Would the Ironman Canada Results 2011 live up to the pre-race hype? Yes! It truly was an epic day in Penticton.
This is not your average Ironman Triathlon race results page.
It's a race results page that is actually starting on Tuesday August 23rd, five days before Ironman Canada 2011 takes place.
It's great to be on the scene of one of the most popular and venerable Ironman races on the planet to take in the action in person.
Tomorrow being Wednesday will start to see an influx of triathletes flowing into Penticton and by Thursday it will be getting pretty crazy around here as the Expo opens and excitement begins to build.
There are many story lines to follow this year.
Here are some of the happenings taking place in the 2011 edition of Ironman Canada.
First of all, over 3200 triathletes are officially entered in IMC 2011 and allowing for the usual attrition rate there will be somewhere close to 2900 who will answer the race start gun.
It will be a very exciting mass swim start.
Also, Jordan Rapp is returning to Ironman Canada. Jordan was the 2009 winner.
Often in life the highest of highs are followed by the lowest of lows.
Such was the case with Jordan who almost lost his life in 2010 when he had a run-in with a car while on a training ride in California and was basically left for dead before being saved by a passer-by.
Training for an Ironman may have been the catalyst for the accident, but being an Ironman most likely gave Jordan the strength and courage to recover from it.
It is nothing short of miraculous that he has come back as strong as ever and in many ways it's hard not to think of Jordan as the sentimental favorite to win IMC 2011, and he is my pick to win.
However there are several past Ironman winners who will have something to say about the final outcome on race day.Jasper Blake, Bryan Rhodes, and Viktor Zyemtsev(who will be trying for back-to-back victories) are all scheduled to show up in Penticton and are all quite capable of stealing the win.
Sister Madonna is also expected to be in attendance this year.
(HERE ARE SOME FACTS ABOUT THE RACE THANKS TO IRONMANLIVE.)Females ? 962/29.9%Males ? 2255/70.1%Total number of first time Ironman ? 1175Canadian Participants: 1580American Participants: 1490Oldest Male: Michael Laramie ? USA ? 75Oldest Women: Madonna Buder ? USA ? 81Youngest Male: Brett Jonson ? CAN - 18Youngest Women: Ciena Calavitta ? USA ? 21
Steve King is going to be the race announcer once again this year and I can't imagine it being anyone else.
Great to have you up there over-looking the finish line Steve!
This is also the last year that Ironman Canada will be the only WTC Ironman event in the country.
Ironman Mont-Tremblant will be up and running on August 19, 2012 and Canada will feature two Ironman races on back-to-back weekends.
I must say it's been a long time coming and it comes as no surprise that the inaugural Eastern Canada Ironman is already sold out. Speaking of sold out, the entry fee for Ironman Canada 2012 will be $675. It won't matter, it will still sell out again anyway.
So here are is the tentative list of pro starters for IMC 2012. I say tentative because often a few pros will drop out before the race and others will enter at the last minute.
MALE PRO ENTRIESBAIRD, CHRISTOPHERATTARD, PAULBLAKE, JASPERMARCOTTE, KYLETREMBLAY, SCOTTTICHELAAR, PAULTOTH, ANTHONYRUSSELL, MATTHEWO'HALLORAN, MATHIEUCAIN, RYANCAIN, DALLASZYEMTSEV, VIKTORRAPP, JORDANSHORTIS, JASONDELSAUT, TREVORGRAY, NIGELCURRY, SCOTTBRADER, CHRISTIANRAMIREZ, JUAN CARLOSNISHIUCHI, HIROYUKIABEL, TORSTENRHODES, BRYANJAMMAER, BERTNEILL, MIKEBAGG, CHRISTOPHERCAIN, TREVORRYAN WURTELE
At first blush it really looked like Bryan Rhodes and last year's winner Victor Zyemtsev would most likely be fighting it out for top spot in the men's field with Jordan Rapp and Jason Shortis possibly providing an upset.
