Volg hier te beginnnen met de laatste pagina het wedstrijdverloop van de Ironman van Hawaii

Van Lierde overcomes illness, doubts to reassert dominance October 23 -- It had been along and winding road, but reasserted the dominance over the Ironman distance which he held for two magical years - then lost to a series of mishaps and injuries. Van Lierde Wins 1999 Ironman October 23 -- 3:25 p.m. With a triumphant swipe at the finish tape and to the cheers of packed finish line crowd at the Kailua Pier in Kona, Hawaii, Luc Van Lierde, 30, from Bruges, Belgium, today won his second Ironman World Championship in the last four years. The unofficial time of eight hours, 17 minutes and 17 seconds, Van Lierde’s performance did not rival his 1996 course record of 8:04:08. But in his immediate post-race comments to the crowd, he seemed particularly satisfied, noting that his first win was unexpected, whereas this one was the culmination of a concerted effort – a strategy to win here that had played out over months of hard work. Draped with the laurels of a Hawaii winner, including the traditional floral lei, Van Lierde phoned his wife in Belgium via cell-phone from the finish chute, informing her that he would be flying home $35,000 richer. Aloha indeed. Van Lierde Will Win 1999 Kona Ironman October 23 -- 3:10 p.m. One age group woman was spotted by John Wilcocksen among some pretty strong pros during the middle stages of the marathon, and may end up being among the top amateur finishers today. Bianca Van Dyk, 30, a respiratory therapist from Utrecht, Netherlands, looked as if she could finish in the top 20. That would be a good effort, indeed. Bowden Takes Lead In Women's Race October 23 -- 2:35 p.m. At the 10-mile mark in the marathon, Lori Bowden from Canada is in the lead, having taken over that spot from Karen Smyers. The gap is :30 seconds.. Beth Zinkand from Davis, Calif., is just :30 seconds back from Smyers in third. That’s a big surprise, although Zinkand did take second place to Wendy Ingraham at this year’s Ironman Austria, so it’s not as if she came completely out of nowhere. For the record, she has a parrot named Pele. Someone here in the press room insists that is a fact; I’ll take his word for it. Van Lierde Builds His Lead; Reid Moves Into Second Place October 23 -- 2:15 p.m At the 12-mile mark of the run, Van Lierde leads Reid by 1:25. DeBoom is 2:08 back., with Christophe Mauch more than a minute behind that. In the last four miles, since the athletes topped Palani Road and made the left turn back onto the Queen K, Reid has lost about 20 seconds to Van Lierde. DeBoom, who was with Reid at the time, lost considerably more. Tim Carlson reports that Van Lierde looks “calm and cool – even bouncy.” Smyers Leads Women's Race; Van Lierde, not Sandvang, Leads The Men October 23 -- 1:15 p.m. With six miles left to go in the ride, American Karen Smyers is still in the lead, but she has given up some ground to Beth Zinkand , 29, from Davis, Calif. Canadian Melissa Spooner is in third, 1:40 back, with Wendy Ingraham just behind Spooner in fourth. A report from Tim Carlson has Ingraham smiling thinly at a friend along the side of the road and saying she felt bad, that she was having a bad day. Susanna Nielsen from Denmark was next at 2:00. Sandvang Leads By Small Margin In The Marathon October 23 -- 12:35 p.m. People have called the Ironman a bike race – even some of the better athletes – but what it really is is a triathlon. In 1999, for pretty much the 23rd time out of 23 races, the bike ride has been mere prelude to the marathon. But what kind of prelude – and for whom? Did Tim DeBoom leave his legs – and his race – on the climb to Hawi? What must Thomas Hellreigel be thinking about the prospect of running shoulder to shoulder with and Luc Van Lierde? All of them must be considering, at least, the prospect of 26 more miles of endurance warfare. At one o’clock in the afternoon. In the sun. In Hawaii. The mind boggles. Leder Confirmed As DQ; Sandvang Still Leads October 23 -- 12:15 p.m. It has been confirmed that Lothar Leder, 28, from Darmstadt, Germany, the third place finisher here the last two years and winner in 1997 of Ironman New Zealand, has been disqualified. Race officials have removed his race bag from the transition area. Sandvang's Lead Growing, But DeBoom Hangs October 23 -- 12 p.m. Peter Sandvang from Denmark is slowly pulling away from Tim DeBoom, but slowly is the operative word. The Coloradan has obviously not spent hmself entirely. The gap at the 102-mile point is 15 seconds, with Reid, Hellriegel, Van Lierde and Mauch 45 seconds farther back. Leder DQ'd For Drafting October 