By David Gutnick

On Friday night, Olena Moroz went through her final preparation list:

*Yellow and Blue tri suit: check.

*Wetsuit and goggles: check.

*Cervelo R5 tuned up and racked: check.

*Saucony running shoes: check. 

*Maurten gel nutrition ready for the bike and run: check.

She chatted with her 20-year-old daughter Dariya, who is in Taupō to help mom deal with her pre-race jitters nerves and cheer her on. 

This was Olena’s first time qualifying for a 70.3 World Championship and, having carted her gear halfway around the world to race in Taupō, she promised herself that she was going to do everything possible to do her very best, to follow her coach’s advice, to soak up the peace and natural beauty of New Zealand, and bring whatever she learned back home. 

She started getting ready for bed, she needed to be rested for her race

Then her phone binged: a message from her 15-year-old son Sergio.

Big trouble back home.

Russian missiles had blown up six electrical power generating plants in their city of Lviv and more across Ukraine. Olena scanned the news on her phone. She found out Russia had launched 93 more missiles targeting Ukraine’s power supply.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, hundreds of Russian missiles have targeted homes, schools, hospitals, medical clinics, railway lines and an army base in Lviv. More than 75 children and adults have been killed, and many more have been injured. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers are dead, along with Ukrainian civilians, and Russia’s war rages on with no end in sight.

“When the war started, I didn’t know if I should keep training for triathlons,” says Olena. “So, I asked some of my friends who were soldiers, ‘Should I stop?’”

Olena runs an infertility clinic in Lviv, and there was no way she was going to close the clinic despite the ever-present danger. 

“We just do our best to keep going,” she says, “to keep being as normal as possible.”

That’s exactly what her soldier friends told her about her triathlon training. 

“They all told me the same thing,” says Olena. “Keep your life as normal as possible. Don’t let Putin control us: do everything you can to keep the life you have.”

And so that is what Olena did. She pedalled her Cervelo past buildings blown to smithereens, swam lengths in swimming pools while air raid sirens wailed in the distance, and ran through parks scarred by explosions.

Photo: World Triathlon

Olena got training plans from her coach, Alexey Syutkin, a former World Triathlon professional and member of Ukraine’s Olympic triathlon team. Every time Syutkin’s athletes open his webpage http://syutkin.com.ua/en#training, they see a picture of him racing and another of him in soldier’s camouflage, holding a rifle. 

Syutkin was at a triathlon training camp in Spain when Russia invaded. He returned to Ukraine and joined the army.

“You should mix work with pleasure, do sports and support the legend of the Ukrainian triathlon,” he writes. “In that way you also contribute to the army of Ukraine.”

So that is exactly what Olena did.

Over the past year, she competed in four different races in four different countries. 

She qualified for this World Championship at  IRONMAN 70.3 Luxembourg. 

Olena also flew to Africa to race Ironman 70.3 Rwanda, where she came third in her age group. She loved the entire experience. She says the Rubavu district community members welcomed the athletes with open arms and wants to go back.

Here in New Zealand, Māori in traditional clothing sang and performed a Haka before leading a parade of more than 6,000 athletes from 119 countries along the Taupo waterfront.

As Olena and her five Ukrainian teammates waved their flag, fellow triathletes and spectators kept coming up to them and wishing them luck, both in the race and in their daily struggles back home. 

“People understand what we are going through,” Olena says. “They want to help any way they can.”

For instance, volunteers from Britain regularly drive truckloads of donated medical supplies into Ukraine, knowing that they are taking huge risks. It must be done because helping Ukrainians was “just the right thing to do,” Olena says. 

Olena is a member of Rotary International, a service organization that she says has been instrumental in helping Ukrainians better survive the war. Whenever she’s not working at her fertility clinic or training, she’s coordinating their relief efforts and doing social media for her home club called Ukrainian Unity. 

Officials from DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private power supplier, said more than 3.5 million households had been left without heat. It was -1 C (30.2 Fahrenheit) in Lviv, and temperatures would be dropping in the weeks to come. 

Olena headed to T1 to check her bike, slipped into her wetsuit and made her way to the shore of Lake Taupō, her cap with her bib number 2578 pulled on tight. 

