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A perfect day for an Ironman

Whistler course was hard, but athletes praise views, weather, volunteers and spectators

Spectators and athletes that stuck around until the clock ran out at midnight at Ironman Canada on Sunday night would have seen some amazing things — no fewer than two marriage proposals, grown men with extensive tattoo work and the physique of bouncers breaking down in tears of joy and pain at the finish line, athletes in their mid-60s finishing their first-ever Ironman, and hundreds of happy people who had been pushing their own personal limits since 7 a.m. that morning, proving to themselves they were bigger than the challenge before them.

The 31st anniversary of Ironman Canada — and the first year of five years that the event is being based out of Whistler — went as well as it possibly could have gone. The air temperature was on the cool side at the start of the 3.8km swim leg, just eight degrees, but the water in Alta Lake was comparitively warm.

The 180km bike leg was described as one of the hardest on the global Ironman circuit with two huge climbs — the road up the Whistler Olympic Park in the Callaghan Valley and the long climb from Pemberton to Whistler — but there were next to no headwinds on the course, something athletes agreed was both welcome and rare.

The two-lap 42.2km run course was winding with lots of ups and downs, twists and turns, but there was shade for the runners during the hottest part of the day and there were no cars driving alongside long sections of it to give racers a break from exhaust.

In the end the victories went to a pair of first-time Ironman champions; nomad Trevor Wurtele pulled ahead early on the run course to win the men's pro category while Uli Bromme of Colorado had a spectacular time on the bike leg to take control of the women's race.

Trevor Wurtele

Wurtele and his wife, professional Ironman athlete Heather Wurtele, live and train out of an RV most of the year, and the rest of the time they're based in the Vernon area. Wurtele also grew up in the Lower Mainland and skied and rode mountain bikes in Whistler when he was younger.

This was the one race he wanted.

"I've been thinking about this race since November of last year, this is my biggest goal of the year and everything I've done in the last year was to come here in top shape and get this win. And to do that was huge," he said. He actually arrived in Whistler a month before the race to train on the course, something he says was a huge advantage — especially on the last 40km of the bike leg when other athletes were falling off the pace.

Wurtele has finished as high as third at Ironman races in the past, and his only win came in a shorter distance Ironman 70.3 race in 2012. And while anything can happen in a race like Ironman, Wurtele had close to a perfect day to earn his $15,000 first place prize.

"I had one of those days which was pretty much awesome all day long," he said. "I had a pretty rough patch when Matt (Matthew Russell) came up to me (on the bike) and I knew I couldn't let him go because that guy can run 2:50 (marathons) all the time."

Wurtele pulled ahead of Russell early in the marathon and continued to build a gap until the finish. Only a few racers managed to finish the run course in less than three hours.

Wurtele was actually off the pace in the swim, getting out of the water in 54 minutes and 27 seconds, almost six minutes back of New Zealand's Bryan Rhodes. He followed up with the second-fastest bike leg at 4:46:51, maintaining an average pace of 37.65km/h. Only Matt Russell was faster with a 4:42:53 bike leg, which is how the two races found themselves tied heading out onto the run. Wurtele's time was almost six minutes faster than Russell, giving him the win in a total time of 8:39:33, followed by Russell in 8:45:15 and Paul Amey in 8:53.27. Only two other runners cracked nine hours, which says a lot about the course — course records on fast, flat courses are around seven hours and 40 minutes, and pro times at Ironman Canada's former home in Penticton were about half an hour less.

Wurtele was amazed to win the run leg.

"I just ran on the borderline of being uncomfortable and finally (Russell) dropped off at mile six or seven, something like that, and once that happened it gave me a little boost of energy, and I just kept going. It was great to see the mile splits get larger and larger," he said.

Uli Bromme

For her part, Uli Bromme had a tough start to her day. Her swim leg was 1:03:02, seventh among pro women and about six minutes behind the top athletes.

