ATHLETES ELITE
Transcription
ATHLETES ELITE
S MEN ATH L ETE ELITE Name: Thomas Gerlach Name: Jesse Thomas Name: Josiah Middaugh 76 Wildflower Triathlons Name: Joe Gambles T By: Tim Carlson he 2013 Wildflower long course elite men’s and women’s fields are typically strong, bringing in the best international triathletes, befitting one of the most challenging and truest tests of any half Ironman distance event in the world. Through its 31-year history, this great race has attracted the legends of the sport from all over the world, men and women who have already won world championships at every distance or helped define the greats who have gone on to win those same medals against the toughest competition everywhere on the triathlon planet. The plaques of the winners on the Staircase of Wildflower Champions established last year at the 30th anniversary of this great race tells the story. It includes 8-time Ironman World Champion Paula Newby-Fraser, who won Wildflower 4-times; 5-time ITU World Champion Simon Lessing; 2-time Ironman World Champion and ITU short course and long course world champion Chris Jesse Thomas Springfield, Oregon - 33 Jesse Thomas set 3000-meter hurdle records at Stanford and graduated in 2003 with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering. For the next four years, he left athletics with a dream of making millions with a startup high tech consumer products firm. But in 2007 he regained the competitive itch, sold his company and devoted his passion to triathlon for a year in which he won bronze in the 2529 age group category at the ITU age group World Championship. In another whipsaw move, he enrolled at the MBA program at the University of Oregon and took two more years off from sport. Finally, in 2010, he got serious about triathlon and in May of 2011 shocked the world by winning the prestigious Wildflower long course McCormack; three-time Ironman World Champion Peter Reid; 6-time Ironman World Champion Natascha Badmann; Ironman 70.3 World Champion Julie Dibens; two-time Ironman 70.3 World Champion Michael Raelert; 15-time Ironman winner and 1997 Ironman World Champion heather Fuhr; and 1988 Ironman World Champion Scott Molina. grew up idolizing in triathlon had raced it and I wanted to see what it was all about. I believe the integrity of the sport lies within these old school races that were founded on the love of triathlon as a sport -- not a corporation. Its triathlon in its purest form and as an athlete you can really enjoy the true value of doing a race that brings a sporting community together.” Two-time Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom, the 2003 Wildflower champion, says: “It is a classic race with roots in the heart of triathlon. It helped create the Half Ironman distance around the world. If Hawaii is the Tour de France, then Wildflower is the Tour of Flanders. Hard and relentless. I'm very proud to have won a title on that brutal course.” Leanda Cave says, a two-time ITU World Champion and the current Ironman and Ironman 70.3 World Champion and 2011 Wildflower champion Leanda Cave says: “Back in 2007, I raced Wildflower because of its legendary status on the triathlon circuit. Everyone I The classic long course race on Saturday is the jewel in the crown of this wildly popular three-day festival of triathlon that helps draw a total of 7,000 triathletes to Lake San Antonio in beautiful Monterey County. Of all triathlons around the world, the legendary long course race is the coolest of the cool and helps draw thousands more age groupers to compete with the hall of famers as well as the mountain bike sprint race on Saturday and the Olympic distance test on Sunday. Here are the stars of today and tomorrow who will be competing on May 4th. FIVE FASTEST OVERALL TIMES - MALE RANK NAME COUNTRY TIME YEAR 1 TERENZO BOZZONE NZL 3:53:53 2006 2 JESSE THOMAS USA 3:58:59 2006 3 MICHAEL RAELERT USA 3:59:33 2010 4 SIMON LESSING USA 3:59:33 2005 5 ANDY POTTS USA 3:59:41 2009 against some of the greatest middle distance triathletes in the world. In 2012, Thomas rose to international stature by repeating at Wildflower and setting the second fastest winning time ever with a 3:58:54 mark. As the 2012 season went on, his world-class talent was revealed with wins at Rev3 races in Maine, the Poconos and Florida as well as posting the fastest run on his way to 3rd place at Ironman 70.3 California. His 2013 form looks even more promising with a