She was surrounded by 285 other women in her 45 to 49 age group. 

Seventeen thousand kilometres away, Russian President Vladimir Putin was doing his best to break the spirit of Ukrainians, vowing to smash and plunder and kill as many as it takes until they give in to his demands.

No way was Olena going to let that happen. 

At 8:43:14 Olena waded into the water and started to swim. 

Ed. Note: Olena would finish the race in 7:34:13. 

David Gutnick is an award winner journalist who has retired from CBC Radio in Canada. 

The post From Lviv to Taupo: a Ukrainian Athlete’s Journey to Her First 70.3 World Championship first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

All images are © Eric Wynn of EricWynn.org

A stunning early morning sky greeted the athletes at the Boulder Reservoir.

Time for Julie Dibens to get her feet wet.

Still quite a bit of time before the actual race start.

Julie Dibens trying to stay warm.

Andy Potts tries to get into the zone.

Still a big smile on the face of Julie Dibens.

Time to set the watch.

First out of the water and ready to get on the bike.

Julie Dibens also managed to get first out of the Boulder Reservoir.

Cranking hard through the beautiful countryside on the way to a 2:12:53 bike split.

Andy Potts focused through a turn.

At this point of the race Julie Dibens was well out of reach of her competitors.

Andy Potts about to be joined by Stephen Hackett.

Stephen Hackett left T2 a few seconds ahead of Andy Potts, but the 2007 70.3 World Champion pulled ahead again.

When you have a huge lead a smile comes fairly easy.

With a nice lead now Potts is striding towards victory.

Another 70.3 title for Andy Potts who also won Ironman Coeur D'Alene a few weeks ago

Congrats from 3-time Ironman Hawaii World Champion Chrissie Wellington.

Understanding that some of her competitors might not get paid because of the still existing 8% rule, Julie Dibens waited before the finish line for more than 5 minutes.

And we have a winner after all.

The post ROHTO Boulder 70.3 winners first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Image galleries from Outdoor Demo

Day 2

Day 1

It is a jungle out there and you better check the map before heading on the showroom floor.

SRAM held a power meter conference in the morning and the room was completely packed.

The ZeroGoo fuel injection system attaches to any Camelbak system.

The nifty prescription system of Smith Optics snaps in and out in a hurry.

Cervelo's sole presence on the Interbike showroom floor.

The new Niner prototype is quite an attention getter.

Todd from Retul ues the new Zin wand to take measurements.

Dean Jackson of blueseventy with the new tri suit of b70.

The Helix has gotten quite a few updates for 2010.

Bont's new top of the line triathlon shoes. They actually have 3 different tri models starting at $179.

This Bont tri shoe had an integrated Speedplay plate.

Ford partnered with Serotta for this show.

This year marks the first appearance for NormaTec at Interbike.

The less expensive Kestrel 4000 looks quite sharp.

Paging Paul Thomas of Kuota, please clean up this Kuota Kross bike.

A close up of the prototype Storck Aero 2 bars

Profile-Design has new grips for the aero bars

David Greenfield of Elite Bicycles is in the spirit of Las Vegas

Dirk Bockel and his wife Alicia in the Max Lelli booth.

We are not sure which brand is represented here, but we want this ride.

The post Inside Interbike 09 gallery 1 first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

