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Locals show their mettle in Ironman

B.C.ers win men?s and women?s titles Local triathletes distinguished themselves among the record turnout of 2,000 athletes who took part in the 2001 Subaru Ironman Canada Triathlon Aug. 26 in Penticton.

B.C.ers win men?s and women?s titles

Local triathletes distinguished themselves among the record turnout of 2,000 athletes who took part in the 2001 Subaru Ironman Canada Triathlon Aug. 26 in Penticton. All 11 participants from Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton finished the race, and many placed highly in their age groups.

Canada on the whole did well in this international event, taking nine out of the top 20 spots against competitors from Europe, Asia, the U.S. and Australia. B.C. residents also won both the men?s and women?s pro races.

Peter Reid of Victoria crossed the finish line in 8:27:47, five and a half minutes ahead of Olivier Bernhard of Switzerland, and almost 11 minutes ahead of Matthia Klumpp of Germany. In winning, Reid became the first triathlete to repeat in Penticton. He is also on pace to repeat at the Ironman championships in Kona, Hawaii in September.

"I?m ready to go back to Hawaii and defend my title," said Reid. "This gives me the confidence I was looking for."

Gillian Bakker of Winfield, B.C. was the top woman in the competition finishing 56 th overall with a time of 10:04:27, almost six minutes ahead of Kujala Wenke of Germany. This was Bakker?s first ever Ironman victory.

Esther Wolsey of Edmonton was third by 13 minutes, racing in the women?s 35 to 39 division. Six different women held the lead during the course of the day, but in the end Bakker?s strong running put her in the lead.

Ironman Canada is the biggest Ironman in the world, attracting more competitors than any other event on the circuit. The swim component is 3.86 kilometres, the bicycle component 180 km, and the run 42.2 km, or a full marathon.

The temperature for the event hovered in the lower 30s, and although there were regular water and food stations, hundreds of racers were treated for dehydration. Approximately one-third of all racers received some form of medical treatment after the race, which is standard. Someone also scattered some tacks on the cycling portion of the road, and several cyclists punctured tires ? sometimes two tires. Nobody was hurt, although the police are looking into the matter and race organizers say they will conduct a sweep of the course next year prior to the race.

Our local triathletes, in no particular order, are:

Dawn Weberg-Titus, a teacher at Pemberton Secondary, finished the race in 11 hours 40 minutes and 27 seconds to end up 503 rd overall and fourth out of 71 competitors in the women?s 40 to 44 division. She was fourth in the swim, fourth in the cycling, and 19 th in the run.

Mae Palm, 61, an agent with Tourism Whistler and an experienced long-distance athlete, finished 1,202 overall, and first in the women?s 60 to 64 division with a time of 13:24:47. She was first in all events in her age category. By finishing first, Palm qualified for the world Ironman championships in Hawaii this October.

"It just hit me, I?m going to the world championships," says Palm. She has less than six weeks to train, and plans to spend a lot of that time on her bike. "I?m going to look after myself, and make sure I don?t get injured in the meantime. It was hot in Penticton, which was helpful because it gave us a chance to feel what it was going to be like in Hawaii."

Although this was only Palm?s second Ironman after competing in Penticton last year, she managed to shave an hour and 52 minutes off of her time. "I was nervous the first year, but this year I was more relaxed, more comfortable, I had a great new bike, the water was not as choppy, I didn?t eat as much ? last year I ate more than I did in a hundred mile race, and it really slowed me down," she says.

Her time was just eight minutes shy of the record for her age category. She wasn?t planning on competing again next year, but with the record within reach she says she has to try. "The record is being held by an American right now, and it would be nice if it were held by a Canadian, me or somebody else, it doesn?t matter."

She can think of a dozen ways to reduce her time. One is to get better at the cycling component ? a new bike and a little training in the saddle cut a full hour and 17 minutes off her time last year. "Getting better on the bike can help me get faster on the run as well, I won?t be as tired," says Palm.

Another way is to take smarter bathroom breaks and rest stops. One time she crossed the road to use the washrooms, and ended up having to wait until a column of bikes passed before she could get back on her bike. If she had waited for washrooms on her side of the course, she estimates she could have saved five minutes.