"I started off with an average swim, I think I was maybe second-to-last out of the water which is pretty typical for me — but I was a little disappointed, I thought I was going to have a better swim," she said. "The water was calm and I'm not sure what happened.

"I started feeling good on the bike about a quarter of the way through and I was able to pick the pace up and pass some girls, and I ended up in the lead. I think that was before the turnaround (in Pemberton), so I took the lead into the (second transition) and my boyfriend said I had two minutes on the next girl.

"I wasn't sure I could do that run, I knew Lisa (Ribes) is a pretty fast runner, so I was like 'you have to run hard today.' I'm not sure about my splits but I may have run a personal record, and that's a pretty tough run course."

While her bike leg was a fast 5:13:51, Bromme said it was one of the toughest she's raced.

"I drove the course a couple of weeks ago, but it's not the same as riding it and those hills coming back from Pemberton were hard. I thought I was going to have to get off my bike at one point, I was going seven miles an hour. But I just kept cranking, and what goes up must come back down.

"I also didn't see the run course beforehand and that was a surprise — they definitely kept it interesting with lots of different terrain, lots of little paths through the trees and by the lake."

Bromme also won $15,000 for first place, finishing her run in 3:06:53 for a total time of 9:28:13.

Lisa Ribes was second in 9:38:34 and Gillian Moody, the top Canadian from North Vancouver, was third in 9:49:09. Christine Fletcher, a Vancouver athlete, was fourth in 9:56:45.

Both Wurtele and Bromme said they would likely return next year to defend their titles, although a lot can happen in a year. Both also qualified for the world championships in Kona, Hawaii in October. Bromme said she would probably go, while Wurtele was still on the fence.

The top Whistler racer was American Glenn Hartrick, who finished the race in 10:06:06, placing 16th in the men's 30 to 34 age category. He finished the swim in 59:23, the bike in 5:12:58 and the run in 3:49:00.

Ben Biswell

Ben Biswell finished his first Ironman in under 11 hours — a great time for anyone new to the race.

Biswell said Ironman was something he'd always wanted to race, but wasn't much of a swimmer or biker until recently. In a way he was an accidental competitor.

"I was a rubbish swimmer when I was younger (but) I had shoulder surgery a few years ago and I started to swim to try and make it stronger," he said. "The biking was mainly because I had a little ankle injury and I couldn't run that much so I thought I'd put it together and try a triathlon. I did that last summer in Squamish and just stayed into it."

Biswell said he struggled, and credits another local racer — Ashley MacMillan — for helping him work through a low point.

"I was quite a ways back and didn't think I was going to make it, but I had Ash near me and he was running fast and then walking, so I just tried to keep his pace and I ran really fast the last two or three miles," he said.

He also thanked beer. When asked if it was more euphoria or pain at the finish line, Biswell said "Euphoria. And the thought of beer. I was thinking of beer pretty much as soon as I started the run and every 10 minutes I'd go back to thinking about beer."

Biswell finished the swim course in 1:11:04, broke six hours on the bike in 5:47:57 and broke four hours on the run in 3:45:43 for a total time of 10:56:24. (All final times include transitions.)

Ashley MacMillan

Ashley MacMillan fell slightly off the pace in the last few run splits, but still broke 11 hours in 10:59:02. He was also 13th in his age category.

Pique caught up to him on Monday morning as he was in line to sign up for next year's race.

"It was awesome, just a spectacular event and the whole Ironman is really well organized," he said. "It felt like a pretty perfect day to me. A couple of days out I was looking at forecasts that said it would be 15 degrees and rain, so I went scrambling to find a better forecast to make myself feel better about it."

Unlike Biswell, MacMillan does have a swimming background, although the bike was a learning experience.

"It's a bit hectic in the morning trying to get through the hordes of crowds and spectators to the swim, and there was a fairly frenetic start in the water with all the kicking and people swimming on top of you and over you and around you — it was a little crazy but I had a pretty good swim time," he said.