This era begins with Tim DeBoom’s stirring repeat victories in 2001- 2002, marking the return of an American champion to follow in Mark Allen’s footsteps 7 years after The Grip abdicated his throne. In a preview of Normann Stadler’s coming attractions, Steve Larsen’s dominatingly fast 4:33:32 bike into killer winds in 2001 hinted that male cyclists would no longer remain in a supporting role. Stadler fulfilled that omen, broke the paradigm that the men’s Kona battle always goes to a runner’s, and fulfilled a generation of German uberbikers’ dreams with a killer bike and a solid run to glory in 2004. This is also the apex of the Swiss Miss’s greatness as Natascha Badmann took her third through sixth Kona titles in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. During this period, only Canadian Lori Bowden broke Badmann’s string, overcoming a 7-minute deficit to Badmann with a 3:02:10 run in 2003. While Badmann’s 3:13:45 run in 2003 dropped her to second and gave false credence to the canard that she could not run – Natascha’s 3:06:25 marathon in 2005 that trumped Michellie Jones’ 6-minute lead erased those doubts. The shockingly fast race day domination by Nina Kraft in the 2004 women’s race seemed like an earthquake as the great Natascha Badmann wondered if her time was past when she arrived in T2 20 minutes down to Nina the Machina. The good aspect of Kraft’s post-race EPO positive, quick admission of guilt, subsequent two-year ban and prolonged period of disgrace and atonement was that drug cheating at Kona seemed to have a terrible risk-reward ratio. The bad aspect was not so much the dark cloud that visited the Ironman’s previously pristine rep, but the fact that Badmann was robbed of the well-earned privilege of basking in the winner’s adulation on Alii Drive. In 2005, Faris Al-Sultan proved once again that Ironman Hawaii was a multicultural domain when he became the third German and the first man of Arab heritage to take the Kona title.

All images © Timothy Carlson

In 2001 pro cyclist-turned-tri Steve Larsen shook up top cyclists, evoking even Normann Stadler to comment: “He passed me like a motorcycle.”

The end for Steve Larsen’s dream race came at Mile 14 of the run, Tim DeBoom making the kill. Larsen’s bike charge left him with payment due. Fade to 3:19:09 run, 9th place.

Lori Bowden lost 2 minutes to Badmann on the swim, 9 minutes on the bike. Thus Badmann’s 3:09:33 to Bowden's 3:03:089 deficit on the run didn’t matter in 2001.

Wearing a Zoot outfit that looked like a Thursday Underwear Run ensemble, Badmann didn’t let this fashion faux pas slow her down on her way to her third Kona win.

DeBoom’s 2001 win lent a measure of American pride just one month after 9/11.

Amidst the cheers from fans and hugs from the DeBoom clan, Tim clutches his head and seems to be wondering “What have I done?”

In 2002, Tim DeBoom and Peter Reid were 10 minutes behind Thomas Hellriegel after the bike. Then DeBoom’s 2:50:22 trumped Reid’s 2:53:48, while Hellriegel faded to 4th.

Before 2002, Nina Kraft was just happy to be on the podium. In 2002, a paranoid Kraft thought a drafting penalty was part of a conspiracy to deny her the win.

Winning her third straight Kona in 2002, Badmann scores her fastest ever 9:07:45 time in 2002.

Friends and one summer training partners Tim DeBoom and Peter Reid
wave to the crowd after another battle. DeBoom prevailed by 3 minutes 10
seconds.

After Tim DeBoom dropped out of a tight duel with kidney stones 14 miles into the run in 2003, Peter Reid cinched his third Ironman title with a 2:47:38 run

After trading places with 1-2 finishes in 1998, 1999, and 2000, Lori Bowden finally joined husband Peter Reid on top in Kona in 2003. In a sad irony, they had just separated and divorce awaited.

Peter Reid’s third Kona win in 2003 still puts him next behind 6-time winners Dave and Mark, ahead of two time winning legends Scott Tinley, Luc Van Lierde and Tim DeBoom.

Natascha Badmann, the greatest woman cyclist ever at Kona, became dispirited and wondered if she should retire when Nina Kraft left her 20 minutes behind into T2 in 2004.

Perhaps anticipating her imminent disgrace for testing positive for EPO, Nina Kraft hung her head when crossing the line first with a big lead over Badmann in 2004.

Natascha Badmann’s sportsmanship shines through when she smiles like a winner after crossing the finish line on Alii Drive second. Actually, she was the real 2004 winner.

Breaking the paradigm that says Ironman Hawaii is always won on the run, Uberbiker Normann Stadler’s 4:37:58 bike in 2004 put an unassailable 23 minutes on runner-up Peter Reid.

Paradigm buster Stormin’ Normann’s 2:57:53 run surrendered 11:43 to Reid, but his dominating bike left him 10 minutes to the good at the finish.

In 2005 Faris Al-Sultan wielded a top-notch 49:54 swim, a best-of-the top-10-finishers 4:25:24 bike and a 5th-best 2:54:51 run to finish a 7th-3rd-1st ascending arc at Kona.