close 2nd to Andy Potts at Ironman 70.3 California. While he is still chasing Chris McCormack’s 4 wins at Wildflower, he is on the verge of a record Wildflower long course three peat. While he is now careful not to interrupt his triathlon career, he and wife Lauren Fleshman, a world class 5000-meter runner, run a gluten- and dairy-free energy bar company. tricalifornia.com 77 ELITES Name: Clayton Fettell Name: Chris Legh Name: Matthew Russell Joe Gambles Australia - 31 Gambles is one of the fastest cyclists and runners in the sport. The highlights of his career include a win at the 2010 Ironman Wisconsin, a silver medal at the 2011 ITU long distance championships, a 2nd place to Michael Raelert at the 2010 Wildflower long course in a swift time of 4:01:58, a 4th place at the 2010 Ironman 70.3 World Championship and eight victories at Ironman 70.3 events. He is also the course record holder at 70.3 events in Boulder, Timberman, and Syracuse. Clayton Fettell Australia - 26 Fettell started his young triathlon career as an accomplished but not dominating Olympic-distance triathlete, scoring 2nd at the 2009 edition of Memphis in May, 5th at the 2010 Ishigaki World Cup and 6th at the 2009 Life Time Fitness in Minneapolis. Turning to middle distance, Fettell posted a 5th at the 2010 Geelong 70.3, won the 2011 Port Macquarie 70.3, came close but was passed in the final mile by winner Jesse Thomas at the 2011 Wildflower long course and finished 5th in his Ironman distance debut at Challenge Cairns. In 2012, he won 70.3 races at Mooseman and Kansas and 78 Wildflower Triathlons repeated his 2011 victory at Port Macquarie where he set the fastest swim and bike. So far this year, he placed 5th at the Geelong long course and 12th at Ironman Melbourne. Leon Griffin Australia - 31 Griffin burst into international prominence with a victory at the 2006 ITU duathlon world championship and immediately earned the reputation as one of the top biker-runners in 70.3 triathlons, winning 70.3 races in Buffalo Springs, Shepparton and Geelong in 2008. But a series of injuries and a family illness caused his to step away from top level training and he returned to a banking job in Australia for a few years. In 2011, he won the Challenge Cairns half Iron-distance event and the Shepparton 70.3, which gave him the nudge to quit his job and attack triathlon full time. In 2012, Griffin placed 2nd at three important long course events – Timberman, San Juan and Geelong – and he is fit and eager to return to the top of the podium in 2013. Paul Ambrose Great Britain/Australia - 28 Ambrose, who has dual citizenship in Great Britain and Australia, has Ironman victories at Louisville in 2010 and at Australia in 2012. He has a raft of Ironman 70.3 podiums and has 70.3 victories at Racine in 2011 and Rhode Island in 2012 and placed 8th at the 2012 edition of Abu Dhabi International. So far this year Ambrose placed 4th at Auckland 70.3. Matt Lieto Bend, Oregon - 34 Lieto was inspired by brother Chris Lieto’s performance at the 1999 Ironman World Championship in Kona. Vowing to change his diet and his life, he lost 75 pounds and started training for triathlon. In 2011, he turned pro and scored a breakthrough 4th at Wildflower and was even more thrilled for training partner and friend Jesse Thomas’ breakthrough win. He also took 2nd place at Branson 70.3. Last year he placed 4th at the tough endurance test at Leadman 250, 7th at Timberman 70.3, 9th at Vineman 70.3 and 10th at Oceanside 70.3. Chris Legh Australia - 41 After his digestive meltdown at the Ironman Hawaii finish line in 1997 that cost him 12 inches from his colon, Legh regrouped and won Ironman California in 2000. After overcoming further physical woes – a tiny hole in his heart that sabotaged his Ironman ELITES PAST ELITE WINNERS Name: Chris Ganter Name: Chris Baird YEAR NAME COUNTRY TIME 2012 Jesse Thomas United States 3:58:59 2012 Heather Jackson United States 4:26:29 2011 Jesse Thomas United States 4:04:45 2011 Leanda Cave United Kingdom 4:27:58 2010 Mcihael Raelert Germany 3:55:57 2010 Julie Dibens United States 4:27:53 2009 Andy Potts United States 3:59:41 2009 Virginia Berasategui Spain 4:35:00 2008 Chris McCormack Australia 4:00:33 2008 Samantha McGlone United States 4:31:38 4:07:53 2007 Bjorn Andersson Sweden 2007 Becky LaVelle United States 4:35:19 ELITE LONG COURSE RECORDS OVERALL 2006 Terenzo Bozzone New Zealand 3:53:43** 2006 Samantha McGlone Canada 