However, the Ironman being the Ironman, pretty much anything can happen on any given day and Ironman Canada 2011 would prove to be no exception.
FEMALE PRO ENTRIES
MADISON, MACKENZIEKESSLER, MEREDITHKIERS, RACHELWHITBY, FIONAHARRISON, LAURENSHIONO, EMILOEFFLER, KIMALLDRITT, MIRANDANISHIUCHI, MAKINORTON, TARAKELLER, FERNANDAGORDON, JACQUIBEEBE, KELZIEBROMME, ULICOOPER-SCOTT, HALEYELLIS, MARYGROSS, SARA
What a great field of women pros this year. Fernanda Keller of Brazil is here to take part in her second Ironman Canada and has finished in the top ten 14 times out of 23 attempts at Ironman Hawaii. What an amazing career.
However it is likely that Fernanda will not challenge for the top spot for the pro women. More likely it will be Sara Gross, Meredith Kessler, and Kim Loeffler trying to catch Mary Beth Ellis who will be going for her third Ironman win this season.
Mary Beth won IRONMAN REGENSBURG 2011 and then had a spectacular winning time of 08:43:34 in IRONMAN AUSTRIA.
THE IRONMAN CANADA COURSE
With so many Ironman and 70.3 Ironman races adopting the 2 and 3-loop format it is refreshing when an Ironman like the Penticton event that is a one-loop swim, a one-loop bike, and an out-and-back marathon.
The swim is clock-wise and features two right-hand turns.
The bike course almost always features a tail-wind for about the first 40k or so as the cyclists make their away around Skaha Lake. This can be a trap and it's very easy to push too hard early on because it feels relatively easy.
Then you hit Osoyoos and that can be hotter than Hell if it's clear and sunny and also has a double-whammy of a climb up Richter's Pass that never seems to end.
What follows is a screaming fast downhill on the other side of the Pass and a series of rollers before quite a long, flat section. Just when you think you are out of the woods you get to climb the Yellow Lake Hill.
RACE DAY
There was no easing off of the torrid temperatures as the swim start took place. Everyone knew going in that this would be a hot one.
TOP TEN MEN IN THE SWIM1 50:11 0:00 2 Rhodes, Bryan RANGIORA CAN NZL2 50:18 0:08 17 O'halloran, Mathieu VICTORIA BC CAN3 50:25 0:15 10 Jammaer, Bert BOOM FLA BEL4 50:31 0:20 22 Nishiuchi, Hiroyuki NISHINOMIY HYO JPN5 50:34 0:24 12 Abel, Torsten TUCSON AZ GER6 53:20 3:10 13 Tichelaar, Paul SHERWOOD P AB CAN7 53:24 3:13 1 Zyemtsev, Viktor DONETSK UKR UKR8 53:36 3:26 11 Curry, Scott CALGARY AB CAN9 53:38 3:28 9 Wurtele, Trevor KELOWNA BC CAN10 53:39 3:28 5 Blake, Jasper VICTORIA BC CAN
Jordan Rapp may not have come out of the water in the top ten and may not have been the first one to the top of Richter's Pass, but perhaps he had the smartest game plan of all.
He took his time in the sweltering heat before taking the lead in the bike and held a lead of over three minutes heading out onto the marathon course and never looked back.
THE FIRST EIGHT MEN TO LEAVE THE BIKE/RUN TRANSITION1 5:34:52 0:00 4 Rapp, Jordan PENTICTON BC CAN2 5:38:28 3:37 2 Rhodes, Bryan RANGIORA CAN NZL3 5:38:29 3:38 1 Zyemtsev, Viktor DONETSK UKR UKR4 5:44:27 9:35 10 Jammaer, Bert BOOM FLA BEL5 5:44:28 9:36 9 Wurtele, Trevor KELOWNA BC CAN6 5:44:46 9:55 25 Gray, Nigel DON MILLS ON CAN7 5:44:54 10:02 28 Billeau, Simon BOUSSAIS FRA8 5:45:04 10:12 11 Curry, Scott CALGARY AB CAN
Jordan is surely the come-back story of the year in the world of Ironman as he not only wins, but wins convincingly against a very strong field of pro men after an extremely serious training accident in 2010.