Natascha Badmann’s bike had crushed all rivals, causing many to downgrade her run. But on this day in 2005, Badmann’s 3:06:25 erased Michellie Jones’ 6-minute lead to win her 6th title.

The post Ironman Hawaii enters the 21st Century 2001-2005 first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

This is really more than one era at the sacred stage of Ironman Hawaii. You might call it the Passing of the Torch to the Second Wave of the Giants – or pseudo-scientifically, the Middle Konazoic Period. It begins with the final bows and curtain calls of The Man ('94 and '96) and the Grip ('93 and '95) and the final wins (’93, ’94, ’96) of the incomparable Paula Newby-Fraser. It includes the 1994 victory of triathlon’s Incomparable Imp, Greg Welch, over a noble 40-year old Dave Scott. In Natascha Badmann’s 1996 baptism on the Queen K, she offers stiff resistance to Paula Newby-Fraser’s 8th win and then begins her own dynasty in 1998 and 2000. In that same epochal year of 1996, rookie Luc Van Lierde jolted the Kona landscape with his shocking 8:04:08, smashing recently retired Mark Allen’s hallowed course record. The next year, the daring cycling power of Thomas Hellriegel, who pushed to the brink both Mark Allen in his 1995 farewell and Luc Van Lierde in his 1996 hello, was merged with a top run. That combination allowed Hell on Wheels to become the first German to take the Kona crown. This era also includes the arrival of the Canadians into the halls of Kona greatness, led by Heather Fuhr’s breakthrough win in 1997, followed by the derring-do of Canada’s Iron Couple, Peter Reid (1998 and 2000) and Lori Bowden (1999). This photographer deeply regrets that his crazy quilt filing system misplaced photos of the great Karen Smyers’ brilliant 1995 win.

All images © Timothy Carlson

Mark Allen overtakes Finland’s Pauli Kiuru at Mile 17 of the Energy Lab. They started the 1993 run virtually tied, Kiuru took a big lead, and then The Grip crushed all hope.

Mark Allen won his 5th Ironman Hawaii in a race record 8:07:45, closing the door on Kiuru’s early marathon surge, 2:48:05 to 2:55:16.

Coming off her still-standing record 8:55:28 performance in 1992, 26-minutes faster than runner-up Julieanne White Empfield, Paula Newby-Fraser faced formidable Erin Baker.

Newby Fraser started with a 5-minute cushion on the swim as Baker was kicked in the head, then iced it with still-standing bike record 4:48:30 on her Jim Felt-designed Easton.

In 1994, Paula won the swim and lost the run to Karen Smyers, but gained her 8-minute margin of victory with the fastest bike (5:02:25) to take her 7th win in 9:20:14.

Greg Welch leaps with joy after outdueling 40-year-old Dave Scott 8:20:27 to 8:24:32. After an over exuberant post-race party stunt, Welchy left Kona ’94 with a broken arm.

Was this six-time Ironman champion Dave Scott’s greatest performance? The Man hung within 12 seconds of the plucky Aussie at the Energy Lab, finally surrendering 5 minutes.

Mark Allen started the run 13 minutes down to Thomas “Hell on Wheels” Hellriegel, then ran a 2:42:09 to pass the Kona rookie at Mile 23 on his way to his 6th and final win.

Rookie Luc Van Lierde of Belgium shocked the Ironman world with a still-standing record 8:04:08 (including a 3-minute drafting penalty), passing Hellriegel at Mile 23.

Luc Van Lierde’s 2:41:48 run in 1996 has only been topped by Mark and Dave in 1989. Surprised U.S. Ironman experts missed Van Lierde’s prior Nice win, ITU Worlds silver.

Chris Legh fought his way among the leaders on the bike, but succumbed to dehydration just 100 yards from the finish. The next day, surgeons removed 12 inches from his colon.

Canada’s Heather Fuhr ran down leaders Wendy Ingraham, Lori Bowden, Fernanda Keller and Sian Welch with a race-best 3:06:45 marathon to win 1997 in 9:31:43.

After blasting to big leads on the bike getting run down at Mile 23 by Mark Allen and Luc Van Lierde, Thomas Hellriegel finally led the final miles in 1997.