4:31:08** MALE 2005 Simon Lessing United States 3:59:33 2005 Samantha McGlone Canada 4:32:59 NAME COUNTRY TIME YEAR Overall Terenzo Bozzone NZL 03:53:43 2006 Swim Dustin McLarty USA 00:21:01 2013 Bike Steve Larsen USA 02:14:06 2005 Run Simon Lessing USA 01:13:38 2005 efforts -- he won a stirring victory at Ironman Coeur d’Alene in 2004 that became the centerpiece of a famous Gatorade ad. Unaffected at the middle distance, he won nine 70.3 races in three years with a killer bike and run but his best at the 70.3 Worlds in Clearwater – a flat course which did not play to his strengths -- was 4th. As he approached and reached the age of 40, Legh seems to be as cut as an Adonis and nearly as fast as ever in 2012 with a 5th at Wildflower, a win at Lake Stevens 70.3 and a 2nd at Calgary 70.3. Last month, Legh left his Ironman-distance woes behind with a surprising 5th place finish at Ironman Melbourne. If his recent form and his Melbourne finish are any indication, Legh has a valid chance at bookending his 2000 Wildflower victory with another podium. Josiah Middaugh Vail, Colorado - 34 Middaugh has been one of the most accomplished XTERRA off road triathletes in U.S. history scoring USA National Champion titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Last October he placed 2nd to 2-time ITU World Champion Javier Gomez at the XTERRA World Championship in Maui and placed 4th at the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championship in Alabama. He also won the USAT Winter World Championship in 2006 and 2011. Given his wellearned reputation as one of the three fastest runners on the tough hills and trails of XTERRA, the Wildflower course should suit Middaugh to a T. This will be his second foray into big time pavement triathlon but his record is pretty respectable off the trails – he was the 2005 USAT Long Course champion. Jeffrey Symonds Penticton, BC, Canada - 27 Symonds burst into international prominence with a 3rd place at the 2011 Ironman 70.3 World championship where he ran a 2nd-best 1:13:33 final run leg – just 1:43 slower than winner Craig Alexander, a two-time Ironman 70.3 World Champ and 3-time Ironman World Champion. In doing so, Symonds became just the second man in his 20s to make the podium at the Ironman 70.3 Worlds. Last year Symonds placed 4th at Austin 70.3 and 3rd at Calgary 70.3 before finishing 12th at 70.3 Worlds in Las Vegas. He started his 2013 campaign with a 4th place at Ironman Los Cabos. 2004 Chris McCormack Australia 4:05:50 2004 Natascha Badmann Switzerland 4:45:31 4:04:21 2003 Tim De Boom United States 2003 Heather Gollnick United States 4:42:06 2002 Chris McCormack Australia 4:03:59 2002 Katja Schumacher Germany 4:41:38 2001 Chris McCormack Australia 4:00:12 2001 Barb Lindquist United States 4:37:42 2000 Chris Legh Australia 4:01:22 2000 Jeanne Anne Kritzman United States 4:43:53 1999 Cameron Widoff United States 4:03:51 1999 Heather Fuhr United States 4:37:35 1998 Cameron Widoff United States 4:03:42 1998 Heather Fuhr United States 4:37:58 1997 Cameron Widoff United States 4:02:31 1997 Paula Newby Fraser United States 4:35:33 1996 Peter Reid Canada 4:06:19 1996 Paula Newby Fraser United States 4:44:12 1995 Cameron Widoff United States 4:09:25 1995 Paula Newby Fraser Zimbabwe 4:44:12 1994 Wolfgang Dittrich Germany 4:05:22 1994 Donna Peters United States 4:40:09 1993 Andrew MacNaughton United States 4:19:30 1993 Donna Peters United States 4:44:45 1992 Todd Jacobs United States 4:12:51 1992 Donna Peters ** United States 4:32:04 1991 Paul Huddle United States 4:07:33 1991 Liz Downing Canada 4:42:55 1990 Andrew MacNaughton United States 4:09:03 1990 Paula Newby Fraser United States 4:41:18 1989 Paul Huddle United States 4:07:22 1989 Nancy Valance United States 5:01:55 1988 John Devere United States 3:45:35 1988 Janine Daley United States 4:24:56 1987 Andrew MacNaughton United States 3:40:10 1987 Julie Moss United States 4:25:15 1986 Dean Harper United States 3:56:39 1986 Paula Newby Fraser Zimbabwe 4:22:12 1985 Grant Boswell United States 3:53:59 1985 Jacqueline Shaw Canada 4:26:40 1984 Scott Molina United States 3:51:36 1984 Ardis Bow United States 4:56:24 1983 Dean Harper United States 4:07:51 1983 Jennifer Hinshaw United States 4:36:12 tricalifornia.com 79 RACE Romain Guillaume Scott DeFilippis France - 28 Normandy Beach, New Jersey - 33 Guillaume’s father was a swim coach who trained him since he could walk. At age 8, he did a kid’s triathlon and