2003 Race |
Ultraman World Championships - Day Three ReportSunday morning greeted this year's Ultraman triathletes with a soaking downpour. We all put on our rubbers and headed out to the start line just West of Hawi, ready (if not eager) to start the day's festivities - a 52.4 mile double marathon from Hawi back down the coast road to the Old Airport Park in Kailua-Kona. The athletes gathered in a circle to share a prayer of good luck. The rain dissipated to the east, foreshadowing a dry and humid day. Virginia Isbell played the role of Ultraman rooster, blowing a great conch shell to welcome in the pale fingers of dawn, reaching quietly over the mountains. The runners' crews and race volunteers gunned their engines, ready to follow the athletes in quest of the finish line, a long, long way away. And then they were off! Alexandre Ribeiro and Tony O'Keeffe set off on a torrid pace down the highway. Lauren Fithian was the first woman out of the blocks, determined to make up the two hours that separated her from race leader Shanna Armstrong. Yoshihiro Chijimatsu was the best-dressed runner in the crowd, and Cory Foulk showed off his rippling abs in the warm morning light. Cowman A-Moo-Ha was the class act of the show, supported by a crew in a golden Cadillac. Alexandre passed the quarter way mark on a 6-hour pace, followed soon after by Tony. The beauty of the Kohala coastline, grass waving, waves leaping, hills rolling, was a relaxing contrast to the arduous toils to come. Up the hill from Kawaihae at mile 17, and things began to change. The Queen K. Highway was cloaked in a dense, cloying humidity, shrouding the lava rock and blowing grasses of the desert. But Alexandre and Tony continued to push the pace, relentless. Shanna Armstrong, ably coached by former winner and run-course record holder Peter Kotland, began to reel in the runners ahead of her. Parents Bubba and Karen Armstrong took pictures of her each time the van paused, showing her gliding along with apparent ease, while her unnamed pacer became more and more bedraggled in her wake. Fifty two miles is a long, long way, and extracted a more severe toll in the heat of the mid-day sun. A brisk wind increased its tempo from the south, seemingly trying to push the runners back to Hawi. The hills seemed to become steeper, the climate more humid, and the distance to the finish line a bigger and bigger challenge. Still, the mile markers went by, one by one, till the turn down Makala Boulevard to Old Airport Park. Floating down the last mile of the course, to Joe and Sharron Ackles's festive finish line by the seashore. Home, home at last, and a well-deserved reward for a busy Thanksgiving Day weekend. Alex and Tony were first across the line, winning the one-two spots for the day and for the competition. Tom Rodgers fought bravely to an 8-hour run time, to take third place overall. Shanna Armstrong glided to a fourth place finish, her best placing of the three-day competition, giving her the woman's championship. Marty Raymond, who supported Tony O'Keeffe last year, showed that he can do it too by rolling in fifth. Gary Wang successfully battled heat stress, crossing the finish line in just over 9 hours. Suzy Degazon had her best day of the competition, finishing seventh, followed by Lauren Fithian, Yoshihiro Chijimatsu, Jamie Patrick, and Rob Kaspar. As if there wasn't enough drama in the day, Cory Foulk decided that he'd flirt with the 12-hour cutoff time on the last day of the competition. As Hawaii's only entrant still in contention, his broad shoulders bore the hopes and aspirations of the whole state. His swim and bike splits on the first two days of competition were very strong, leaving a number of fellow athletes in his wake. So now, just for fun, he lingered up on the Queen K. highway, teasing us with a nervous and urgent anticipation. And then at last, there he was, with barely two minutes to spare! Tenth overall at a World Championship, his 8th successful Ultraman. So now we have two new world champions - Alexandre Ribeiro, and Shanna Armstrong. Both Ultraman rookies, both with much promise for the years to come. Monday night, the athletes, crew, and volunteers will gather in the fabulous Royal Kona Resort, to share stories and plan for next year. - - - - - - - - - -
Final results: (swim day 1, bike day 1, bike day 2, run day 3, total)
Distances:
Updates daily by Michael Schiff |
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