Previewing the Ultraman Triathlon World Championship
The three-day event starts Friday in Hawaii.
What:
A 3-day, 320-mile (515-kilometer) individual ultra-endurance event which takes place on the Big Island of Hawaii. Entry is limited to 40 participants and is by invitation only. Founded in 1983, the event is held annually on the traditional Thanksgiving weekend.
When:
FRIDAY, November 23, 2011 Stage I Starting time 6:30 a.m.
SATURDAY, November 24, 2011 Stage II Starting time 6:30 a.m.
SUNDAY, November 25, 2011 Stage III Starting time 6:00 a.m. (note earlier start)
Where:
Stage I – 6.2-mile (10 km) ocean swim from Kailua Bay to Keauhou Bay, followed by a 90-mile (145 km) cross-country bike ride from Keauhou Bay around the southern tip of the island via Route 11 to finish at Namakani Paio Park in the Volcanoes National Park. Vertical climbs total 7,600 feet.
Stage II – 171.4-mi (276 km) bike ride, from Volcanoes National Park (Route 11) to Keaau, then turning east with a counter-clockwise loop through Kalapana, Kapoho and Pahoa, then on through the City of Hilo. From Hilo, the route continues north along the Hamakua Coast (Route 19) to Waimea, and over the Kohala Mountains via Route 250 to finish at the Kohala Village Inn on Hawi Road, just above its junction with Route 270. Vertical climbs total 8,600 feet.
Stage III – 52.4-mile (84 km) double-marathon run from Hawi to Kawaihae (Route 270), then on to Kailua-Kona (via Route 19) and finishing on the beach at the Old Airport State Park.
Time Limits: Each stage must be completed in 12 hours or less. The swim should be completed in 5-1/2 hours or less. Participants not reaching the respective finish lines within the 12 hour limits will be disqualified.
Who:
Limited to 40 athletes, participants are expected from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Japan, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Over 50% of the field will have participated in at least one previous ULTRAMAN. Each must be accompanied by an individual support team of at least two persons over the entire course. Many of these team members volunteer from the Big Island community each year. The event attracts individuals who not only thrive on personal challenge and enjoy the thrill of victory, but who come to understand, as did the ancient Hawaiians, the importance of aloha (love), ohana (family), and kokua (help). Individual resources, mental, physical, and spiritual, are shared in an atmosphere where everyone who completes the course is a winner, and the pursuit of human excellence is the fundamental rule of the road.
The Athletes:
Laurie Beers, F58, Kailua-Kona, HI, USA
Katherine Calder-Becker , F48, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Suzy Degazon, F48, Covina, CA, USA
Ingrid Hillhouse, F39, Houston, TX, USA
Tracey McQuair, F37, Penticton, BC, CANADA
Yasuko Miyazaki, F35, Setagawa, Tokyo, JAPAN
Amber Monforte, F34, Reno, NV, USA
Joni Moore, F46, Salado, TX, USA
Amy Palmiero-Winters, F40, Hicksville, NY, USA
Kathy Winkler, F46, Mill Valley, CA, USA
Josef Ajram, M34, Barcelona, SPAIN
Ellis Andrews, M68, Penticton, BC, Canada
Kevin Becker, M48, Montreal, QC, Canada
Michael Brown, M39, St. Albert. Alberta, CANADA
Rusty Carter , M37, San Jose, CA USA
Juan Craveri , M44, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nino Cokan , M39, Celje, SLOVENIA
Michael Deitchman, M36, Sunnyvale, CA , USA
Christopher Draper, M35, Hamilton, NJ, USA
Mark Ford, M50, Carlsbad, CA ,USA
Cory Foulk , M53, Kailua-Kona, HI USA
Stephen Johnson, M50, Regina, SK ,Canada
Miro Kregar , M50, Stahovica, SLOVENIA
Trung Lively , M44, Winter Park, FL USA
Alan Macpherson, M39, Bury St Edmunds, GREAT BRITAIN
Peter Mueller, M50, Kloten, SWITZERLAND
Tony O’Keeffe , M51, Ottawa, Canada
Roberto Parseghian, M42, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL
Roland Patzina, M46, Kempten, Bavaria, GERMANY
Adam Peruta, M34, Syracuse, NY, USA
Martin Raymond, M50, Cumberland, ON, CANADA
Alexandre Ribeiro, M47, Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL
Tim Robert, M47, Honolulu, HI, USA
Mike Rouse , M60, San Diego, CA, USA
Vito Rubino, M34, Pasadena, CA, representing ITALY
Gary Wang , M45, Corte Madera, CA, USA