KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii -- Tim DeBoom, ninth after the second
leg, rallied in the marathon to repeat as champion of Ironman
Triathlon World Championship on Saturday, while Natascha Badmann
won her third straight women's title.
New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson was among the competitors in the
sport's best-known event. At stake was a prize of $100,000 for
men's and women's winners.
DeBoom, 31, of Lyons, Colo., completed the 2.4-mile ocean swim,
112-mile bicycle ride and 26.2-mile marathon in 8 hours, 29 minutes
and 56 seconds.
His time this year was about 2½ minutes faster than his winning
time last year.
''It's hot out here, just awful,'' said DeBoom of the humidity
the athletes had to contend with during the run.
Peter Reid of Canada, the 2000 winner, was second in 8:33:06 and
was followed by Cameron Brown of New Zealand, 8:35:34; and 1997
winner Thomas Hellriegel of Germany, 8:36:59.
DeBoom was in ninth place at the end of the bicycle ride, while
Reid was 10th and Brown was eighth. DeBoom had moved into second
place behind Hellriegel at the halfway mark of the run.
Jurgen Zack of Germany was in the lead at the end of the bicycle
ride but dropped out during the marathon because of stomach cramps,
race officials said.
Newcomer Chris McCormack of Australia, who was a close third at
the end of the bike ride, also dropped out during the run.
Badmann, of Switzerland, won in 9:07:54, her best time in the
competition. Nina Kraft of Germany was second in 9:14:24, and 1999
winner Lori Bowden of Canada was third in 9:22:27.
The race started under heavily overcast skies and light rain.
Light breezes and a lack of sunshine kept humidity low during much
of the bicycle ride, but humidity went up when the afternoon sun
broke through.
A total of 1,541 athletes from 49 states and 49 countries
started the race, which caps the series of Ironman and half-Ironman
qualifying races held throughout the world.
Most of the sport's top professionals were vying for $430,000 in
prize money. The first male and female each got $100,000.
The course record of 8:04:08 was set in 1996 by Luc Van Lierde
of Belgium, who withdrew from this year's race a week ago. Paula
Newby-Fraser of Encinitas, Calif., established the women's record
of 8:55:28 in 1992.
Johnson, a Republican, is scheduled to return to New Mexico on
Tuesday, said Diane Kinderwater, Johnson's spokeswoman.