After surging to the lead mid-run, then getting run down by Paula Newby-Fraser in 1996, getting sick in 1997, Swiss Miss Natascha Badmann began her 6-win dynasty in 1998.

Following in the 1997 footsteps of fellow Canadian Heather Fuhr, Peter Reid won Ironman Hawaii in 1998, topping Ironman sensation Luc Van Lierde.

Van Lierde rebounded from a slightly sub-par 1998 Kona to take his second Ironman Hawaii crown in 1999. Van Lierde’s killer surge 4 miles into the run iced his alpha status.

In 1999, Lori Bowden reversed the usual protocols dictating which member of a couple takes charge in finish line kisses. Winner Bowden leaps into the arms of runner-up Reid.

Natascha Badmann missed Ironman Hawaii trying to make the Swiss Olympic team in 1999. In 2000, Badmann flew like an eagle through brutal winds to take her second win.

Peter Reid didn’t have to face Van Lierde, who dropped out with nervous exhaustion before the race, but ran 2:48:10 to withstand DeBoom’s charge in 2000.

Peter Reid experiences a bone deep exhaustion after withstanding Tim DeBoom’s late race surge in 2000. For the next two years, Reid struggled to regain his energy.

The post Ironman Hawaii winners, movers and shakers 1993-2000 first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Part 1 of "Best of 2008" is right here.

Part 2 of of "Best of 2008" is right here

All images are © Timothy Carlson 2008

The 30th cavalry charge swim start at Ironman Hawaii.

Crowie, Faris Al-Sultan and Macca emerge from the chaos of the swim. As it turns out, the 2008, 2005 and 2007 champs.

Chrissie Wellington, never again the dark horse, took control at Mile 20 of the bike, then made up for an 11-minute stop for a flat – thanks to Rebekah Keat.

Bryan Rhodes leads a chase pack 40 miles into the bike.

Faris Al-Sultan had not fully recovered from early season woes, but his form was classic on Alii Drive.

NBC helicopter stalks Craig Alexander on his way to Kona glory.

Andy Potts finds redemption with his 7th place Kona debut after deep Olympic disappointment.

Shingo Tani feels the joy.

Chrissie Wellington celebrates her second triumph by doing the Blazeman Roll.

Chrissie sheds tears of joy holding her crown to the sky.

Terenzo Bozzone blazes into the swim at Clearwater.

Joanna Zeiger led virtually wire to wire wins her first World Championship – at age 38 – at Clearwater.

Terenzo flies into the lead on the bridge and withstood a late charge by Andreas Raelert to take the 2008 Ironman 70.3 World Championship at the tender age of 23.

Ageless Joe Bonness flies with a smile on the run.

Andreas Raelert failed to make his third Olympic team, but earned his World Championship silver with a 1:10 run, zooming past eight rivals.

Andy Potts (6th) finds it’s often a thankless task to try for a Kona-Clearwater double.

Ultraman looks primal slogging through a 10km swim.

Peter Kotland flies past bright tropical red flowers on the first day bike. Kotland took 4th in his return to the 320-mile event 11 years after his 5:33 double marathon:

Todd Crandell rides along Ultraman’s Red Road, a volcanic vent throwing a steaming cloud in the background.

Alexandre Ribeiro’s young son paces his father (right) and Miro Kregar (center) at Mile 34 of the final day’s double marathon at Ultraman.

The post Best tri images of 2008 part 3 first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Part 1 of "Best of 2008" is right here.

Part 3 of of "Best of 2008" is right here

All images are © Timothy Carlson 2008

Under23 Men storm Vancouver’s beach seeking World Championship glory. Alistair Brownlee, who would make his mark in Beijing, won gold.

Greg Bennett, not ready for the cold, made a bold bid to save his Olympic slot in the first lap of the run, but faded as Javier Gomez took gold.

With the third Olympic slot for the USA at stake, Matt Reed passes Russia’s Ivan Vasiliev in T2 and won the crucial duel on the run.

Six-foot 5-inch Matt Reed in a duel for 5th place with home country favorite Simon Whitfield.

At this angle, it looks like 2000 Olympic gold medalist Whitfield might have snaked Reed.

