Aloha! And welcome to the first ever Age Group IM Live coverage for the Ford Ironman World Championships. If you are following a loved one, friend, family, teammate then you have come to the right channel.
All day from when the cannon sounds we will be following the age groupers until the last hero crosses the finish line.
The weather today has been forecast with a high of 85 degrees. Winds on Hawi? Well we are told they will only get up to 10mph…that could all change but if current conditions hold it will be a fast day on the bike.
Early in the week we have seen some heavy downpours but yesterday humidity rose and the sun shone and it got pretty hot out there. Scorching hot. Athletes and Supporters need to be well sun screened up and hydrated out there on the course.
Early in the week we have seen some heavy downpours but yesterday humidity rose and the sun shone and it got pretty hot out there. Scorching hot. Athletes and Supporters need to be well sun screened up and hydrated out there on the course.
Riding down to the swim start this morning the atmosphere was one of eerie silence. Many athletes perhaps with the thought that they would not want to take the long walk home after their race were attempting to drive into town.
A nice idea, but in hindsight the tailbacks would not do much to settle the nerves. Many others opted to walk and a few were jogging despite the fact they have a 2.4mile swim, 112mile bike and 26mile run ahead of them!
There wasn’t a lot of chatter going on. In fact you could hear a pin drop. Nerves, excitement, tension…take your pick. It is electric!
Lava Java and numerous other cafes opened their doors early and the smell of freshly brewed Kona coffee and bacon sandwiches filled the air. If you had failed to take breakfast there were plenty of opportunities, but perhaps not such a good idea!
We have a lot of returning 2010 age group winners on the start line today
#181 Lew Hollander, 81 set a course record last year in 15:48. He is 16 time Hawaii Ironman and 3 time world Age ITU Age Group Champion.
Other course record holders from 2010 are:
#329 KEVIN MOATS, 57 in 9:26
#247 YVES TABARANT, 62 in 10:08
#185 MILOS KOSTIC, 70 in 11:29
Age group 2010 returning winners:
#149 JEDDIE SCHABORT, 48 - 9:26
#160 YUTAKA KOJIMA, 76 -13:59
#165 HARRIET ANDERSON, 76 -16:20
#200 GOTTHARD WINKLER, 67 -11:37
#290 CAROL PETERS, 61 - 12:17
#391 LAURA SOPHIEA, 56 - 10:51
#468 MICHAEL BLUE, 51 - 9:48
#532 ELLEN HART, 53 - 10:36
#708 FERNANDO AJA, 46 - 9:18
#951 CURT CHESNEY, 42 - 9:07
#1290 DAMIEN ANGUS, 37 - 9:04
#1622 CIRO VIOLIN, 31 - 8:54
#1677 NINA PEKERMAN, 34 - 9:55
#1729 LOUISE COLLINS, 30 - 10:07
There is an Aussie to look out for today. #1826 Timothy Beardall is racing here for the 4th time and this year stepped up an age group 25-29. He won his slot at IM Korea back in July - very convincingly. He came 4th here last year in 9:33!
Shouting out to former Biggest Loser #141 TARA COSTA. She is on the start line this morning and along with all the other age groupers is in the water right now warming up!
I bumped into #321 NOBUYUKI TANAKA aka 'Joe' Owner of Ceepo bikes in the lobby this morning...he is looking for a 10:30 here today!
The Rugby World cup is on and Wales thumped Ireland last night to reach the Semis. That is great news for Welshman #253 Sam Pritchard racing here in his first Kona!
We have 1780 Age group athletes out on the course today. Racing the biggest race of their lives!
Some stats for you: the average age today is 37!
70% Male and 30% Female.
The youngest athlete today is 19. The eldest is 81.
Shouting out to US Coast Guard Lt. Rachael Beckmann #1861. You go girl!
Looking at the overhead shots of the swim and the water is a beautiful shade of blue. Crystal clear, visibility will not be a problem.
Age groupers are in the water, the ocean is a mass of elbows and swim caps as 1780 athletes start their ironman journey.
Carnage is a word used to describe the age group swim. Some age groupers love it, others loathe it.
It's an amazing sight, inspirational. Some age groupers take a wide berth and try to avoid the mass while the stronger swimmers take the most direct line and look to get out of the water comfortably under the hour.
While we are waiting for the age groupers to make the swim turn and head back remember you can tweet us using #IMKONA if you would like a special mentions to your loved one today! Don't forget the name and number!
As the pro's head out onto the bike age group athletes are now making the turn on the swim. We should have the first Ag's heading into T2 in 20minutes.
