2005 Ralphs California Half Ironman women's race - Triathlon Week

Robert G. · 03-16-2005, 11:25 PM

Who will win the 2005 California Half Ironman women's race?

This is a fun bet for bragging rights - no real money is involved.

This is a test feature, let me know how you feel about this and if you want to see more or don't like it.

- R

Robert G. · 03-16-2005, 11:39 PM

OCEANSIDE, Calif.-A star-studded women’s field is scheduled to compete in the 2005 Ralphs California Half Ironman triathlon, set to take place on Saturday, March 19 in Oceanside and on neighboring Camp Pendleton.

Seven women who have won Ironman titles in their career are scheduled to compete in the Oceanside events, which annually features one of the most competitive fields in all of triathlon.
Leading the way will be defending champion Michellie Jones (Australia) and two-time Subaru Ironman Canada champion Lisa Bentley (Canada).
Jones, the 2000 Olympic silver medallist in triathlon, has made a successful transition to long-course racing.
In 2004 won both the Ralphs California Half Ironman and the Ironman Florida triathlon, posting an overall time of nine hours, 28 minutes and 34 seconds to win the first Ironman title of her career.
Jones bested an all-star field to win the 2004 Ralphs California Half Ironman, posting an overall time of four hours and 34 minutes.
The 33-year-old Jones is a two-time ITU World Champion and has won 10 ITU World Cup events in her long and illustrious short-course career.
Fuhr is currently second all-time on the Ironman victory list, having claimed 13 Ironman events in her career, behind only Ironman legend Paula Newby-Fraser, who has posted an amazing 23 Ironman victories.
Bentley is one of a number of Canadian women who rank among the elite in the sport of triathlon.
The 35-year-old has won seven Ironman titles in here career, including Subaru Ironman Canada each of the past two seasons. Bentley has also claimed multiple titles at Ironman Australia (2002, 2003 and 2004) and Ironman New Zealand twice (2000 and 2001.)
2004 was a banner season for Bentley, as not only did she capture titles at Subaru Ironman Canada and Ironman Australia, but she also claimed the Florida Half Ironman title and finished a career-best fourth place overall at the 2004 Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Five other Ironman title winners, Nicole DeBoom (Lyons, Colo.), Fernanda Keller (Brazil), Heather Gollnick (Hartford, Wisc.), Kate Major (Australia) and Ute Mueckel (Germany) will also compete in the Ralphs California Half Ironman.
DeBoom claimed the first Ironman title of her career in September of 2004 by winning the Ironman Wisconsin triathlon with an overall time of 10 hours, five minutes and 40 seconds.
DeBoom was also third at the Ironman California Triathlon in 2000.
Nicole is the wife of two-time Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom.
A standout swimmer who qualified for the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials in the breaststroke, DeBoom has been in the top five at the Ralphs California Half Ironman each of the past two years.
Keller has been a staple at the Ironman World Championship finishing in the top five eight times in her career.
Keller has posted two Ironman victories in her career, winning Ironman Brazil in 2004 and 2000.
Gollnick has won three Ironman titles in her career and ranks as one of the top U.S. female competitors in Ironman triathlon.
Gollnick posted the first Ironman win of her career at the inaugural Ironman Wisconsin triathlon held in September of 2002. Gollnick’s overall time of nine hours, 54 minutes and 54 seconds was more than 18 minutes faster than second-place finisher Yoko Okuda of Japan.
Gollnick also won the inaugural Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene title back in June of 2003 and repeated as Ironman Wisconsin champion in September of that same year.
Major had a banner year in 2004, claiming the first Ironman title of her career at Ironman USA Lake Placid.
Major not only won the event, but set a new course record in the process with an overall time of nine hours, 24 minutes and 41 seconds.
The 27-year-old Australian also finished an impressive third overall at the 2004 Ironman Triathlon World Championship and was also third at Ironman Australia this past season.
Mueckel has claimed a pair of Ironman titles in her career, winning Ironman Germany (1996) and Ironman Switzerland (1997). Mueckel posted times of nine hours, 21 minutes and 30 seconds and 9:32:48 in winning the Germany and Switzerland titles respectively.
One other top Ironman athletes scheduled to compete in the event is Joanna Zeiger (Boulder, Colo.).
Zeiger ranks as one of the top U.S. female athletes that compete at the Ironman-distance.
Most recently the 34-year-old Zeiger finished second at the 2004 Subaru Ironman Canada Triathlon held in Penticton, B.C.
Zeiger also finished fifth at Ironman Florida and second at Ironman USA Lake Placid in 2001, and was fifth overall at the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in 2000.
Zeiger has also been a standout at the Olympic-distance finished 4th at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Other women who have posted top Ironman times and may be in the mix for the 2005 title include Desiree Ficker (Boulder, Colo.), Alison Hayden (Dade City, Fla.), Lauren Jensen (New Berlin, Wisc.) and Amanda Lovato (Boulder, Colo.)
The Ralphs California Half Ironman will take place for the fourth time in 2005 in Oceanside and on neighboring Camp Pendleton. More than 2,000 athletes are expected to take part in the event.
For more information on the Ralphs California Half Ironman log onto www.ironmancalifornia.com