lead of 23-minutes over rookie Mike LeRoux, 38 minutes over veteran Miro Kregar and 40 minutes over dangerous runner and 1997 Ultraman champion Peter Kotland. “That ride was the key,” said Ribeiro, who had learned from 2007 Ultraman winner Jonas Colting of Sweden to wait for the final climb up to Waimea and over the Kohalas to make his move.

Along the way, first day leader Richard Roll of Malibu and Miro Kregar of Slovenia crashed hard in separate incidents on the old Red Road, but got up, shrugged off the bruises and scraped skin to finish with the day’s 6th and 4th-best times. Australian-born Kona resident Rip Oldmeadow biked hard and led the first descent but incurred penalties which would later disqualify him. Jason Lester proved once again that the one-armed man isn’t the suspect The Fugitive is looking for, but rather an amazing athlete who posted the 16th fastest 9:21:22 split on the day. Mike LeRoux proved that a 6-day desert runner can post a 5th best 7:55:46 bike split, and Trix Zgraggen of Switzerland proved that the this two-time Swiss Gigathlon champion can set the second-fastest ever second day Ultraman women’s bike split of 8:39:58.

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Ultraman 09 day 1
Ultraman 09 day 3

Photo Gallery ® Timothy Carlson

Alexandre Ribeiro began the third day of the 25th Ultraman World Championship with a 23-minute lead over rookie Mike LeRoux of Australia, 38 minutes over Ultraman veteran and excellent runner Miro Kregar of Slovenia, and 40 minutes over the Peter Kotland. Twelve years ago, Kotland unleashed a beast of a run, a 5:33:27 double marathon, that won him the title and affixed his name in Ultraman legend. One year ago, Ribeiro posted a personal best Day 3 run of 6:15:32 on his way to his third Ultraman win. That run was 42:05 slower than Kotland’s 12-year-old record run mark. So, if both men were at their theoretical best, Kotland would eke out a 2-minute win.

While both were far from their best in 2009, Ribeiro took his fourth overall crown with a second-best final day double marathon of 6:38:59. Kregar passed LeRoux and Kotland for second overall with a race-best 6:20:07 run, and Kotland found the first two days of hard cycling left him with just enough gas in the tank to run a 6:47:49, which placed him third overall.

The true hero of the third day was Madison, Wisconsin psychologist and ultra running star Ann Heaslett, whose stunning 7:12:07 marathon smashed Tina Bischoff’s 20-year-old Ultraman Day 3 record by 37 minutes and 30 seconds. The run advanced Heaslett, the 2007 runner-up, to third place behind Kathy Winkler of Mill Valley, California, who also broke the Bischoff run mark with her 7:45:46 double marathon.

But don’t kid yourself. There is nothing easy about a double marathon after two days of a 10k swim and 260.4 miles of biking. So a hearty toast to the last man, Giorgio Alessi, who trotted home with a cutoff-beating 11:47:00 for a 33rd place finish just two weeks after completing a 1,406-mile Deca Ironman.

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Ultraman 09 day 1
Ultraman 09 day 2

Photo Gallery ® Timothy Carlson

The 2009 Leadville 100 mountain bike race was won by Lance Armstrong in a new course record time. The women's race was won by Rebecca Rusch. We had shooter Eric Wynn present to capture the feel of this increasingly popular marathon event. Part 1 of 2.

Here is a link to part 2

All images are © Eric Wynn

As the race continued, the intensity increased and the fans and spectators were treated to quite a show. Along the way Lance Armstrong crushed the course record by over 15 minutes, just as Dave Wiens did in 2008, and just as Wiens had done in 2008, Lance crossed the line in 2009 with a flat tire. The record was 6:45:45 and now stands at 6:28:50, thanks in part to some very strong fellow Trek riders pushing the pace. Part 2 of 2.

Here is a link to part 1

All images are © Eric Wynn

Someone said that Wildflower was so tough it was the equivalent of a 3/4 of an Ironman. Throw in typically tough international fields, the rugged rolling hills on the bike plus Nasty Grade, and the rugged hilly trails filled with rocks and off camber single track, and the four hour mark for men stood for 23 years until Simon Lessing broke through. After Lessing, the deluge as Terenzo Bozzone smashed that mark to smithereens in 2006 with a 3:53. The race is known as the Woodstock of Triathlon as thousands of enthusiastic fans jam the campgrounds to cheer on the pros and doughty amateurs, with the finishers ranging from 4 to 8-plus hours. It's unique ands one of the great triathlon challenges on the planet.

The Wildflower Olympic distance event used to be the default Collegiate National Championship before they had to share it. Now the field is more Pacific-centric but it’s near that quality. It has also always attracted some of the best age group triathletes in the US to its tough hills, bright sunshine and warm camaraderie. Also, the eccentricity level is equal to or better than Saturday’s half Ironman-distance test.

