2007 Ironman World Championship Underway

ActiveKona2007 — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:21:00 GMT

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.

An Unforgettable Finish Line

ActiveKona2007 — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:31:00 GMT

"You are an Ironman." To many triathletes, those words conclude a months-long journey of hard work, sweat, sacrifice and determination.

"A lot of times, I meet somebody on race week and they tell me how they've been training for eight months," recounts Mike Reilly, "and every time they're out on their bike they're chanting and repeating what they know I'm going to say: 'John Smith, you are an Ironman,'"

Reilly, who has been announcing the starts and finishes for the Ironman World Championships since 1989, has heralded in thousands of goal-fulfilling triathletes--from record setting pros to the final age-grouper hustling in seconds before midnight. Leading up to race day, Reilly is often told stories of why or for whom a particular athlete is racing.

"When they come across the line and I say their name and call them an Ironman, it's like validating everything they've done for the person they're doing it for or for themselves, and you can see it in their faces," he says. "It's amazing. It's a light-up that sometimes only happens once in a lifetime to people. From what I'm told, it's equally as important as physically crossing the finish line."

In addition to announcing at the finish line in Kona, Reilly also travels to Ironman races across North America. "The passions, the emotions and the expressions are the same at all Ironman finish lines anywhere in the world. Even if someone may not do Hawaii; if they finish Ironman Wisconsin or Ironman Germany--no matter where they finish--the accomplishment is the same. They've gone the same distance. They've had to train the same amount of time."

Not to say Hawaii isn't as relevant with the growth of long-distance triathlon. After all, it is the birthplace of Ironman and remains the world championships. Says Reilly, "It's when you get to Hawaii that you've made it to the pinnacle of the sport."

For Mike Reilly's choice of 10 unforgettable Ironman Hawaii moments, click here .

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2007 Ford Ironman World Championships

2007 Ironman World Championship Underway

An Unforgettable Finish Line