By Cameron Elford Oct. 21, 2006 -- On a day that began with calm, overcast early-morning conditions and light winds on the bike, Germany's Normann Stadler and Australia's Michellie Jones won the Ford Ironman World Championship today in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Despite a relatively slow swim, during which athletes battled chop near the turnaround point in Kailua Bay, Stadler laid down a course-record 4:18:23 bike, charging to the front of the field as soon as he exited the swim. Stadler then backed up his ride with a 2:55:02 run to just squeak out the win over the fast-closing Aussie Chris McCormack, who finished second with a 2:46:01 run to cross the line just over a minute behind Stadler.
Stadler's 8:11:56 overall time was the quickest finish here since Luc Van Lierde's course record 8:04:08, in 1996.
Jones, who placed second here last year to six-time Kona champion Natascha Badmann, from Switzerland, tore through the swim this morning in 54:29 and quickly surged to the lead on the bike, then consolidated her advantage on the marathon with a 3:13:08 run split to take the win in 9:18:31 over Austin, Texas's Desiree Ficker.
Early goingWith overcast conditions, a light intermittent rain and slight chop on the bay, nearly 2000 athletes began the 2006 Hawaii Ironman. Predictably, Colorado's Joanna Zeiger and defending Kona champion from Germany Faris Al-Sultan broke to early leads; however, Spain's Francisco Pontano led the men from the water in 53:27, and California's Linda Gallo topped the women's field in the water with an incredible 53:34.
Macca swam a 53:51, and Stadler trailed just slightly behind in 54:05.
Jones exited the water 54:29. While defending champion Badmann came out in a comparatively lethargic 1:06:43 and Canada's Lori Bowden, who won here in 1999 and 2003, came out in a surprisingly slow 1:07:12.
Once on the bike, Stadler, who won here in 2004 but DNFed last year after suffering two flat tires on the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway, quickly went to work -- intent on building an unassailable lead on the bike as he did two years ago. Under continuing cool and cloudy skies and a light tailwind, Stadler powered to an early lead on the Queen K, pursued by powerful Californian cyclist Chris Lieto, who was driving the chase pack consisting of Al-Sultan, Macca, New Zealand's Cam Brown, Australian Luke Bell, Belgium's Marino Vanhoenacker, Spain's Eneko Llanos and Canada's Tom Evans.
Similarly, Jones grabbed an early solo advantage -- by mile 20 taking a two-minute lead over Zeiger and California's Gina Kehr while Boston's Dede Griesbauer hovered 3:15 behind and Denmark's Lisbeth Kristensen and Australia's Belinda Granger sat 7:15 back.
The Hawi climbOnce past the small town of Kawaihae, the course pitches upward as the athletes begin the climb to the turnaround at Hawi, on the north Kohala Coast. Here, damage caused by last Sunday's earthquake was evident with cracks in the pavement and freshly patched sections of road. Still, the rough sections of road were unable to slow down Stadler, who continued to steadily and patiently build his lead to over five minutes at the start of the climb.
Unlike in recent past years, cool, windless conditions prevailed on the climb, which takes athletes toward the more exposed northern end of the island. But the calm conditions didn't help the eight-man chase pack, now driven by Al-Sultan and Macca, make up time on Stadler. But as the lead men wound their way to Hawi, Al-Sultan, who showed no weakness last year, yo-yoed off the back of the pack, at one point losing close to 40 seconds to the group even as Macca and Lieto, two the sport's strongest cyclists, surged off the front and opened a gap, which allowed them to -- at least temporarily -- stabilize their deficit to Stadler.
Among the women, Jones continued to boost her advantage over Griesbauer and Zeiger, now 3:40 back. But Granger, one of the strongest cyclists in the field, was making up time and hung just six minutes back, while Kehr rode alongside Ficker and Switzerland's Karin Thuerig and Kiwi Jo Lawn hung in no-man's-land just ahead of Badmann, Canada's Lisa Bentley and Australia's Kate Major, who were nine minutes off Jones's pace.
Back on the Queen KAs the athletes began the return ride to Kailua, the weather alternated between sun breaks, showers and heavy rain; however, the winds remained light and Stadler continued to stay out front, with Lieto now 6:20 behind and the chase pack of seven athletes, containing Al-Sultan and McCormack, 9:15 back -- and Stadler would continue to build his lead through to T2. Rutger Beke, of Belgium, who finished in fourth here last year, rode solo nearly 13 minutes off Stadler's pace.
Like Stadler, MJ rode all by herself, looking strong and powerful in the saddle, but Griesbauer, Granger and Kristensen put together a concerted effort to erode the 2000 Olympic silver medalist's lead and managed to whittle her advantage down to just 2:20 by mile 85. At the same time, Zeiger slowly lost ground as she suffered stomach problems that would ultimately push her out of the race and into the med tent after a courageous ride. Ficker and Thuerig also held steady and hung 5:30 off the lead even as 1997 Hawaii Ironman world champion, the great Heather Fuhr, dropped from the race.
By mile 90, Granger had moved into second, stating, "I feel incredible" as she powered through the lava fields on the way back to town.
Close battle on the runAfter hitting T2 in the lead, Stadler blasted out onto Ali'i Drive to begin the marathon -- traditionally his weakest leg. As a light rain began to fall in town, the rest of the talented men's field gave chase, with McCormack leading the charge and slowly running away from Bell and Brown while pulling back time from the German leader.