This weekend USA Triathlon celebrated the second class of its Hall of Fame at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. A fine time was had by all as the incomparable 8-time Ironman Hawaii champion Paula Newby-Fraser and former ITU World Number One Barb Lindquist, plus pioneer USTS race organizers Carl Thomas and Jim Curl and legendary Ironman Hawaii race director Valerie Silk were inducted. While Silk, who was universally regarded as the gracious angel who took over guardianship of the Ironman from John and Judy Collins, is caring for her ailing parents in Florida and could not make it, Ironman announcer Mike Reilly gave Silk a stirring tribute. Notables included Mark Allen, who was in town to give a seminar to USA Triathlon members about Ironman training, Paul Huddle, there to cheer on wife Newby-Fraser, emcee Barry Siff, Competitor publisher Bob Babbitt, there to introduce Newby-Fraser, and Loren Lindquist, Lindquist’s coach, husband and co-parent of two rambunctious 3-year-old twins.

All photos © Timothy Carlson

The 2007 ITU World Champion Daniel Unger just returned from a 3.5 week training camp in South Africa and will spend the next two weeks in Southern Germany where he resides with his wife Tina and their 7 month old son Toni. The temperature change from the relatively warm conditions in Potchefstroom, South Africa to the snowy cold conditions in Swabia is quite drastic, but Unger enjoys being at home. After the training camp his workouts are a bit more mellow but he still has plenty on his schedule.

On Friday night is the opening of his new shop Daniel Unger Sports and although he is not completely involved in the daily activities there, he still has plenty to do. Plus meeting with sponsors, dealing with pesky media and more importantly spending time with family all has to be balanced with training and getting ready for the season. Slowtwitch followed Unger over a 24 hour period to see what the life of a World Champion in Germany is like.

All images are © Herbert Krabel / slowtwitch.com

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A day with Greg Bennett
A Timothy O'Donnell gallery

When it started, the Boulder 5430 Long Course was a red-headed stepchild to the classic, sold out Boulder Peak triathlon. The first year they tried a full Iron-distance race and entries were scarce. The first time organizers tried a half-Iron distance event, there were 250 entries. But with small but very elite fields and a gorgeous course, race directors Barry and Jodee Siff nursed the long course to an artistic and business success, culminated with a sold out field of 1,400, four World Champions in the elite field (Chrissie Wellington - Ironman, Joanna Zeiger Ironman 70.3, Julie Dibens - Xterra and Leon Griffin – 2006 ITU Duathlon short course), and two blazing fast course records (Tim O’Donnell’s 3:45:51 and Julie Dibens’ 4:10:58.) All on a mild, sunny day in triathlon’s Rocky Mountain Mecca. With the sale of their Boulder races to the World Triathlon Corporation, Barry and Jodee bid a sweet, well-done adieu to one of the sport’s great races.

Timothy O'Donnell and Catriona Morrison came away with great wins at the 2009 Ironman 70.3 St. Croix. Photographer Ramon Serrano captured great images of the event.


All images are ©Ramser1photo.com

Greg Bennett and wife Laura Bennett were riding high in 2007 when he scored a perfect 5-for5 wins in the Life Time Fitness Olympic distance series and won $500,000 in prize money and bonuses. That same year, Laura won $200,000 at the inaugural Hy-Vee triathlon and also took home a sponsor’s Hummer. Being intelligent, family-oriented types, they didn’t blow all their prize money on fancy clothes and buying drinks for all the swells in all the usual watering holes. Instead, they built a beautiful house in Boulder’s gorgeous Wonderland Lake area and went about their business.

In Laura’s case, that meant making her first Olympic team and making creative training choices to sidestep a malfunctioning leg and take home a top American 4th place at Beijing. In Greg’s case, that meant overcoming an early season slip to take his third straight Life Time Fitness series crown and beginning to build their coaching business, starting with a strong 8th place finish at Ironman Hawaii for budding Swiss star Matthias Hecht under Bennett’s direction.

In 2009, Laura has spent the better part of the year getting her pre-Beijing injuries in line. Greg himself was out of action with leg troubles until July when he opened up with a cautious third place at Minneapolis and took a strong win at New York in the second round of the Life Time Series. But Greg’s year took a turn for the worse when he got hit by a daydreaming driver just a mile from home after an exhilarating 55-mile training ride up Boulder’s mountains.

A busted nose, cut and bruises on his leg and a badly twisted shoulder put Bennett back on a long road to recovery. Five weeks after the hit, Bennett was able to swim and bike and run again, aided by an intense regimen of recovery.

Photo gallery by Timothy Carlson

Matt Reed took the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in Minneapolis against some stellar competition and after a very tough finish sprint. The women's race was won by Sarah Haskins, who did not have to sprint at the end as she had a comfortable 2 minute lead at the end.

Eric Wynn was up and close in Minneapolis to take images of the athletes and their surroundings.

