Before the sun came up, they were lining the roads toward the pier. Athletes, fans, friends and volunteers intermingled in pre-dawn Kona. They applied sunscreen in the dark, stretched the early-morning stiffness out of muscles and waited patiently to be herded toward the calm Pacific. Michellie Jones strode through the athletes waiting area on her way to the beach with a calm, regal demeanor.
"At the start of the race the energy is incredible. All the athletes are like deer in headlights," said Mike Reilly, the Voice of Ironman. "Getting everybody into the water is a difficult task because you have one little set of steps to go down from the pier."
An in-water start means athletes are treading water as they remain behind an imaginary line. "They're all looking up, waiting for something to happen," said Reilly. Professional men and women began together, 15 minutes before the mass of age-groupers.
Led along the course by legendary surfer Laird Hamilton on a stand-up paddleboard, American Linda Gallo led all swimmers for most of the leg. Spaniard Francisco Pontano was first out of the water in 51 minutes, 23 seconds. Gallo was two seconds behind.
Above: Samantha McGlone (62) leads Belinda Granger (58) out of transition.
Above: Australian Chris McCormack puts on his helmet as Americans Luke Bell (7) and Chris Lieto (9) prepare to exit the transition area.
The biggest news of the morning was the withdrawal of contender Faris Al-Sultan. The German apparently came down with a stomach bug that prevented him from starting the race. It was an unfortunate blow to the hype surrounding the tri-valry of Al-Sultan, McCormack and Normann Stadler that preceded the race.
Stay tuned for more blogs, videos and slideshows of the 2007 Ford Ironman Championship.
