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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

Athlete Bios

Race Website