All images are © Eric Wynn

www.erycwynn.org

Just two years ago USA Triathlon asked US Naval Academy grad Timothy O’Donnell to serve in the domestique role to help out first tier triathletes gain points and strategic advantage in World Cup events leading to the Beijing Olympics. But in 2009, O’Donnell took his athletic fate into his own hands and found his greatness at the Ironman 70.3 distance, taking wins at St. Croix, Calgary, and Boulder 5430 long course. At the end of the year, he won the ITU long course World Championship in Perth and took his place with the elite of his sport. Recently, O’Donnell decided to make Boulder his permanent home and was in the process of closing on a home while ramping up his training for the 2010 season.

All photographs © Timothy Carlson

Slowtwitcher John McGovern joined Clas Bjorling, Jonas Colting, Bjorn Andersson and a few other folks at the 2009 Tour of Sweden training camp. They encountered long days in the saddle, stunning vistas, all kinds of weather, a variety of food, reindeer, drunks and more. New friendships were born, extraordinary fitness was gained and quite a bit of weight was lost. Plus there are endless stories, some of them were told by John McGovern on the Slowtwitch home page, but others will forever be kept secret. But you can enjoy these impressions of the 2009 Tour of Sweden training camp.

Links to John McGovern's daily updates.

ToS day 1
ToS day 2
ToS day 3
ToS day 4
ToS day 5
ToS day 6
ToS day 7
ToS day 8
ToS day 9
ToS day 10
ToS day 11
ToS day 12
ToS day 13
ToS day 14

With her three Ironman wins in 2008, Belinda Granger moved up into the realm of Ironman-distance stars. Her 11 victories at the distance include three Ironman Koreas, two wins at Ironman Malaysia and Ironman Canada, and single triumphs at Ironman China, Ironman Lake Placid and Quelle Challenge Roth. Her bike is deadly, and sports a 4:48:08 Ironman bike split PR to back it up. And, while finishing 4th at Roth last year, she cracked the nine-hour barrier.

But in addition to her triumphs, the 38-year-old Australian star recently displayed that she is as tough as anyone in the sport. After three Ironman wins in 2008, Granger was ready to rumble at Ironman Hawaii but found her right leg going numb and her bike split and overall finish were nowhere near her accustomed level. After three months of diagnostic detective work, doctors discovered that she had a thickening of the wall of the external iliac artery, which restricted blood flow to the leg. Granger opted for surgery, which required doctors to use a part of a vein from her lower leg to repair the artery. But before the surgery, Granger elected to defend her Ironman Malaysia title. Somehow she managed to finish the bike leg 20 minutes ahead of her opposition, with just 25 percent of the usual blood flow in her leg, and set a new course record.

After successful surgery in February, Granger had to completely cease swim, bike and run training. Three months later, she outdueled 2006 Ironman 70.3 World Champion Samantha McGlone to win the Honu Ironman 70.3 in Hawaii. In July, she felt ready to challenge former Team TBB member Chrissie Wellington at Quelle Challenge Roth. But after she got hit by a car, Granger could only struggle to a disappointing 5th place finish.

Back in Boulder to train, Belinda and husband Justin Granger settled into the hard work necessary to try for an Ironman Canada three-peat. This photo gallery contains a week in the life of final training sessions in the triathlon Mecca of Boulder.

So what would be the best soundtrack for the runs of 2009? “Born to Run?” by the Boss? “Runnin’ on Empty” by Jackson Browne? “Run Like Hell” by Pink Floyd? “Long May You Run” by Neil Young? “Running Down a Dream” by Tom Petty? “It Keeps You Running” by the Doobie Brothers? “Running With the Devil” by Van Halen? “Ready to Run” by the Dixie Chicks? “Run For the Roses” buy Jerry Garcia? Or is it all over for you, and before you walk off for good, you play “I’m Not Running Any More” by John Mellencamp?

We say take a look at some of triathlon’s brightest stars in full stride. Alistair Brownlee, Craig Alexander, Emma Moffat, Sarah Haskins, Chrissie Wellington, Chris Lieto, Alexandre Ribeiro, Laura Bennett, Tim O’Donnell, Michael Raelert, Jared Shoemaker.

Isn’t this enough to inspire any of us and our discouraged soles to give it another go?

Photographs © by Timothy Carlson

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Timothy Carlson's best swim pics of 09
Timothy Carlson's best bike pics of 09

From the pools at Boulder’s Flatirons to the US Military Academy at West Point, from the swims at Lake San Antonio, the Potomac River, the Hudson River, Monroe Harbor, the Pacific Ocean, and Kailua Kona, a gallery of photographs by Timothy Carlson of Part 1 of The Best of 2009 – the swim.

Photographs ® Timothy Carlson

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Timothy Carlson's best run pics of 09
Timothy Carlson's best bike pics of 09