THE TOP TEN PRO MEN FINAL TIMES
Rapp, Jordan........08:28:09Abel, Torsten.......08:41:09Jammaer, Bert.......08:42:34Bagg, Christopher...08:47:25Blake, Jasper.......08:50:30Gray, Nigel.........08:57:41Russell, Matthew....08:59:31Wurtele, Trevor.....09:05:19Tremblay, Scott.....09:07:03Shortis, Jason......09:12:55
In the pro women race Mary Beth Ellis lived up to her pre-race billing and as I expected made it three Ironman wins in a row as she decimated the women's field.
She started by coming out of the water sharing the lead.
TOP TEN SWIM TIMES FOR THE PRO WOMEN1 53:31 0:00 31 Kessler, Meredith SAN FRANCI CA USA2 53:36 0:05 34 Ellis, Mary SUPERIOR CO USA3 53:54 0:23 41 Nishiuchi, Maki NISHINOMIY HYO JPN4 58:26 4:55 36 Gross, Sara VICTORIA BC CAN5 1:02:58 9:27 40 Harrison, Lauren LOS ALTOS CA USA6 1:03:04 9:33 35 Loeffler, Kim COLCHESTER VT USA7 1:03:08 9:37 38 Kiers, Rachel VANCOUVER BC CAN8 1:03:12 9:41 43 Whitby, Fiona TORONTO ON CAN9 1:05:49 12:18 37 Cooper-scott, Haley SPOKANE WA USA10 1:05:57 12:26 45 Keller, Fernanda RIO DE JAN RIO BRA01:07
Once she took the lead in the bike it became a matter of just how much she would win by and how fast her time would be.
Not only did Mary Beth win by over 30 minutes, she broke an Ironman Canada course record that was set by the Erin Baker some 21 years ago.
It was a truly remarkable performance on a day that featured sweltering temperatures and fierce headwinds.
One thing is for sure, this is going to make for one very exciting Hawaii Ironman in this Fall as Chrissie Wellington, Mary Beth Ellis, and many other great female pros vie for the World Championship crown in Kona.
Kim Loeffler, Meredith Kessler, and Sara Gross all had excellent races and came in under the 10-hour mark.
TOP SEVEN PRO WOMEN FINAL TIMES
Ellis, Mary...........09:03:13Loeffler, Kim.........09:34:54Kessler, Meredith.....09:37:22Gross, Sara...........09:46:56Whitby, Fiona.........10:13:28Cooper-scott, Haley...10:34:41Nishiuchi, Maki.......10:44:42
TOP FIVE 18-24 WOMENHolmes, Erin..........11:43:00Demczuk, Gina.........11:51:10Littrell, Briana......12:05:53Drever, Christy.......12:11:27Driggers, Kathryn.....12:39:44
TOP FIVE 18-24 MEN
Young, Chris..........09:53:16Clifford, Matt........10:21:02Spiller, Dusty........10:23:06McEniry, Jerome.......10:31:30Fountain, Dustin......10:47:23
TOP FIVE WOMEN 25-29Mathis, Hilary.......10:43:47Thompson, Ashley.....10:57:26Brown, Sarah.........10:57:34Campbell, Adrianne...11:00:37Kielar, Kayla........11:07:00
TOP FIVE MEN 25-29Suess, Eric..........09:47:58Jones, Adam..........09:52:12Carlson, Wade........09:53:45Duncan, Nathan.......09:56:33Giles, Doug..........09:57:15
TOP FIVE WOMEN 30-34Clayton, Gillian.......10:01:58Pearce, Jacqueline.....10:19:30Cauffope, Genevieve....10:21:31Houghton, Sharon.......10:22:44Kempter, Sabine........10:24:27