She also believes she could have broken the record if she didn?t compete in the 67 km Test of Metal ultramarathon in Squamish two weeks before the Ironman. "That one is in my backyard, so I think I will always go back, but there may be ways to recover a little faster."

Palm is sponsored by Whistler businesses. Rick Clare and Peter Alder set up a trust fund for Palm last year that paid for her new bike, and will finance her trip to the world championships.

"I can?t thank those two enough, and for everyone who contributed to the fund. They really made this possible, and I?m trying as hard as I can for Whistler," says Palm.

Whistler?s Murray Coates, owner and operator of Wedgemont Contracting, finished the race in 13:50:45. He was1,330 overall and 10th in the men?s 60 to 64 division against 22 other racers. He was 15 th in his category in the swim, 10th in the cycling, and 10th in the run.

John Blok, the production manager for Pique NewsMagazine , finished 597 th overall and 45 th out of 178 competitors in the men?s 45 to 49 age category with a time of 11:53:32. He was 134 th in the swim, 55 th in the cycling, and 34 th in the run.

Local Paul Nicholas, the owner and operator of The Body Shop, finished 278 th overall with a time of 11:02:20, or 79 th out of the 342 competitors in the men?s 30 to 34 age group. He was 196 th in the swim, 150 th in the cycling, and 49 th in the run.

WAG co-ordinator Jody Stockfish finished in 1,802 overall in 16:34:15. She was 133 rd out of 145 competitors in the women?s 30 to 34 age group, 117 th in the swim, 136 th in the cycling, and 127 th in the run.

Paul Suter of Paul Suter Custom Homes was 274 th in the men?s 40 to 44 division, or 38 th out of 277 competitors with a time of 11:01:50. He was 36 th in the swim, 21 st on the bike, and 61 st on the run.

"It was a hot and challenging day, hydration-wise," he says. "It all came down to the run. If you were well-hydrated you did well, if not you had problems."

Although he finished in the top 15 per cent of competitors, this was Paul?s first ever Ironman. He and his wife Christine started training for Penticton in November, spending a month in Hawaii training in January. Since then they have spent over 360 hours training, or more than 10 hours a week. "That?s a lot of bike rides to D?Arcy, a lot of runs around the valley, a lot of swims in Alta Lake."

Paul said he would go back next year if he qualifies.

Christine Suter ? Paul?s wife and a massage therapist at Whistler Physiotherapy in Creekside ? was 494 th overall, and 31 st out of a field of 145 competitors in the women?s 30 to 34 age category. She finished in a time of 11:38:29 and was 11 th in the swim, 52 nd in cycling, and 27 th on the run.

"The swim was a little crazy with a mass start of 2,000 people?but I managed not to get too freaked out, there were so many people in the water and nowhere to go," she says.

At the 14 km mark in the bike race she thought she was finished; "My legs felt like concrete, I didn?t think I was going to make. I got to the top of the next hill though and they came back. As I went on it became a mental battle at that point. I knew I had 180 km to do, so I had to either get off the bike or keep going, and there was no way I was ready to give up."

At the end of the run, Christine was nauseous. She was taken to the medical tent to recover, and after a little while she recovered.

"It didn?t happen to me the last time I ran the Ironman, but I guess every time it?s a totally different race. This year it was hot."

She plans to continue competing in the Ironman, and believes she can trim her time in the bike and the run.

Tony Theriault of Whistler finished the race in 14:00:58 for 1,372 place overall. He was 197 out of a division of 277, 54 th in the swim, 155 th on his bike, and 227th in the run.

Stephan Guerin of Squamish was 815 th in the standings, and 77 th out of 135 racers in the men?s 25 to 29 race. He was 68 th in the swim, 31 st in the cycling, and 97 on the run to finish with a time of 12:24:22.

Andrea Kardos, also of Squamish, was 1,180 overall and 43rd out of 84 competitors in the women?s 25 to 29 category. She finished in 13:21:15, and was 42 nd in the water, 32 nd on her bike, and 54 th on foot.

Both Palm and Weberg-Titus are going to the Ironman Championships in Hawaii on Oct. 6.