Local athletes set to make their mark at world race

Editor's note:  This pre-race commentary on Big Island residents who will compete in the 1999 Ironman World Championship has been compiled   by WHT's regular sports columnist Sean Pagett.

     Early Saturday morning, 36 of our fittest Big Island athletes will have the privilege of joining nearly 1,500 of the world's best triathletes in the 23rd Ironman Triathlon World Championship.

    Why would this group of island athletes want to swim 2.4 miles in Kailua Bay, cycle 112 miles in the heat and wind of the Queen Kaahumanu Highway, and then run 26.2 more miles in that same heat and wind?

    Their answers are diverse, varying from the challenge of finishing to simply wanting to have fun.

    It seems each athlete entered has his or her own individual reasons, but they all have the same goal - running down the final stretch of Alii Drive and crossing that wonderful finish line.

    Our Big Island group is made up of 19 past finishers and 17 Iron rookies.

    Although most of them won't be racing up front with the pros, a few should do well in their age groups and, of course, there's the honor of being the Top Big Island Finisher. 

    This year's favorite looks to be Carolyn Lowe-Thompson of Waimea.

    This may be Lowe-Thompson's first Ironman, but her consecutive second place finishes at this year's Keauhou Kona Half Ironman Triathlon prove she's ready to race with the world's best.

    Her 1999 Keauhou time of 4 hours, 36minutes, 24 seconds is the fastest by any Big Island athlete and her wins in numerous recent races show she's in top shape.

    Joining her as contenders for the top Big Island wahine spot should be Maggie Grenier of Kealakekua, Kainoa Pauole of Hilo, Elize Wilson and Lokelani McMichael, both of Kailua-Kona.

    Grenier finished last year's race with her sister Shannon and brother Tony, becoming the first "Tri-plets" to complete the race.  This year Grenier is on her own, and a Keauhou time of 5:04:37 shows she's ready to go a lot faster.

    For Pauole, this will be her first Ironman.  At Keauhou, she clocked in at 5:12:34.  Wilson is also in her first Hawaii Ironman, but she has experience at the Ironman New Zealand, as well as many other international races.

    Wilson competes in the 18-24 age group and could end up on stage with a top five age group finish.

    The veteran of this group is McMichael.  At 22, she already has finished four consecutive Ironman Kona races.  Her 1997 finish time of 12:02 is actually the fastest recorded by any current Big Island participant, male or female.

    Her 1999 Keauhou time of 5:24:39 would seed her fifth among Big Isle ladies, but experience and a fun loving attitude could take her all the way to the top.

    With Luis De La Torre and Brent Imonen both sitting out of this year's race, the top Big Island male trophy is up for grabs.

    Using the Keauhou race as a measuring stick, Jahloha Eversfield of Honaunau looks to be the favorite.  This will be his first Ironman but a Keauhou time of 4:51:41 should give him the boost needed to cover the distance.

    Another Iron rookie with a shot at the top Big Island spot is Kevin Laszlo of Kailua-Kona.  He raced well at Keauhou with a finish time of 4:56:39.

    He will be pushed by three-time Ironman finisher Peter Bartsch, also of Kona.  Bartsch finished Keauhou in 4:56:58 and has a Kona Ironman best of 12:34.

    Bartsch has gotten faster all year, and his recent Ironman Switzerland finish in the 11-hour range makes him one of our top contenders.

    Another Iron veteran, Dusty Roads, also has made a lot of improvement since last year when he finished in 12:46.  Roads finished Keauhou in 5:00:08 and his sights are set upon improving last year's Ironman time.

    Iron rookie Mike Fairchild of Hilo has a long history of triathlons and mountain bike races on this island.  His Keauhou time of 5:05:06 seeds him fifth among our island athletes.

    The rest of our Big Island crew includes Dr. Frank Ferren of Kailua-Kona, who is third on the all time finisher's list with 16.  Only Lynn Brooks and Scott Tinley have more.

    His fastest finish of 13:26 came back in 1993, but his most impressive finishes were the two years that he paddled in the 41-mile Molokai to Oahu canoe race just six days before completing Ironman.

    At 60, Ferren may not be as fast as the youngsters but how many of them could hold down a 60-hour per week medical practice and still find time to train?   How much longer can we expect to see Ferren doing Ironman?  "As long as it's fun," he says.

    The group also got two husband and wife teams from right here in Kailua-Kona - Len and Avis Peddicord, and Dard "Vader" and Lora Aller.

    For the Peddicords, Len has been a successful age grouper with four Ironman finishes and two top five placing. While in he 55-59 division, he placed fourth in 1994 and 12th in 1995.

    When he moved up to the 60-64 division he took fourth in 1997 and sixth last year when he set his best time of 12:11.

    Len loves the year-round lifestyle of being an Ironman, but a big part of his heart will be pulling for his wife, Avis, who has attempted the race twice but hasn't been able to finish.

    Avis is a very strong runner, and if she can make it off the bike in time, it likely will be a very happy couple on the medals stand.

    The Allers are similar to the Peddicords with Dard a veteran of five consecutive Ironmans while Lora is attempting her first.  She is in the 45-49 age group and he in the 50-54.

    Dard's fastest finish was last year with a time of 12:29.

    Another character on the Ironman start line will be Randy Wolf of Pahoa.  Wolf tried to qualify for Ironman the past four years at Keauhou. and this year, he finally made it.

    Wolf is a dedicated triathlete who often travels to Kona to train.   While here he camps out, does local races and puts in his training time.  He has made massive improvements each year - especially in his running.

    The first time he raced at Keauhou, he cycled and ran in a pair of old worn out football cleats and still passed quite a few people throughout the day.

    Wolf has come a long way since then, and by day's end Saturday hopefully we can call him an Ironman.

    The rest of the Big Island group is headed by Mary Jo Stephenson of Hilo with five finishes and a best time of 13:37.

    Dane Decker is next with four finishes and his best time of 13:45.

    Ronona Clark has crossed the line three times and also has completed several Molokai to Oahu canoe races.

    Stephen Shimada of Kona and James Sakai of Hilo wrap up the list of multiple finishers with two each.

    Sakai's 1998 time of 12:04 is the fastest of any of our Big Island men entered in this year's race.

    Jerry Case, Bill Hall, L.J. Lopaka, Harry Yoshida, Chris Cornelius, all of Kona, and G.A. Rock of Hilo all have recorded one Iron finish.

    Also with one official Kona finish and numerous international Iron finishes is a new addition to Kona, Randy "The Animal" Caddell.  He is one of the top wheelchair triathletes in the world and hopefully his home course advantage will help him take this world championship event.

    The rest of our Iron-rookies: Adam Busek from Hilo, Leonardo Fraga, Michael Foster, Cal Huff, Jim Jennings, Mike Mullahey, Dina Dimaggio and Karen Davis, all of Kona, will line up with the world's best for their first attempt at this awesome event.

    For Davis, it will be a reversal of roles, as she is a former Ironman employee.  She has experienced the enormous task of organizing the event first hand.

    Now she will get to experience the excitement of participation and the unmatched thrill of crossing that Ironman finish line.