TOP FIVE MEN 30-34Balabuck, Jonathan.....09:35:41Martin Egea, Ramon.....09:40:29Blackwell, Trevor......09:46:14Hines, Fred............09:52:00Radcliffe, Rob.........09:56:30
TOP FIVE FEMALE 35-39
Ross, Rachel...........10:12:17Mansell, Jennifer......10:36:11Twarkins, Teri.........10:47:44Bigglestone, Cindy.....10:51:54Tiase, Victoria........10:58:15
TOP FIVE MALE 35-39Buxhofer, Matthias.....09:12:10Cain, Ryan.............09:33:12Coffen, Jonathan.......09:39:07Litwora, Dan...........09:42:48Hunter, Darin..........09:44:32
TOP FIVE FEMALE 40-44Jorgensen, Rachelle....10:42:30Jackson, Tana..........10:45:06Mcclurg, Erica.........10:50:11Churchill, Lorraine....10:57:51Gray-hewett, Colleen...11:12:16
TOP FIVE MALE 40-44Pedroza, Alberto.......08:58:34Rizzi, Joe.............09:44:25Liby, Thomas...........09:49:19Gilbert, Dustin........09:49:31Gehrig, Roman..........09:52:24
TOP FIVE WOMEN 45-49Foweraker, Sandra.........10:46:15Waid, Marion..............10:56:43Matherly, Gail............11:04:06Nelson, Eve...............11:09:29Thilges, Anne.............11:16:17
TOP FIVE MEN 45-49
Busko, Billy..............10:11:16Whyte, Chris..............10:11:50Macdonell, Brett..........10:13:52Hertel, Keith.............10:15:11Kukta, Stephen............10:15:48
TOP FIVE WOMEN 50-54Rider, Teresa.............10:43:08Ellison Bucher, Joan......11:22:24Baumberger, Regula........11:26:30Ireland, Heather..........11:27:57Lavin, Kristine...........11:55:51
TOP FIVE MEN 50-54Kretz, Patrice............09:57:52Weinberg, Mark............10:02:31Mccluskey, Dan............10:21:59Welch, Kyle...............10:23:30Lindsey, Donald...........10:29:54
TOP FIVE WOMEN 55-59Leno, Laura...............12:22:15Remy, Beth................12:23:44Macnaughton, Sandra.......12:46:35Kirker, Jill..............13:04:10Menzel, Margaret..........13:26:46
TOP FIVE MEN 55-59Ireland, Len..............10:55:35Shinners, Thomas..........11:06:10Bryden, Grant.............11:17:52Blakie, Eric..............11:22:15Dunlop, Doug..............11:22:31
TOP FOUR WOMEN 60-64
Hayes, Ann...............14:04:04Barron, Charlene.........14:17:43Chow, Ruth...............15:35:28Rafaat, Kathleen.........15:40:26
TOP FIVE MEN 60-64Rosskopf, Klaus..........11:10:24Tout, Richard............11:18:41Legge, Murray............11:18:45Painter, Mark............11:37:32Renn, Alois..............11:52:00
TOP FIVE MEN 65-69Barker, Roger............12:42:09OGAWA, TADAYOSHI.........13:44:35Peters, Gene.............13:44:52Mccaig, Tom..............13:53:10Wallace, Bryan...........14:56:48
TOP Four MEN 70-74
Kostic, Milos............11:14:24Rotheram, Tony...........14:27:09Poffenroth, Paul.........15:14:38Sarubin, Murray..........16:17:06
75-79
Laramie, Michael.........14:14:47
***Unfortunately Sister Madonna was not able to finish this year. She was the only entry in the race over 80-years-old. Really an amazing, inspirational accomplishment just to get to the start line.***
Some of the stand-out performances this year.