fell in love with the sport. He competed at short course distances until age 18, when he decided long course spirit and atmosphere were more for him. In 2008, he raced Ironman Hawaii and finished 2nd in his age group and 59th overall and decide to turn pro. In 2010, he placed 3rd pro at Ironman Malaysia. In 2011, he placed 2nd at Ironman UK in Bolton and 4th pro at Ironman 70.3 races in Antwerp and Kansas. In 2012, he won Ironman Mt. Tremblant and Ironman 70.3 Mt. Tremblant. DeFilippis is an American triathlete who trains with the famed Team TBB headed by coach Brett Sutton in a moving series of training camps from Thailand to Mexico to Switzerland. A triathlete since 2007 and a pro since 2009, DeFilippis has done 9 Ironman events and several half Ironman races. His career highlight is 3rd overall at the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon whose bike course includes the famed Tour de France mountain climb. His key finishes also include a 7th at Challenge Wanaka in 2012, 8th at Ironman Florida in 2011, and a win at the Toughman Triathlon in 2011. DeFilippis’s ace in the hole is the run – his 10k personal best is 29:12 and his half marathon best is a notable 1:05:44. John Dahlz San Francisco, California - 29 Dahlz did his first triathlon at age 12 – Ironkids Bread event. He flatted in his first two triathlons and, because he didn’t know how to change it, broke two rims. His third was the Santa Barbara long course, a tough assignment at age 14. He joined the triathlon team at Cal Berkeley and won the Wildflower Olympic distance crown in 2008 and won the USAT Collegiate individual championship in 2009. He graduated with a degree in political science and since then then served as an assistant high school swim coach for four years and now serves as the head triathlon coach at Berkeley. Along the way, Dahlz finished 2nd at Pacific Grove in 2011 and 2012, won the full Vineman in 2011 and 2012, and won the Morgan Hill, San Jose and Folsom triathlons in 2012. He also finished 4th at the San Francisco Triathlon at Alcatraz. Wildflower long course remains an elusive grail, as Dahlz finished 33rd in 2010 and 17th in 2011. 80 Wildflower Triathlons Nicholas Thompson Danville, California - 30 This Cal Poly graduate can really run, as witnessed by his 2008 USA Triathlon Long Course Duathlon National Championship. In 2011, he placed 5th at the ITU Long Distance World Championship and 2nd overall at Boise 70.3. His record at Wildflower long course is also impressive, as he finished 11th overall and first overall amateur (still standing course record) in 2009, 7th overall in 2007, and 7th overall in 2011 in a time of 4:11:07 with the second fastest run of 1:16:54. He also finished 6th overall at the Rev3 Portland Half in 2011 in a time of 3:55:59. Matthew Russell Scottsdale, Arizona - 30 Russell has been a pro since 2011 and is getting better fast. In 2011, he won the USA Triathlon National Duathlon Championship, was 5th at the ITU World Duathlon Championship with the fastest bike split – 72 seconds better than the next fastest, took 5th at Boulder 70.3 and was 23rd overall and 3rd American at Ironman Hawaii. In 2012, he won Ironman Canada with the fastest run split (2:53:34), was 3rd at Ironman Coeur d’Alene, 4th at Ironman Lake Placid and was 20th at the Ironman World Championship with the 4th fastest run – 2:51:23. He often posts the fastest bike splits at ironman events – his best efforts were 4:26 for the 112 miles [25.22 mph] at Ironman Arizona and 2:04 at Boulder 70.3, 26.88 mph for the 56 mile leg. At every race he does the Blazeman roll in honor of his mother, the late triathlete Jon Blais, and others who have had or are battling ALS. Mauro Cavanha Curitiba, Brazil - 28 Cavanha works under the guidance of famed coach Siri Lindley since 2011. He won the Brazil National Championship in 2010, and got momentum in 2012 with a 5th place at Florida 70.3, 6th at Austin 70.3 and 6th at Buffalo Springs 70.3 Thomas Gerlach Madison, Wisconsin - 31 Gerlach, a second year pro from Madison, Wisconsin, most recently finished 7th at the 2013 edition of Ironman Los Cabos in a time of 8:47:46. He has raced a lot, gaining his first pro win at the 20-12 Desert Classic Duathlon, 3rd at Ironman Louisville, 3rd at Leadman bend, 4th at Ironman St, George, 6th at Ironman Wisconsin and 11th at Ironman Florida with a sizzling fast 4:11:58 bike split.
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