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| Ironman Western Australia Triathlon |
      champions and an original Ironman, the scene is set for a sensational day of racing at this weekend's sixth edition of Ironman Western Australia. Ironman fever has taken over the normally relaxed beach resort town of Busselton, located in Australia's magnificent South West. Over 1,307 individuals and 111 teams are in the final stages of preparation for the ultimate endurance challenge of a 3.8km swim, 180.2km bike and a 42.2km run. Competitors will need to make the cut-off time of 17 hours if they're to earn themselves the finisher's medal and coveted title of "Ironman". Since its inception in 2004, Ironman Western Australia has developed a reputation as one of the world's great triathlon destination events. A third of this year's field are international entrants, representing 40 nations; leading the international charge is Singapore (102 entrants), closely followed by the US (83 entrants). This year's event will feature: · 1,025 male and 282 female competitors · Youngest competitor 18 (James Anerson) and oldest 75 (Geoffrey Gearing) · 480 Ironman "first-timers" · 918 Ironman Western Australia first-timers · 22 local Busselton entrants · 28 people lining up for their sixth Ironman Western Australia · Six previous race winners, including defending champions Tim Berkel and Gina Crawford As always, there are countless stories of inspiration, commitment and dedication associated with Ironman racing. Sean Stringer (USA) completed his first Ironman triathlon right here in Busselton in 2007. He loved it so much that he decided to get serious about his training, and he has spent 2009 attempting to complete more Ironman triathlons in one calendar year than any other individual. He is right on track and, remarkably, this Saturday will see him complete his 20th Ironman since February - that's 76km of swimming, 3,604km of riding and 844km of running, all in ten months! One of the great characters around this year's Ironman village is Dave Orlowski (USA). Orlowski is a pioneer of the sport of Ironman triathlon, as he was one of the original group of 15 individuals who took on the seemingly crazy long distance challenge in Honolulu, 1978. After finishing third, he took a thirty year break from the sport before embarking on his current mission to complete every Ironman event around the world over the next four years, culminating with the 35th anniversary event at Kona, Hawaii. This Saturday's race commences alongside the Busselton Jetty at 6am, and will conclude at Barnard Park 17 hours later. The winners are expected to finish shortly after 2pm. Professional Field 1 Tim Berkel 2 Jason Shortis 3 Patrick Vernay 4 Jimmy Johnsen 5 Courtney Ogden 6 Petr Vabrousek 7 Timothy Marr 9 Chris Dmitrieff 10 Josh Rix 11 Adam Holborow 12 Matt Stephens 13 Nathan Stewart 14 Lawrence Van Lingen 15 Chris Waterhouse 16 Ollie Whistler 17 Matty White 18 Luke Whitmore 19 Kaon Cho 20 Karol Dzalaj 21 Scott Neyedli 22 Alberto Perassi 23 Andreco Primero 31 Gina Crawford 32 Charlotte Paul 33 Kat Baker 34 Sarah Pollett 35 Nicole Ward 36 Lisbeth Kristensen 37 Ali Fitch 40 Celia Kuch 41 Kate Bevilaqua 43 Rebecca Eveleigh 44 Jodie Scott 45 Christie Sym About Ironman Western Australia www.ironmanwa.com<http://www.ironmanwa.com/> Ironman Western Australia is one of 25 Ironman triathlon events held around the world, which qualify athletes for the Ironman World Championships held every October in Kona, Hawaii. Ironman consists of a 3.8km swim, 180.1km ride and 42.2km run. Ironman Western Australia offers 40 qualifying slots to the Ford Ironman World Championship and carries a total prize purse of US$50,000. The event is presented by Supercraft and proudly supported by the State Government of Western Australia through Eventscorp. For further information, please contact: Kate Patterson Ironman Media & Communications Mobile: 0404 872 991 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it <mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it > Website: www.ironmanwa.com<http://www.ironmanwa.com/> Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites       |
| Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 December 2009 07:54 ) |