--Milos Kostic does an 11:14:24 in the 70-74 age group.
--Mary Ellis breaks a 21-year-old record set by Erin Baker.
--Jordan Rapp wins after recovering from a serious training accident that took place in 2010.
Hillary Mathis
--Hillary Mathis wins the 25-29 age-group with a 10:43:47 and qualifies for Kona for the second time.
Quite an a accomplishment to qualify for Kona twice before 30-years-old considering how many ironmen have spent a few decades of racing trying to get there just once.
Great job Hillary! Maybe a pro spot is in your future as you are at least 10 years away from reaching your peak endurance.
I included a page on Hillary in the second Ironstruck book I wrote just before the IMC 25th anniversary. At the time she had just won the 18-24 age-group in New Zealand with a time under 11:00 hours. Now she has done it again in the next age-group.
--The first five men in the 50-54 age group all go under 10:30. Not so fast cowboy if you thought turning 50 would give you a better shot at qualifying for Kona.
--Less than 300 athletes did not finish the race. I really thought it would be quite a lot higher considering the heat and head-winds.
Rumor has it that there were quite a lot of bikes left in the transition area after all the swimmers were in.
Rumor also has it that water was in short supply at the bike aid stations later on in the day. Not sure if that happened or not, but know plenty of people here in Calgary who had great race times and I will ask around.
It may have been one aid station that under-estimated how much they would need, but as a rule the IMC volunteer group and organization are very good at what they do. It was true 25 years ago and it's true today.
UPDATE ON THE LACK OF WATER ISSUE
As much as I love Ironman Canada and respect those who manage it year after year I was never one to back away from what truly "is" and here are the emails I have so far concerning the water issue from those who know best.
In your report you mentioned that it was possible aid stns had run low on water. Unbelievable though it is...by the time I came through, 3 aid stns in a row(!!) were out of water bottles and were having athletes stop and fill their bottles from a bucket of tap water.
Not only that....they were not telling people to hold onto their empty bottles such that they could fill them. The stns before Cawston and both stns in the out and back were entirely out of waterbottles and had only a green trash pail filled with water that all athletes were to dip their bottles into...not safe, sanitary or recommended! Unbelievable.
So...yes, Ironman DID run out of water, though I notice this has not been mentioned in any of the articles I have read. I am quite certain this affected the race day of many athletes.
Ann
AND THIS FROM lYNAL
Yep. They ran out of water at the top of Yellow Lake when I passed there about 2:30.
The volunteers were doing their best to make do and put ice in my aero bottle, which did not take long to melt. So for me it wasn't that big of a problem.
Because of the heat it sure felt like an "epic" race and I enjoyed it. Wish I had been able to train in some heat this year...
This by no means is a reflection on the amazing effort put in by thousands of volunteers who do everything in their power to help "every" person in the race realize their Ironman goals.
It is most likely a miscalculation by those few who are responsible for supplying the aid stations with necessary supplies. So don't shoot the messenger-or in this case-the harried volunteer out on the course who tried to do what they could with what they had.
I sincerely hope Ironstruck did not let you down and was a fair assessment of what would transpire on race day and helped in some small way to help you prepare mentally, physically, and most of all emotionally for your big day.
On August 28, 2011 in Penticton at IMC 2011 did you become more than you ever thought possible?
I think you did that with your first swim stroke regardless what transpired over the course of the day.
You are a hero for just reaching the start line of an Ironman because I know what it takes to get there and the courage it takes to stare into the eye of the tiger as you wait for the gun to go off. 
EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO GET INTO IRONMAN CANADA
A SENSATIONAL PERFORMANCE BY JASON RAPP
MARY BETH ELLIS WINS HER THIRD IRONMAN IN EIGHT WEEKS
HEY! I JUST NOTICED. THE FLAG'S ON A HOCKEY STICK! COOL.
SEE YOU AT THE FINISH LINE ON AUGUST 26, 2012
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