"On the bike I started pretty well, but I started to have some knee problems early on that set off a few alarm bells. Overall I had a decent bike ride, it was still fairly tough but I knew that it would be and it's not my strongest sport... in the end I finished strong with the guys on tri bikes on the hill while riding a road bike, probably because I was more used to the hills."

MacMillan said the run started well, but he wasn't expecting to be as tired after the bike. He thought the run would be his best event. "I would like to have come off the bike feeling a little fresher, because I know I could have run a little better," he said.

He finished the swim in 58:31, the bike in 5:57:11 and the run in 3:50:56.

MacMillan said it was also great to race at home.

"It's amazing to do this in your hometown and have a good cheering squad following you around town," he said. "My wife was out there and my friends, and they were having a bit of a party at my expense."

Marla Zucht

Marla Zucht, now a three-time Ironman finisher, crossed the finish line in 11:37:53 with a 1:14:47 swim, a lightning fast 4:51:44 bike — sixth in her age group — and a 4:34:23 run.

She had raced in Penticton in 2004 and 2006, and wasn't planning to do another one until she heard the event was coming to Whistler. "I hadn't been planning on doing another one at all, and then I heard that Whistler was up for it — and if it was going to be here then I knew I would want to be a part of it," she said.

Her best event by far was the bike. "I definitely spent a lot of time on my bike this year," she explained.

"I had a good bike fit done, which I think really helped — I was a bit concerned my back would bother me but after the bike fit and spending so much time on my bike my body felt really good. Spending a lot of time on the hills here also helped, which was another advantage to being at home. I used a road bike instead of a tri bike, knowing that I wouldn't be on the aero bars as much with all the hill climbing."

She started to have stomach problems on the run leg which slowed her down, but she managed to keep going at a good pace and finish strong. "I just put one foot in front of the other until the finish line," she said.

When asked what it was like to race in front of a hometown crowd, Zucht said it was "electrifying."

"It was huge, it was so electrifying and energizing," she said. "It was so great to run through the village on the run leg, and from Blueberry to the Alpine Café it was just a solid wall of people, and there were so many locals and familiar faces that it was awesome. That support and energy you get form the crowd is huge, and the spectators and volunteers were fantastic on the course.

"I think that Whistler and Pemberton did a great job putting on this event and supporting it. I was talking to other racers and they loved the community, they loved the venue. The consensus was that it was a harder course than Penticton, but they loved it."

Christine Suter

Christine Suter is a veteran with eight previous Ironman finishes, and she jumped at the chance to compete in her hometown. She ended up ninth in her age category, and had a steady, consistent day from start to finish.

"It was a absolutely great," she said of her day. "I made sure I had lots of room for the swim and stayed out to the side, and probably swam another kilometre because of that, but it was super," she said. "On the bike there was a ton of people, it was hard not to get pulled along by a draft in the Meadows because there was not that much room to pass and people would bunch up. I just stuck to my own plan and climbed the hills like I had in training. The run was absolutely amazing, just being here and knowing so many people made it unreal. It was great to see all the local kids and moms and dads, my clients, everybody out there. That kept me going all day."

Having experienced a few different venues, Suter said Whistler did well for the first time hosting the event.

"I think Whistler did amazing, I really do," she said, listing off all the things that went well or better than previous Ironman Canada's at race day such as the wide open swim start, volunteer efforts and well-organized transitions.

"Just the scenery alone, who could ask for a better day to showcase Whistler?" she asked. "Riding up the Callaghan you could see all the glaciers, and through Whistler and Pemberton there was always something to look at. It was incredible. Some of the athletes were floored... the great thing is that this race is only going to get better because every time you do it you learn."

Her own time was 12:07:20, with a 1:06:45 swim, a 7:32:04 bike leg and a 4:29:53 run.

