Triathlon

Ironman Triathlon
Celebrates its Fifth Year

The Adirondack’s Premier Athletic Event

by Bill Johnson

At 7 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, July 27, more than 1,700 athletes will dive into the cool waters of Mirror Lake to take part in the HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon. The event will mark the fifth year the competition has been held in the Olympic Village and its first as the United States Ironman Championship.

With the new designation, there will be an increase in the amount of prize money from $50,000 to $100,000 and special prizes will be given to age group winners. The top male and female athlete to complete the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike leg and 26.2-mile running phase will take home $20,000 in addition to the 2003 Lake Placid title.

Second place finishers will be awarded $12,000 and athletes finishing in third place will win $8,000. Triathletes who place fourth ($6,000) and fifth (4,000) will be awarded cash and prizes as well.

Ironman makes positive impact on Olympic region
The village of Lake Placid is no stranger to world-class competition. It has played host to both the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games as well as several national and international competitions such as the Winter Goodwill Games, the ESPN Great Outdoor Games and dozens of international bobsled, luge and skiing events. The Ironman triathlon has quickly become the marquee sporting event in the Adirondacks and has made a tremendous impact on the local economy.

Initially, the event brought in an estimated $4 million into the community, but with its growth in popularity that amount has nearly doubled to $8 million. Much of the financial windfall from the event is attributed to the triathlon’s ability to attract both athletes and fans year after year.

Traditionally, the HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon closes to general entries less than one month after the race is completed and once the event is closed, a number of Ironman USA Community Fund slots are made available, at $1,000 each, for individuals who wish to compete in the race and donate money to youth sport programs and charities in and around the Lake Placid area.

“This points directly to the popularity of Ironman USA Lake Placid,” said Ironman North America president Graham Fraser in a recent interview. “The feel at the Lake Placid event is different than any Ironman in the world. The volunteers and host community make it a place where athletes want to return again and again.”

Volunteers: The backbone of the Ironman
What makes the Ironman successful is the energy and enthusiasm it generates in the people who volunteer for the event each year. More than 2,000 people don “Ironcrew” T-shirts for a period of up to 22 hours to execute the many tasks needed to successfully implement the race.

“Without the corps of volunteers we have for the race, it could not be held,” explained Sophie Van Olmen, the director of volunteers for the HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon. “Our volunteers begin their day in the early morning hours marking bodies and move to other areas as the day progresses.

“Our captains have done a tremendous job of getting their people together, and over 85 percent of our captains and over half of our volunteers return each year. It’s very rewarding to be a volunteer as the athletes are openly appreciative of their efforts.”

Volunteering is also a means of therapy for one group of individuals as residents of the St. Joseph’s Rehabilitation Center in Saranac Lake who operate an aid station to get a glimpse of healthy social interaction without the presence of alcohol. In addition to assisting the triathletes who are competing, the residents of St. Joseph’s also take the time to support their favorite triathlete: Fr. Dan Callahan, 52, a.k.a the “Iron Friar,” [Athlete Profile, August 2000] a spiritual leader at St. Joseph’s who has competed in each of the four Ironman Lake Placid competitions to date.

On the charitable side, a handful of local athletes have used the event to raise funds for local causes or services. Since the 2001 race, Bill Skufca and Billy McGreevy, two members of the Wilmington Volunteer Fire Department have turned pledges into donations toward the department’s General Operating Fund.

“The community has been very good to us and they (Skufca and McGreevy) volunteered to get involved with the race itself,” said Jason Bruce, volunteer captain and Chief of the Wilmington Fire Department. “We get a number of people (both inside and outside the department) that work with us because they too want to be involved.”

The Ironman becomes an addiction
Like many local athletes who compete in the Ironman, the primary goal is to merely finish. But for two Lake Placid residents who have competed in all four Ironman races, the race has become more of an addiction than a competition.

“I have a lot of friends, like me, who are addicted to the Ironman,” explained Brian Delaney, 47, the owner of High Peaks Cyclery of Lake Placid. “My family and I have always been active in swimming, biking and running, and when the Ironman came to Lake Placid I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Once I finished my first Ironman, I found myself wanting to do another.

“In the past few years I have competed in the Florida, San Diego and Utah Ironman races, as well as the World Championships in Hawaii. I find it exciting to run new races and I try to do well in my age group.

“I love to compete, but I’m mainly focused on doing better each time out. Perhaps when I get older and better, I’ll be more concerned with winning my age group.”

Like Delaney, Charlie Cowan, 52, a broker with A.G. Edwards & Sons of Lake Placid, began his Ironman career as an athlete who simply ran the race because it was held locally. Five years and nine Ironman races later, Cowan has blossomed into one of the world’s top age group triathletes.

“I remember seeing the Hawaii Ironman on television some years ago and I thought it would be neat to run one,” said Cowan. “And like the old saying “Be careful of what you wish for, you might get it,” it (the Ironman) eventually came to Lake Placid and I was given that opportunity.

“I did fairly well in my first Ironman and I began to enjoy the energy and effort it took to prepare for each race. My initial goal was to finish, but now I find myself wanting to win and trying to do everything I can to accomplish that result.”

Fuhr, Bolton return for shot at 2003 title
What makes the Ironman most exciting is the intense competition that exists between the dozens of professional triathletes who compete in the event each year. The most notable name in the short history of the HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon is that of Heather Fuhr, a three-time winner of the event who will return to defend her title in July.

A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Fuhr finished the 2002 race in 9:43:12, a mere 13 minutes ahead of Joanna Lawn of New Zealand. Local favorite Jackie Hatherly of Lake Placid placed third in the competition with an overall mark of 10:11:37 and will look to improve her standing in the 2003 race.

In the men's division, Ryan Bolton of Boulder, Colo., who won the men’s title in 2002 with a time of 8:39:19 and Japan’s Shingo Tani, who placed third with a mark of 9:01:46, will return to battle for the 2003 title in the men’s field.

The HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon will begin with a 2.4-mile swimming leg, which starts at 7 a.m. at the Lake Placid Municipal Beach. The remainder of event will center around the transition area and finish line, which is located adjacent to the Lake Placid Olympic Center.

For more information on the event, call the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitor’s Bureau at (518) 523-2445 or go to www.ironmanusa.com or www.lakeplacid.com.

Bill Johnson is the sports editor of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise in Saranac Lake. He is the recipient of two New York Newspaper Publishers Association Distinguished Sports Coverage awards for his pre- and post-event coverage of the HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon.

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