In June of 2007,
Cadence, a Philadelphia-based cycling and multisport shop, opened a second location, in New York, just south of Greenwich Village. To mark the opening of its Manhattan location, Cadence launched its first-ever Cadence Kona Challenge, a competition to select six athletes who would receive coaching, gear and entry to a North American Ironman race in 2008. While the six winners’ prize packages are worth nearly $30,000, it will be up to each athlete to put in the necessary work in a bid to earn a slot to the 2008 Ford Ironman World Championship. In this regard, they will be on their own as they go up against the sport’s top age-group athletes and attempt to prove themselves worthy of punching a ticket to Kona in October.
But long before they make it—or hope to make it—to Kona, the six winners had to distinguish themselves from a pool of thousands of athletes from around the world who applied to be selected as one of 100 finalists invited to Cadence’s Manhattan location on the weekend on Oct. 20-21, 2007, to undergo a battery of qualitative and quantitative testing designed to whittle field down to a short list of just 10 finalists. Here are the final six. Keep tabs on their progress by following their blogs, which you can access by clicking each athlete's name below.
Kate Conklin, age 32: Nebraska’s Conklin, a former collegiate swimmer and CPA, suffers from a rare blood disorder called erythromelalgia in which blood vessels become blocked and inflamed, producing burning pain and redness. Because of her condition, Conklin is forced to ride and run specially modified sandals. Still, despite her condition, Conklin has reframed the pain and hopes to motivate others through her participation and success in the sport.
Mary Lou Hoffman, age 44: Hoffman, a project manager from New York, hasn’t always been an athlete. In fact, over the past four years she has lost more than 100 pounds and survived kidney cancer while crafting her body into that of an athlete. Although she has only tackled sprint-distance events, Hoffman is determined not to squander the second chance life has afforded her. As such, she is motivated to continue her transformation to a healthy way of living.
Elizabeth Wittmaack, age 26: A spirited former high-school basketball player from New Jersey, Wittmack raced the challenging Ironman Lake Placid, in upstate New York, in 2007, her first year in the sport, and went an impressive 11:23:35. Now Wittmack, who works in medical sales, hopes to get to Kona.
Scott Sharpe, age 35: Scott Sharpe is a lab technician from Kingston, Ontario, Canada. After recovering from a punishing battle with Crohn’s disease in 2002—a condition he now has been able to bring under control—Sharpe, inspired by a co-worker, was persuaded to give multisport a shot on a used road bike in 2006. Now, with four triathlons and numerous running races to his credit, he’s keen to tackle the Ironman.
James Pearson, age 30: A Royal Navy mine-clearance diving officer, Pearson is currently stationed in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Wendy. Pearson is heading into his second season as a triathlete and has raced one half-Ironman-distance race. After tragically losing his infant daughter to a rare heart defect in 2006, Pearson, with his wife’s blessing, turned to triathlon to help find focus and reassert control over his life.
Randy Christofferson, age 50: This former American Express exec and president of First USA Bank from Delaware is now an independent consultant who has been racing triathlons—along with his son—for six years. Christofferson has three Ironman races to his credit. His ultimate triathlon goal is to go low to sub-10 hours in Kona.