Other Sea to Sky finishers:

Stephen Wheeler, running his second Ironman, finished just over 12 hours in 12:00:45. He had a steady swim to finish in 1:24:30, followed by a 7:16:26 bike leg and a 4:39:00 run.Robert Flynn finished in 12:08:36 with a 1:14:35 swim; 6:16:46 bike and 4:17:06 run time.

Pemberton's Nancy Johnston had a fast swim time of 1:09:00 followed by a fast 5:55:09 bike and a 4:49:24 run to finish in 12:08:45.

Mike Edwards posted a total time of 12:32:01 with a swim time of 1:26:27, a bike leg of 7:37:42 and a run time of 4:46:47.

Colin Richardson finished the race in 12:47:33, with a fast 1:04:49 swim, 6:13:38 bike and 5:22:49 run.

Tyler Massey finished in 13:03:38 with a 1:11:01 swim, 6:03:31 bike and 5:40:45 run.

Sunghan Kim, a Korean national living in Whistler, finished in 13:10:34, with a 1:28:30 swim, 6:33:29 bike and 4:47:50 run.

John Legg finished the swim in 1:14:59, the bike in 5:50:06 and the run in 5:55:52 to post a total time of 13:24:09.

Andrea Westcott finished in 14:20:52, placing an amazing fifth in the women's 55 to 59 age category. She had a 1:18:01 swim leg, a 6:52:23 bike and a 5:45:39 bike.

Scott Brammer finished in 15:12:59, starting with a swim time of 1:22:01, followed by 6:57:56 bike and a 6:33:21 run. This was his ninth Ironman.

"The swim was pretty good, I was actually surprised by my time, and the first half of the bike was good but on the second half I struggled on those hills," he said. "Luckily we didn't have any wind, which made it a bit easier, but it was still tough. And on the run I was having some stomach issues that made it kind of challenging. The first half I did a run-walk thing and I slowed down a little, but it was still pretty steady. I'm just happy it's done."

Brammer said he enjoyed racing at home and having friends and family on the sidelines, but wasn't sure he'd sign up again for next year. "I'm definitely going to do it again sometime, but maybe not the next one," he said.

John Crehan finished the race in 16:22:03, with a swim of 1:22:07, a bike of 7:57:29 and a run of 6:48:00.

Maridee Fitch finished in 16:33:14, finishing the swim in 1:33:36, the bike in 8:05:45 and the run in 6:33:50.

From Squamish, finishers include:

Martin Caron finished in 10:06:44 with a 1:10:57 swim, a 5:12:05 bike and a 3:35:28 run.

Volker Schneider placed 28th in his category in 10:23:26, with a 1:11:02 swim, a 5:19:42 bike and a 3:44:11 run.

Timothy Moore placed 20th in his category in 10:59:11, with a 1:09:41 swim, a 5:50:59 bike and a 3:49:54 run.

Sheena Harris, who finished in 12:10:03 with a 1:22:33 swim, 6:25:00 bike and 4:11:22 run.

Jenni Chancey with a time of 12:15:30, with a 1:00:22 swim, 6:51:35 bike and 4:17:33 run.

Travis Kubin with a time of 12:40:14, with a 1:10:43 swim, 6:21:15 bike and 4:53:25 run.

Carlee Grant in 12:49:04 with a 1:35:30 swim, 6:26:09 bike and 4:33:21 bike.

Edgar Alejandro Mujica with a 1:12:28 on the swim, 7:11:48 on the bike and 5:57:33 on the run for a total time of 14:46:25.

Monica Rohl hung in to finish less than 20 minutes before midnight, posting a time of 16:40:50 with a 1:46:58 swim, 8:33:35 bike and 6:08:50 run.

Results were not searchable by hometown, and it's possible some athletes from Garibaldi Highlands or Brackendale were missed. Let us know who you are by email, andrew@piquenewsmagazine.com.

Complete results, plus information on signing up for the 2014 edition on July 27, are available at www.ironman.ca.