CTM#13 Oct-Nov 2001
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October-November 2001 contents Victory at Last: Tim DeBoom wins the Ironman World Championship story and photos by Kristen McFarland. 22 Colorado results. .18 A Sunday at the Res The new 5430 Triathlon by Adam Hodges . .4 results. .7 Widoff Wins in the Wind at the Harvest Moon Half-Ironman by Darrin Eismann . 14 Nice Win for Nicole Boulder Peak Triathlon by Kristen McFarland. .20 results. 19 Danskin in Pictures photography by Courtney Stapleton . inside front cover Intervals Along The Way Letter from the editor by Kristen McFarland . .8 Taking Care of Yourself Mental Toughness by Wes Hobson . 16 Wind Sprints:. .10 U.S. Elite Championships Susan Williams 1st at Ixtapa Lindley wins 2 more World Cups Goodwill Games Age Group Nationals. 12 photos this page: top left: Dennis Meeker Desert Sun results . 17 runs in for the win at the 5430,; right: Tim DeBoom wins the Hawaii Ironman; above: Cam Widoff working towards 3 another top ten in Hawaii loop of the two lap swim. Separating each loop in the shrunken reser- voir—the water level was at an unusually low level due to recent drain- ing—was a brief run across the beach. As the level, which left a long exposed individual competitors began shoreline, was the lack of boats making their way to land after the and the calmness of the water. second loop, the team swimmers started their race at A Sunday at the Res 8:00am. In the Meeker and Dittrich dominate the day at men’s com- the inaugural 5430 Triathlon Altitude. Mixed with 2.4 petition, miles of swimming, 112 miles of Dave Ross of biking, and 26.2 miles of running. Denver led As if that combination isn’t tough the way to shore in 52 minutes flat. Unfortunately, the shallow- enough in its own right. Add in Legendary triathlete and former ness of the water left many ath- heat. And a little wind. And did I Boulder mainstay Scott Molina fol- letes scrambling over sharp rocks. mention heat? lowed According to the race medical On August 26th in by Adam Hodges in 55:06. director, Kristen McFarland, the Boulder, at 5430 feet Then first casualties in the medical tent above sea level, the came weather can be hot and dry. And it Shawn Steen of Denver in 58:35, was. Even the Boulder Reservoir Neal Henderson of Boulder in looked painfully thirsty as the 58:36, Robert Krause of Wilson, temperatures on WY in 58:45 and Dennis Meeker of the dusty roads Boulder in 59:49. around the half- The first woman out of the drained lake rose water was Wendy Mader of Fort well into the 90s. Collins in 57:37 followed by Kelley And in the midst Mattingly of Spokane, WA in 58:29 of the summer and Erika Leetmae of Arvada in heat, nearly 300 58:39. sun-drenched ath- According to many athletes, letes—over 125 the hardest part of the swim was- individuals and n’t actually the swimming but 50 relay teams— rather the long run through mud took on the first up to T1. Despite the muddy sta- long-course tus of Boulder Reservoir, relay Top left: Men’s winner Dennis Meeker; bottom triathlon to be swimmer Lea Stenorson enjoyed left: Women’s winner Leslie Benson Dittrich; staged in Boulder. the two-lap format. above: 2nd place woman Kelley Mattingly of The day start- "Running between laps…you Spokane, Washington in T2 ed off at 7:00am as could hear the crowds cheering. It the wetsuit clad was cool," said Stenorson. were due to cuts to feet. swimmers headed And Stenorson added that the Once out on the bike, athletes out on the first one advantage of the low water left the confines of Boulder THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2001 Reservoir and headed north along Benson Dittrich, who exited the brutal heat on the mentally and Highway 36, towards Carter Lake water ten minutes behind Mader physically challenging marathon and the turn-around in had some work to do. Like course would shake up the stand- Masonville. Cyclists were left Meeker, Dittrich put the ings and present challenges to with over half of the 112- hammer down and flew every athlete pounding the dirt of mile bike to go at the into the lead at mile 68. the three loop run. turn-around. On the Dittrich entered T1 On the first loop, Meeker return to Boulder, with a nice cushion passed the 10K mark near detours took the over Mattingly, Monarch and 55th Street still with athletes to Rabbit Mader, Barb Hurt a commanding lead. With twenty Mountain and of Boulder, and miles left to