KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii -- The top professionals say a tough
course and a strong field of competitors make it difficult to
predict the outcome of Saturday's Ironman Triathlon World
Championship, and no one is willing to stake a claim to first
place.
The closest anyone came to that was defending champion Normann
Stadler of Germany.
"It's my race," he said in assessing the competition, and
saying he loves the heat and wind. But he quickly added that the
Hawaii Ironman is "so different from every other race."
Stadler said that when he races in Frankfurt there are two or
three good athletes, but in the Hawaii race there are 20 or 30.
Natascha Badmann of Switzerland will be seeking her sixth Hawaii
victory. She said she has had a "great year" and is
well-prepared.
"But it's a long course and you never know what can happen,"
she said. "You never know if you can win until you cross the
(finish) line."
Faris Al-Sultan of Germany finished third last year, and said he
is in good shape this year, but has set a goal only of finishing in
the top 10, despite winning the inaugural Ironman race in Arizona
earlier this year.
"I would love to win or do better than last year, but it's so
hard to predict anything," he said. "It's a hard race and there
are so many good guys here."
Strong winds during the 112-mile bicycle ride and high humidity
during the bike and the 26.2-mile run often take a toll, and Rutger
Beke of Belgium said the weather in Kona has been "windier and
warmer than in years past."
He also noted the strong field for the Hawaii race. "It is the
biggest race in triathlon, so everyone is here to win." Winning
will give top male and female $110,000 each, with a total purse of
$580,000.
Beke, who was 5th last year, said he just wants to repeat in the
top 5.
Lisa Bentley of Canada is among the top women's contenders after
winning the Ironman races in Australia and Germany this year.
"I'm going for the trifecta," she said.
Bentley said she has been bothered my a colon problem the past
10 days but she doesn't think if will affect her race.
"Physically, my body feels fantastic," she said.
She has been in Hawaii for four weeks, and even the training has
been hard, saying `it hasn't been a holiday." Her holiday begins
in Hawaii next week when she marries amateur triathlete David
Cracknell on Wednesday.
Three-time winner Peter Reid of Canada is running his first
Ironman race of the year after recovering from a staph infection.
He said he had been relaxed until Wednesday night when he woke up
and couldn't go back to sleep.
"So my game face is on," he said. "I'm getting nervous and
serious and snappy and that's good."
Heather Fuhr of Canada, who placed second last year, has been
bothered by a hip injury. But she said that has been good because
it made her "step back a bit" and let her recharge.
"The past couple days have been hard but I'm ready to go," she
said.
Among the more than 1,800 triathletes registered is Sarah
Reinertsen of Orange County, Calif., who hopes to become the first
female with an artificial leg to finish the race. She competed last
year but missed the bicycle cutoff time by 14 minutes.
"I've had a year to get stronger and better," she said.
She lost her leg at age 7 as a result of a birth defect, and
said, at age 30, that nearly her entire life has been a challenge.
The race starts at 7 a.m., HST, with a 2.4-mile ocean swim at
Kailua on Hawaii Island's Kona Coast.
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