2003 Race |
Ultraman 2003: Day One ReportFriday was race morning for the hardy and eager athletes in this year's Ultraman triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. The sea was eerily smooth, and one small cloud glowed like a UFO in the early morning light. Then 6:30 was upon us, and day one of the three-day journey around the island began with a quiet urgency. The gleaming fishes on the coral reef welcomed the swimmers along the way. Suzie Degazon got to play with a friendly family of dolphins, speeding her down to Keahou Bay. A large Portuguese man-o-war, feeling fuzzy and warm in the early morning light, spied a cute triathlete in sexy rubber pants, and fell instantly in love. But love should be a two-way thing, and Gordo Byrn was not in a mood to reciprocate. The embrace she held him in unfortunately ended Gordo day a little too early, sending him to the Kona Community Hospital with a rather nasty love-bite. But Race Director Jane Bockus had arranged for a generous current to shepherd the swimmers down to the finish line six miles away. PRs were set by several swimmers, including many-time ultraman Cory Foulk. Jamie Patrick, an Ultraman rookie, came out of the water first in 2:25. And Shanna Armstrong, Ultraman's youngest competitor, set a new women's swim record of 2:46, erasing the previous best which had held since 1989. The bike course held a breathless calm never seen before on day one. The severe cross winds usually holding force at South Point had blown themselves out to sea, taking with it the usual Big Island heat and humidity. Ulli Winkelmann remarked later that this year's results wouldn't count, because conditions were not as hard as they should be - as they were when he and your humble narrator did this race, a long long time ago. Quiet, Ulli. The climb 4,000 feet up to Volcano National Park is still not an easy one. But Alexandre Ribero made it look easy. 5:04 round the 90 mile uphill bike course, taking first place. Tony O'Keefe pulled into second, and Gary Wang hovered ominously in 6th place with the second fastest bike ride of the day. Shanna Armstrong continued on her winning way, building almost an hour's lead over the next woman. And everyone seemed to be having a good time. So now the athletes lie abed at Volcano, recharging their batteries for day two's 171 mile bike ride to Hawi. What will tomorrow bring? Hard to say. Jane Bockus has promised us that she will sweep the course ahead of the athletes, to make sure that there isn't another enraptured man-o-war, waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting cyclist. Race time for stage two begins again at 6:30, bright and early on Saturday morning.
Day 1 results: (swim, bike, total)
Distances:
Updates daily by Michael Schiff |
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