We are hearing reports that the swim was tough, the pro's have been coming out pretty beaten up and now we are waiting for the first age groupers.
Elly #1719...good luck wishes from your support crew!
#1202 Ritch Viola you are doing the Ford Ironman Championships...Go get em!
Message from your sister, Paula. Sylvia Kreuger #1867 is running her 1st Ironman at Kona, Hawaii. Go Sylvia! I am so proud of you!
Message from John, Go hometown Cape Elizabeth ladies - Ange #1125 and Mary #1136!
Good luck wishes to Pat McCrann ('96), former team captian who is racing today in Ironman Hawaii! Yeah BU!
We have just heard that there is one supper fast fish age grouper with a 30yard lead over the remaining pack. So far out and so fast we do not have the bib number...yet.
Go Emily #1842 from Dad and Elaine in snowy Park City!
Best wishes to Danielle Kehoe/1928 with Life Quest. You go girl!
That fish we were talking about with a huge swim lead is a lifeguard from Belgum. BART COLPAERT #1657 is out of the water and in T2!
2nd out the water:
00:52:55 1220 O Flaherty, Andrew 39 Johannesbu GAU RSA
#1876 HALEY CHURA is first age grouper out of the water 00:53:33 and top 10 overall women
super fast swimmers all under the hour Top 10 men
Super fast swimmers all under the hour Top 10 men
Top 10 M30-34 at Swim Exit
00:51:35 1657 Colpaert, Bart 30 Izegem WES BEL
00:52:58 00:01:23 1521 McNeese, Griffin 34 Hoboken NJ USA
00:53:05 00:01:30 1638 Carter, Brett 30 palm beach QLD AUS
00:53:13 00:01:38 1625 Gardner, Andy 31 Kingwood TX USA
00:53:28 00:01:53 1573 Sousa, Rafael 32 goiania GOI BRA
00:53:29 00:01:54 1518 Harrison, Luke 34 Lennox Hea NSW AUS
00:53:31 00:01:56 179 Webber, Adam 30 Denver PA USA
00:54:42 00:03:07 1616 Diederen, Bas 31 Susteren YES NED
00:54:46 00:03:11 1664 Carlisle, Kurtis 30 Gaithersbu MD USA
00:54:54 00:03:19 1622 Violin, Ciro 31 Leme SAO BRA
Top 10 M35-39 at Swim Exit
00:52:55 1220 O Flaherty, Andrew 39 Johannesbu GAU RSA
00:53:40 00:00:45 1296 Berry, Chip 37 Springfiel VA USA
00:53:43 00:00:48 1268 Fry, T.J. 38 The Woodla TX USA
00:54:27 00:01:32 1314 Hola, Tim 37 Highlands CO USA
00:54:33 00:01:38 1320 Rose, Matthew 37 DECATUR GA USA
00:54:38 00:01:43 1356 Flint, Glen 36 Toronto ON CAN
00:56:18 00:03:23 1377 Israel, Todd 36 Sydney NSW AUS
00:56:19 00:03:24 1316 Alfaro, Fernando 37 Panama PAN PAN
00:56:29 00:03:34 1202 Viola, Ritch 39 San Franci CA USA
00:57:20 00:04:25 1341 Marinovich, John 36 Encinitas CA USA
#1304 Ryan Barnet is having a great swim today in tough conditions. New swim time reported of 59:24 1:32/100m!