run, he looked to be into Lyons with Leetmae. running in control. the popular As any Fourteen minutes later, loops through long-course Molina passed the same point Apple Valley to triathlete appearing a bit more tired and the north and knows, the sun-baked than the leader. A Old Saint Vrain marathon minute later, Romauld Lepers ran Road to the finale is by looking strong and on the hunt south, collec- where the for Molina. Six and a half minutes tively known final show- later, Henderson appeared, run- as the "fruit down takes ning controlled in the hot weather. loops" by local place. It’s A hard charging Mark Prinzel, riders. where the whose specialty is fast marathons, A half action, and followed a half-minute after. dozen places temperature, A half-mile up the road, the back out of the really begins Left: Scott Molina leaves T2; reservoir, to heat up. below: Race Director Beth Spiegel Meeker wasted Meeker’s lead greets women’s winner no time getting was a nice mar- Leslie Benson Dittrich down to business gin, but with the on the bike. 90 degree plus Meeker was one of temperatures and two athletes to break the lack of shade on the five-hour mark for the roads around the the bike leg by posting a reservoir, the race was dominating 4:49:59. The not yet in the bag. other individual under five Twenty-six point two miles hours was Mark Prinzel in 4:59:42. can be an eternity in those condi- Although Meeker entered T1 with tions, especially after a warm-up a commanding lead thanks to his that entails a 2.4 mile swim and decent swim and strong bike split, 112 mile bike. And for Meeker, it Prinzel entered the run with a was to be his first attempt at run- handful of runners far ahead. ning a marathon, much like Luc At age 41, Scott Molina, one of Van Lierde’s inaugural Ironman the famous Big Four that dominat- performance at Hawaii. Could ed the sport over a decade ago, Meeker survive the brutal run showed that he still had some rac- unscathed to cap his first try at the ing left in him. Molina raced in distance with a win as Van Lierde Ironman Brazil earlier this year did? And hold off the veteran and returned to his former home Molina, an older but wiser base of Boulder for the 5430 Terminator? Triathlon. The Terminator—a Meeker flew through T2 and nickname he earned while making by the time Molina started the run, terrain begins to undulate. By 6.5 his living in the sport—entered T1 he was nearly ten minutes down. miles, Prinzel moved ahead of in second place, just over seven Molina headed out to face an old Henderson with eyes set on his minutes behind Meeker. nemesis—not Meeker, but the next prey. In the women’s race, Leslie heat. And he wasn’t alone. The By mile 8, Lepers overtook THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2001 5 Molina. Lepers led the duo with been impossible without the plen- said. Molina sticking to the shoulder of tiful aid on the course. Ready for a rest, she added, the Frenchman. "The support from the volun- "I’m glad it’s over. I’m going to The athletes entered the main teers was incredible," said Meeker. take some time off. It’s been three gates of Boulder Reservoir and at Meeker, who began racing really ballistic weeks for me." 8.7 miles they passed the staging triathlons six years ago, was grate- Local athletes Kevin Edwards area of the race, finish chute beck- ful to his swim of Boulder and Brian oning—but two more loops were coach, Monica Hunter of required before each athlete would Caplin, for Nederland were the be eligible for crossing the line. helping him next to finish, post- By 12.5 miles, Molina regained get to his cur- ing times of 10:45:38 his position in second place. The rent state of and 10:53:23, respec- heat lowered its boom on Lepers, fitness. A tively. who fell off the pace and struggled manager at Edwards, in third before eventually drop- Christy who opted to do ping out. Meanwhile, Prinzel, on a Sports in the 5430 Triathlon mission, had Lepers in his sights Boulder, instead of travel- and was fast approaching. Meeker has a ing to Ironman In an effort to prevent being wait-and-see Canada, praised the carried off to the medical tent and attitude about idea of being able with hopes of simply making it to what races to roll out of bed the finish line, Henderson had he will at home and completely switched gears from place on compete in the race mode to stay-cool mode. his future event. In the women’s race, Dittrich schedule.