Friday, October 12, 2007

The Big Race


The Hawaii Ironman World Championships are just round the corner. In just about 1 day's time, to be exact. I'm really looking forward to see who'll be the first man to breast the finishing tape. Will it be the battle between the Germans (Stadler and Al Sultan) and the Australian (Chris McCormack)? Or will anyone among the pack of Ironman champions steal the show? It's hard to predict really, especially when everyone has an equal chance at winning the World Championship.

Among the top pros, very little seperates them among one another. They are brutally fast in all 3 disciplines. True, some may be stronger in a particular discipline, but the rest make up for it in the other two disciplines. What wins the game is a matter of strategy, will power and sheer speed. Technically speaking, the first person who gets out of T1 and manages to maintain and extend his lead on the bike leg can create enough lead time to comfortably run a fast, but not world-beating marathon pace to cross the finishing line first. That was Stadler's strategy last year. Macca's strategy will probably be to push hard on his new Specialized Transition Pro and then run like the wind in his pet discipline, the marathon. It will be an exciting race and I'm going to monitor it closely.


What's the buzz over Hawaii really? Well, if you are a triathlete, there is no bigger day in this sport than the Ford Ironman World Championship. It is the race that defined the sport as it came of age, and continues to be the defining race for any avid triathlete. To get to the starting line in Kona, you must either be very lucky and get yourself a spot through the lottery, or very talented, and win yourself a qualifying spot at one of the qualifying events held around the world. Tens-of-thousands of triathletes try to get one of those coveted Ironman spots every year. Only 1,700 succeeded. That means 1,700 "lucky" people get to test themselves on one of the biggest challenges the sports world has to offer ... 2.4-miles of swimming, 112-miles of biking, and a 26.2-mile marathon run through tough ocean waves, and challenging lava-covered terrain.

While there are thousands of triathlons around the world, it is this one that truly defines the sport. It was this race, first run in 1978 as a dare by a bunch of Navy Seals that put triathlon on the world's sporting map. It is triathlon's Super Bowl, Wimbledon, World Series, World Cup, and Tour de France all rolled into one. What makes this event so unique is that "average" people get to compete alongside the best in the world.

It's a dream for me to compete in the World Championships. I hope to one day, through the lottery that is. =) As for now, I'm gonna place my bets on Mr CHRIS McCORMACK, a world champion over the Olympic distance and virtually every other distance this sport has to offer - a true legend.


Fishmonger

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