23 -- 11:55 a.m. With 25 miles left to go in the bike ride, Lothar Leder from Germany and Peter Sandvang from Denmark made a strong move to bridge the gap between the chase group and leader Tim DeBoom. The move was successful, and at the 93-mile point, 4:43 into the race, Leder went by DeBoom and launched himself into first place. Sandvang was 20 lengths back. Hellreigel, Reid, Mauch and Van Lierde are :30 seconds behind. Ken Glah had been dropped and was about two minutes back at this point. Hellriegel and Reid Lead Chase Group October 23 -- 11:20 a.m. Thomas Hellreigel, anxious to become Tim DeBoom’s worst nightmare come true, is leading the chase group along with Peter Reid that has closed to within :50 seconds of the leader. Also in the group are Christoph Mauch, Luc Van Lierde, Lothar Leder, Peter Sandvang, and Ken Glah. Leder has been assessed a three-minute drafting penalty that he will be forced to serve at transition. Australian Chris Legh is suffering stomach problems, perhaps related to his terrible problems here two years ago, and has dropped back considerably. He is almost two minutes off the leader's pace. Suddenly, Tim DeBoom Looks Human As Chase Pack Gains October 23 -- 11:10 a.m. We may have an answer to the question, when will the chase pack make a move? Slightly more than 80 miles into the ride, the three minute-plus gap between Tim DeBoom and the second group is shrinking rapidly – to one minute and perhaps less. There seems to be no one individual in the group of approximately six men leading the charge; it seems to be a collective effort taken at a point on the course when it is probably toughest for someone to be out in front on his own. The rolling hills on the Queen K Highway, out in the middle of all that horrible black lava, can be a crushing psychological challenge. DeBoom and Smyers Still Lead. Weather is a Cypher October 23 -- 10:55 The rather stunning news from the men’s race is Tim Deboom’s increasing lead. More than 70 miles into the race, with Kawaihae behind him and strong crosswinds coming off the water from his right, DeBoom has a three minute lead with no one else in sight, according to John Wilcocksen. DeBoom is maintaining a steady 30 miles an hour pace on the flats and looks “very calm,” Wilcocksen notes. SMYERS LEADS AT HAWI AS CONDITIONS SEEM TO SOFTEN October 23 -- 10:45 A women’s update from Jill Redding: At the Hawi turnaround, Karen Smyers, 38, from Lincoln, Mass. is in the lead, 27 seconds ahead of Wendy Ingraham 35, from Walnut Creek, Calif., and one minute up on Joanna Zeiger, 29, from Baltimore, Md. Canadian Melissa Spooner, 28, is 3:30 back; Susanna Nielsen, 33, from Denmark is with Spooner. Denise McLaughlin from Atlanta is next, followed by Brazil’s Fernanda Keller. Joanne King follows Keller. Jill says Lori Bowden is “about seven minutes” behind. If that’s accurate, that would mean that Bowden is gaining ground. Earlier reports put Heather Fuhr about a minute behind Bowden, but there is no word about Fuhr in this latest dispatch. DeBoom Turns With The Lead; Hellriegel Leads Chase Pack October 23 -- 10:05 Tim DeBoom made the turn at Hawi at race time 3:01:30. Locals tell John Wilcocksen that the weather is the “coolest anyone can remember.” John says that means temperatures in the mid-70s, with cloud cover! Conditions Variable At North End Of Bike Course. Bowden and Sian Welch Are Still In The Women's Race October 23 -- 9:40 Women’s update. On the way to Hawi, it’s Zeiger, Ingraham and Smyers still. The rest of the top 10: Sian Welch fourth (2:20 back); Beth Zinkand (3:05); Susanne Nielsen from Denmark (3:10); Melissa Spooner (3:25); Joanne King and Raeleigh Tennant from Australia (4:40); and Fernanda Keller (4:55). Making the turn at Kawaihae, Lori Bowden was nine minutes back and looking “calm and cool” according to Tim. C. Heather Fuhr is 10 minutes behind, but Tim says that “for these great runners, this gap is equivalent to being totally in control.” He reminds that Heather was 20 minutes off the pace last year at this point following her broken chin strap disaster in the transition area. She finished fifth and set a new run course record. DeBoom Still Pulling Away As Turnaround Nears October 23 -- 9:30 DeBoom Gains; Zeiger Leads For The Women October 23 -- 9:07 At Kawaihae (45 miles roughly): DeBoom still in the lead and is pulling away strongly. His lead at this point is 1:22. Leder and Niedrig are :35 - :40 back. Peter Sandvang is 1:10 behind, with Reid, Van Lierde, Legh, Glah and Bonney 2:00 back and riding strong. Hellreigel, Mauch, Bryan Rhodes, Lars Gabler (Germany), (Germany) and Stefan Hachul (ditto) all within about 2:50. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Strong Swim Sets Up Aussie Joanne King For Good Race October 23 -- 8:50 Here Comes Hell On Wheels October 23 -- 8:36 Sixteen miles into the bike, John Wilcockson reports Tim DeBoom with a :45 second lead over German Lothar Ledar and Andreas Niedrig. Peter Sandvang is 1:25 back. The other big boys are gaining ground, less than 1:50 behind: Reid, Van Lierde, Legh, Ken Glah (we missed him earlier) and James Bonney from Austin, Tex. Eric Kappes and Tobias Behle, both Germans, are with them, although Behle was reported to have just received a drafting penalty. Reid, Van Lierde Gaining. We Have a Race October 23 -- 8:10 At the airport, about seven miles outside of town, here are the leaders: DeBoom; Andreas Niedrig; Lothar Leder; James Bonney; Peter Sandvang – all within about one minute of each other. DeBoom Still In Lead, Van Lierde In Striking Distance October 23 -- 8:10 At the airport, about seven miles outside of town, here are the leaders: DeBoom; Andreas Niedrig; Lothar Leder; James Bonney; Peter Sandvang – all within about one minute of each other. Tim DeBoom Is Early Leader October 23 -- 7:50 a.m. Tim DeBoom, 28, from Boulder, Colo., is off the Pier in first place. He’s a strong cyclist and runner – a legitimate threat. Third overall out of the water was Jodi Jackson, 22, from Honolulu. Unofficially a new course record in 48:33. Belgian Luc Van Lierde is two minutes back. Wendy Ingraham is first pro woman out (50:30), followed by Joanne Zeiger, 29, from Baltimore. Jodi Jackson Heads For the Front October 23 -- 7:43 Jodi Jackson is reportedly making a move to the front in the late stages of the swim, leading Julie Moss, reporting from NBC, to suggest that we may have our first overall women’s swim winner. Age Grouper Is Early Women's Swim Leader October 23 -- 7:34 a.m. Swim notes: There were 1469 official starters. That’s down slightly (18 people) from 1998… A report comes that Jodi Jackson, a 22-year-old age grouper from Honolulu, is with the lead men in about fourth place overall. New swim course record? The current is held by Wendy Ingraham at 49:11. Frantic Moments At Ironman Swim Start October 23 -- 7:23 a.m. Last-minute panicky moments on the Pier. Mary Ellen, 32, from Dover New Hampshire, jumps into the water yelling to her family to find a pair of bike shoes. Ten minutes later, with Powers stroking toward the turnaround boats, the shoes are delivered…Keiichiro Nakahara from Japan has broken his goggles and is searching frantically through a pile of 1500 Timex race bags for his spare pair. “Please, please,” he says in English. “My God, oh my God.” It is a fruitless search. Four minutes before the start a call goes up to the spectators in the area for a replacement. Arms are raised and two pair appear. Goggles in hand, a grateful Nakahara heads to the water for his date with Ironman destiny. Dolphins And Clear Skies At Ironman Swim Start October 23 -- 7:01 a.m. With the traditional nerve-shattering blast from the starting cannon, Ironman #23 is underway. The Ironman race start is always an impressive sight. There is no getting used to it – 1500 athletes stroking, kicking and fighting for a buffer of clear water that they are unlikely to find for 2.4 miles. The sound is like nothing you’ve ever heard, a strange, continuous whooshing that says only one thing: Ironman. Dick and Ricky Hoyt Are Back At Ironman October 23 -- 6:15 .m. Dick Hoyt, 59, from Holland, Mass, who will race today with his Ricky, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy, will try to duplicate the pair’s dramatic 14 hour-plus finish of 1989. Tim reports that Dick is disappointed that he was not able to design a new bike and will be competing today using the same machine they used 10 years ago. Ricky sits in the front, slathered with sunscreen, Dick pedals from behind. The machine itself weighs 78 pounds, Ricky weighs about 100 and Dick is a muscular 200. That’s 300 or so pounds that Dick will have push up Palani Road coming off the Pier and then push again up the big climb to Hawi at the far end of the bike course. The fact is, Dick Hoyt may be the best pure athlete in the race. The man is incredible. Record-Holder Van Lierde Looks Ready To Go October 23 -- Report #2 6:02 a.m. Tim Carlson reports from the Pier that Luc Van Lierde, the 30-year- old Belgian who holds the Ironman course record at 8:04:08, looks calm and cool – and so dashing with his new long hair that several women this week have mistaken him for Richard Gere. We won’t bother trying to confirm that particular item. Clear Skies Mark Race Morning In Kona October 23 -- 5:42 a.m.