Top 10 M18-24 at Swim Exit
00:56:18 1901 Duffy, Brian 23 West Chest PA USA
00:56:43 00:00:25 1904 Inch, Matt 23 Clarkston MI USA
00:57:59 00:01:41 1897 Ebenbichler, Benedikt 24 Mayrhofen TIR AUT
00:58:52 00:02:34 1902 Roth, Jonathan 23 cochrane AB CAN
00:58:55 00:02:37 1917 Scott, Drew 21 Boulder CO USA
00:59:36 00:03:19 1911 Sander, Elias 23 Seelze NIE GER
00:59:48 00:03:30 1884 Ansbaugh, Nathan 24 Boulder CO USA
01:00:09 00:03:51 1889 Meissner, Niels 24 Houston TX USA
01:00:14 00:03:56 1905 Baldwin, Nick 23 Victoria MAH SEY
01:00:41 00:04:24 1899 Burton, Matt 23 Swan View WAA AUS
Top 10 M25-29 at Swim Exit
00:54:37 1747 Knoepke, Daniel 29 Borgholzha NOR GER
00:55:33 00:00:56 1765 Gionet, Brad 29 Mississaug ON CAN
00:55:36 00:00:59 1811 Biessmann, Max 26 Irvine CA USA
00:55:45 00:01:09 1795 Grigoryev, Alexander 27 Pskov PSK RUS
00:56:19 00:01:42 1761 Safrana, Pablo 29 QLD QLD AUS
00:56:22 00:01:45 1814 Svoboda, Tomas 26 Prague CZE CZE
00:56:23 00:01:46 1838 D'Ambrosia, Christopher 25 Wan Chai HON HKG
00:57:23 00:02:47 1749 Platero, Miguel 29 San Sebast MAO ESP
00:58:33 00:03:56 1758 Russell, Robert 29 chifley NSW AUS
00:58:51 00:04:14 1802 Vanhee, Pieter 27 Izegem BEL BEL
Top 10 M40-44 at Swim Exit
00:55:39 978 Hauth, Chris 42 Mill Valle CA USA
00:55:40 00:00:01 947 Molloy, Matt 42 London LON IRL
00:56:27 00:00:48 954 Sauer, Uwe 42 Frankfurt HES GER
00:56:56 00:01:17 944 Lord, Steven 42 Taunton SOM GBR
00:56:59 00:01:21 1009 Kaminski, Brian 41 Bowling Gr OH USA
00:57:24 00:01:46 879 Valderrabano, Uzziel 43 Mexico d.f D.F MEX
00:57:30 00:01:51 880 Lanza, Craig 43 Wauwatosa WI USA
00:57:30 00:01:52 1052 Niederau, Dirk 40 Koenigswin NRW GER
00:57:56 00:02:17 1014 Ewashko, Craig 41 Fort McMur AB CAN
00:58:00 00:02:21 1032 Erat, Pablo 40 Zurich ZUR SWI
Top 10 M45-49 at Swim Exit
00:53:38 773 Topan, Luiz 45 belo horiz MG BRA
00:53:39 00:00:02 676 Martin, N.K. 46 Johnstown CO USA
00:55:22 00:01:45 669 Boyce, Albert 47 Stockton CA USA
00:56:16 00:02:39 774 Bonsell, Shawn 45 dallas TX USA
00:57:36 00:03:59 736 Pietrofesa, Mark 45 San Mateo CA USA
00:58:16 00:04:39 635 Andersen, Bent 47 Herning DEN DEN
00:58:24 00:04:47 725 Potter, John 45 Bryn Mawr PA USA
00:58:53 00:05:16 597 Zarro, Dario 48 Zurich ZUR SWI
00:59:20 00:05:43 764 De Villiers, Richard 45 Stellenbos WES RSA
00:59:46 00:06:09 756 Younts, Kenneth 45 Chapep Hil NC USA
Top 10 M50-54 at Swim Exit
00:55:42 471 Mickle, Gregory 51 Perth WAA AUS
00:57:26 00:01:44 474 Daniel, Chris 51 Calgary, A AB CAN
00:57:36 00:01:54 506 Campbell, Jason 50 Oakland CA USA
00:57:55 00:02:13 472 Jones, Eben 51 new canaan CT USA
00:58:03 00:02:21 422 Black, Larry 53 Fort Myers FL USA
00:58:55 00:03:14 479 Avrea, Jim 51 Oxnard CA USA
01:00:35 00:04:54 513 Welch, Kyle 50 Sunnyvale CA USA
01:01:06 00:05:25 505 Morreau, Philip 50 Auckland AUK NZL
01:01:11 00:05:29 467 Ransom, Scott 51 Golden Val MN USA
01:01:11 00:05:30 451 Lamie, Michael 51 DUXBURY MA USA
#150 ANDRE SZUCS, is the first PC athlete out of the swim
Top 10 W18-24 at Swim Exit
00:54:44 1942 Holmes, Erin 22 Kennewick WA USA
01:00:32 00:05:48 1941 Ramirez, Madian 23 Durango DUR MEX
01:03:44 00:09:00 1937 Santos, Thays 23 SANTOS SAO BRA
01:04:29 00:09:45 1938 Simpson, Jessica 23 Fairy mead NSW AUS
01:05:16 00:10:32 1933 Vertiz, Tatiana 24 San Antoni TX USA
01:06:36 00:11:52 1943 Nourmohamadian, Gina 21 Laguna Hil CA USA
01:06:43 00:12:00 1935 Bottig, Rahel 23 Neuenkirch LUZ SWI
01:07:10 00:12:27 1934 Tiner, Chelsea 24 USA
01:08:00 00:13:17 1924 Geiger, Claire 24 Madison WI USA
01:09:27 00:14:43 1945 Kingma, Kelly 19 reston VA USA