But one step later, it’s clear that Reed’s chest crossed the line first. In Beijing, Whitfield dueled for the gold, but Reed, worn out from his Olympic chase, faded.

Sarah Haskins outdueled Sarah Groff for the last US women’s Olympic slot at Hy-Vee.

After a change of venue to escape the Iowa floods, the Hy-Vee men’s field hits the water seeking a $200,000 payday – and the final US men’s Olympic slot.

In triathlon’s version of a Texas Death Cage Wrestling match, Hunter Kemper and Andy Potts hit T1 in a tie, clicking in helmet straps in high-tension unison.

Greg Bennett, fully recovered from Vancouver’s icy water, duels Bevan Docherty for second place behind two-time Hy-Vee big-check champ Rasmus Henning.

Hunter Kemper give thanks to the Big Guy in the Sky for his third Olympic slot after edging Andy Potts. Kemper recovered from career-threatening injuries just in time.

Andy Potts, consummate sportsman, offers congratulations to his conqueror.

Simon Lessing, five-time ITU world champion, shows that glorious stride in a second place finish at Boulder Peak before calling it a career at Austin 70.3.

Men’s pro swim start at Boulder 5430.

Hot air balloons festoon Boulder Reservoir 5430 swim.

Brian Fleischmann sparkles in early morning light emerging from Boulder 5430 swim.

Heather Gollnick’s husband pulls a thorn from her foot.

Bryan Rhodes powers in early morning light.

They call him the Flash. But Brian Fleischmann, his feet not touching the ground, floats like the Criss Angel Mindfreak of Triathlon.

The joys of riding into the night at the 24 Hours of Triathlon at Denver’s Cherry Creek Reservoir.

The post Best tri images of 2008 part 2 first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Starting with the National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Carlson captured the fiercest of competitions, the joy of victory and the agony of a not so prefect race.

Part 2 of "Best of 2008" is right here.

Part 3 of of "Best of 2008" is right here

All images are © Timothy Carlson 2008

The National Collegiate Championships have found a home in Bear Bryant’s Tuscaloosa. One swimmer stretches for perfection, but Crimson Tide football fell short.

One collegian experiences the bliss of ultimate exertion.

The women launch into the swim like rocketing porpoises at the second round of US Olympic Trials in Tuscaloosa.

Sarah Haskins, Sara McLarty, Julie Ertel and Sarah Groff made the definitive break
on the bike, aiming at the second US women’s 2008 Olympic slot.

Julie Ertel practiced lightning transitions for two months at her home in Irvine, California. The homework paid off here as she broke into an unassailable lead at T2.

While Julie Ertel was securing her an Olympic berth in a second sport, young Sarah Groff graduated into the big time in Tuscaloosa, eight seconds short of Sarah Haskins.

Julie Ertel soaks in the cheers as she follows up her 2000 water polo Olympic slot with a trip to Beijing in triathlon eight years later.

Brian Fleischmann flashes out of the water chasing the Olympic dream.

Brian Fleischmann, Hunter Kemper and Matt Reed caught Andy Potts midway through the bike. Reed made the decisive break halfway through the last lap.

Newly minted US citizen Matty Reed stands tall as he cashes in an upset win over Hunter Kemper and Andy Potts for the second US men’s Olympic slot.

Matt Reed and Julie Ertel pose casually at ‘Bama’s end zone goalpost after scoring Olympic pay dirt earlier that afternoon.

One age grouper takes a final warm-up run on Vancouver’s beautiful shoreline on the eve of the 2008 ITU World Championship.

Olympic scheduling led to this fiasco – dozens of age groupers pulled from the Vancouver’s freezing waters in early June.

Which led to cancellation of the swim midway through the age group waves, substituting a hastily improvised duathlon start. Results were scrambled for months.

Long shots Sarah Haskins and Helen Tucker made a bold breakaway on one of Vancouver’s steep hills.

Haskins and Tucker ran side by side until the Brit surged to gold at the end.

Haskins gave her all for the silver.

Tucker’s delighted astonishment versus Haskin’s weary surrender.

New Zealand’s Samantha Warriner fights young Erin Densham of Australia for the bronze.