Lieto, Al-Sultan and Evans were over 10 minutes back, but Al-Sultan, with one of the most balanced attacks in the field, is always a threat, and he quickly began moving through the field.
Still, by mile 10, Stadler held an 8:50 advantage over McCormack and had more than 10 minutes on Al-Sultan, who had pulled into third. But even after more than 120 miles of racing, the true contest among the lead men was just beginning.
Macca, who began his career as a short-course athlete, is one of the most talented athletes in the sport, and he has owned the Ironman Australia and Quelle Challenge Roth titles in recent years. But he has struggled in Kona, suffering a string of setbacks here before gaining confidence with a sixth-place finish in 2005.
Earlier this year, after taking the Quelle Challenge win in Germany over Al-Sultan, Macca noted, "I consider myself the best runner in the sport." And McCormack backed up his tough talk with a stunning marathon here today. As the pro men made their way along the Queen K to the energy lab, a challenging two-mile out-and-back section, McCormack inexorably took time out of frontrunner Stadler -- taking back up to 30 seconds a mile from the German: eight minutes, 5:40, 5:10, 3:55, 1:50, 1:24. But McCormack ultimately ran out of real estate, and Stadler ran in for his second Ironman world championship title as Macca proved that he has figured out what it takes to excel on this punishing course.
"It's more than sweet," said an ecstatic Stadler after his win. "I had a perfect swim, then I said, 'Let's start
now.' I saw the
interview with [now-retired three-time Hawaii Ironman world champion] Peter Reid [which ran in the November 2006 issue of
Triathlete magazine], and he said I can't run, and I showed I can run."
With his second Kona title, Stadler joins a select club of repeat Hawaii champions: Reid, two-time winners Tim DeBoom and Luc Van Lierde and six-time champions Dave Scott and Mark Allen.
"Winning is always good," said Stadler after finishing, "Winning twice is much better. Only a few guys have won twice, and now I'm one of the guys."
2005 Kona champion Al-Sultan finished in third, in 8:19:04, after a speedy 2:48:16 marathon. Belgium's Beke took fourth place for the second straight year while XTERRA star Llanos finished in fifth.
2005 runner-up Brown this year had to settle for eighth place, in 8:25:22.
Jones proves unstoppableAlthough the women behind her on the run jostled for position, Jones put down a 3:13 marathon to take a convincing win in just her second race in Kona. "I can't believe I won," said an emotional Jones at the finish. You know, last year was my first Hawaii, to come back my second time and win, I can't believe it."
With her win, Jones toppled -- or at least temporarily delayed, Badmann's quest to take her seventh Hawaii title. Badmann finished in 10th in 9:38:52 with a 3:27:54 marathon; nonetheless, with her typical exuberance and zeal she celebrated her finish by saluting and waving to the thousands of spectators gathered all along Ali'i Drive and Kaliua Bay.
Still, the moment was Jones's to treasure, and she was overjoyed to take what she and husband and coach Pete Coulson consider the greatest win of her celebrated career in the sport.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," said Jones of her win. "I said I'd never do an Ironman -- but you know what, I'm glad I did it now," she joked at the finish.
"It's the greatest thing I've ever been involved with," echoed Coulson. "Better than the Olympics."
Behind Jones was Ficker, just 29, in the greatest performance of her short Ironman career. Ficker stomped the field with a 3:11:50 marathon that capped a speedy 5:05:06 bike.
"I've been working so hard," explained Ficker at the finish. "I put a lot of focus into this. I've never had a race that came all together like this. I was really hoping it would come together, and it did. I'm shocked."
Canada's Lisa Bentley, who last year was forced to drop out of Hawaii after suffering a ruptured appendix, took third in her best performance here. Bentley, a strong runner, relied on her unstoppable marathon to surge through the field en route to a 3:08:54 split.
After skipping the 2005 Ironman due to the birth of her son, Bowden came back this year. Although she raced well throughout the season, the great Bowden, who is a crowd favorite here -- and indeed everywhere she races -- showed she's still not quite back to full strength in Hawaii as she finished 10:10:39.
Ford Ironman World ChampionshipKailua-Kona, HawaiiOctober 21, 20062.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile runWomen1. Michellie Jones (AUS) 9:18:31
2. Desiree Ficker (USA) 9:24:02
3. Lisa Bentley (CAN) 9:25:18
4. Gina Kehr (USA) 9:27:24
5. Katherine Allen (AUT) 9:30:22
6. Kate Major (AUS) 9:31:53
7. Joanna Lawn (NZL) 9:32:48
8. Belinda Granger (AUS) 9:35:48
9. Melissa Ashton (AUS) 9:38:22
10. Natascha Badmann (SWI) 9:38:52
Men1. Normann Stadler (GER) 8:11:56
2. Chris McCormack (AUS) 8:13:07
3. Faris Al-Sultan (GER) 8:19:04
4. Rutger Beke (BEL) 8:21:04
5. Eneko Llanos (SPN) 8:22:28
6. Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) 8:24:17
7. Luke Bell (AUS) 8:24:26
8. Cameron Brown (NZL) 8:25:22
9. Chris Lieto (USA) 8:27:37
10. Patrick Vernay (NCL) 8:28:13