By Jay Prasuhn
April 13, 2007 -- If there’s one man with brimming confidence about his chances at Sunday’s Ironman Arizona in Tempe, it’s Boulderite Michael Lovato. Not only does he wear the badge (and crosshairs) of defending champ, he goes in feeling better about his fitness than he did in his victory a year ago.
“I feel really, really good running,” Lovato says. “Last year I was unsure about my run, but this year, with a similar build-up, I feel I’m every bit as prepared for the bike, and more so on the run. The only question is if I’m rested enough. If I’ve got that rest, I should be good.”
Fortunately for him, we caught him as he was waking from a mid-day nap Thursday.
As he did a year ago, the outgoing American takes on a truly tough field of men in the first Ironman of the North American race season –which suits the defending champ quite well. Last year, Lovato’s 2006 Ironman Arizona victory over Spencer Smith and Tim DeBoom came a few weeks after a prep race, the Oceanside Half Ironman (Ford Ironman California 70.3). This year, he went with the same plan.
“We go five, six months without a race,” Lovato said of he and wife’s (Amanda) race prep in Boulder. “I feel like I have to get in an event before the race to flush out the pipe, and Oceanside 70.3 has been perfect for that. I felt like it was a good, strong day. I feel I’m at the same spot as I was a year ago coming into the race here in Tempe.”
Lovato faces a tough defense. Entered is two-time Hawaii Ironman World Champ DeBoom, making his first appearance after a stress fracture sidelined him just before last year’s race in Hawaii. Also making the start are Germans Lothar Leder and Andreas Niedrig, New Zealand’s Bryan Rhodes, as well as local pro Lewis Elliott, who finished third against a solid field at Oceanside, Calif. two weeks ago.
Want bike powers? Try Estonia’s Ain Alar Juhanson, the defending Ironman Lanzarote champion who hopes to improve his swim to make his presence felt during the bike.
More depth on the run? How about Rutger Beke, who figures to match well with Lovato should it come down to the run. Or Sergio Marques, who had the fastest run split in Kona last year.
“You’ve got 30 guys, a lot of strong people who have won some IM races,” Lovato said. “Some great runners, some great bikers. My strategy unfolds as I go out there. My goal is to race as strong as I did last year from middle to back half of bike, and try to run a bit faster than last year.”
The women’s field is equally strong and diverse. Leading the charge is Boulder’s Joanna Zeiger, winner of Ironman Brazil a year ago – who looks to exit the water fast and charge to the front. Her top competition is expected to come from Ironman Wisconsin champ Katja Schumacher of Germany, countrywoman Ute Mueckel, and American Heather Gollnick. Another group, two weeks removed from competing in the Oceanside 70.3 are Americans Hillary Biscay, Amanda Lovato and Denmark’s Lisbeth Kristensen.
The weather for Sunday’s race is shaping up to be typical for race day in springtime Arizona: morning lows in the mid-60s with highs topping out in the mid-80s. While gusty winds have prevailed the last few days, wind conditions should be stable for race day.
Stay tuned to triathletemag.com for a complete post-race report.