At 37, the elder warrior grabs her first World Championship podium by an eyelash.
Fifth place Emma Moffat grabbed bronze in Beijing.

The post Best tri images of 2008 part 1 first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Corey Foulk, 49, an environmental architect from Kailua-Kona, is an 11-time Ultraman finisher who has completed 40-plus Ironmans, 50-plus marathons, and 50-plus ultra marathons. Plus he's done several since acquiring an artificial hip three years ago.

Peter Kotland returned to Ultraman 11 years after running a 5:33:57 double marathon to win the 1997 event.

The three-day stage race triathlon starts at 6:30 the Friday after Thanksgiving with a 10k swim from Kailua Pier to Keauhou Bay.

A good kayaker can find the fast currents and sweep the jellyfish out of the way.

A double kayak seeks easier currents for their swimmer nearer shore.

Knifing through the water.

Peter Kotland swam 25 minutes faster in 1997 – but currents were against all the competitors this year.

Two-time Ultraman winner Alexandre Ribeiro of Brazil gets help with his wetsuit from crewmember Jose Carlos of Boulder.

Kotland had one of the fastest swim-bike transitions

Kotland came to Kona fighting an infected eardrum, but had the 4th best bike on Day 1 and second fastest on Day 2.

Kotland finished Day One dehydrated and tapped out.

Day two. Vito Bialla, an 8-time Ultraman finisher, warmed up with a 135-mile run at Badwater. At 60, Bialla was the oldest finisher.

The first 20 miles on Day two is a bobsled run dropping 4,000 feet from Volcanoes National Monument to Keaau.

Ribeiro won Day two with a sizzling 7:20 bike split, passing a lava vent that contributes to chronic vog.

Todd Crandell Executive Director of Racing For Recovery, rides through a tunnel of tropical canopy.

Riding at 6,000 feet on top of the Kohalas on Day 2.

Stretching before the 6 AM start on Day 3.

Starting the double marathon.

Runners and their pacers band together for camaraderie.

Richard Roll, a 41-year-old entertainment lawyer from Malibu, swam 2:41 and finished 11th overall.

The post Ultraman 08 impressions first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Miro Kregar of Slovenia, Ribeiro of Brazil, and Kotland of Czech Republic shared the lead at Mile 14.

Kotland refuels on the run.

Miro Kregar and Alexandre Ribeiro dropped Kotland at Mile 15 and stayed together until Kregar made a break at Mile 45.

Tony O'Keefe trailed the leaders but hung in for his fourth straight Ultraman Hawaii runner-up finish.

Shanna Armstrong set a PR on the run of 8:15 with help from a stylishly hula-skirted pacer.

Ribeiro keeps cool on the Queen K.

Kotland, just before he hit the wall at Mile 32.

Miro Kregar scored the fastest run of the day. His 6:14 mark, the fifth fastest in Ultraman history, brought the 46-year-old in third overall, three minutes ahead of Kotland.

Even the mighty can be struck low in Ultraman. Kotland walked several miles, but still managed a 7:33 double marathon.

Carlos Conceicao, a 44-year-old Brazilian, advanced from 10th to 5th overall with a 6:46 run.

Peter Mueller, a 46-year-old Swiss flight attendant, was sick and off his usual top-five form so he ran Shanna Armstrong to a new PR.

Finish line kiss after 320 Ultra miles.

Kotland recovers while less thrashed finishers chewed down.

Alexandre Ribeiro was just eight minutes off the course record while taking g his third Ultraman win in four attempts.

Corey Foulk stayed cool all three days.

Shanna Armstrong took her 5th Ultraman title.

Suzy Degazon (L) finished her 10th Ultraman in 11 tries, while Jason Lester (right) a Kailua-Kona artist, had no trouble finishing with one arm.

Vito Bialla celebrates his 8th Ultraman finish with wife Linda, the 1999 women’s Ultraman champ, ands son Benjamin, a budding soccer star.

Cowman A-Moo-Ha competed in the very first Ultraman in 1983. This year he shot video at the finish and at the awards banquet.

To the Ultra way of thinking, circumnavigating the Big Island over three days is a more fun than a simple one-day swim-bike-run.

The post More Ultraman 08 impressions first appeared on Slowtwitch News.