N.Zers in Hawaii ironman

Press, 7 October 1987, Page 24

N.Zers in Hawaii ironman

What drives athletes to compete in an event which is going to take at least 10 hours to finish, will be run in temperatures often • exceeding lOOdeg and can cause such stress to the body that competitors can lose control of even the most personal body functions?

To some, like Canterbury’s Erin Baker, and more latterly Brent Snellex, it is a job. They are full time triathletes. But what about Jim Bedwell, Tony Harrow and Edwin Moch, just three of the field that will compete in arguably the most gruelling one-day event in the world, the Hawaii ironman on October 10. Baker, Snellex, Bedwell, Harrow and Moch (all

from Canterbury) are five of the New Zealand contingent of 43 who will join with 1200 other athletes on the sands of Kona Beach at 7 a.m. on Saturday, October 10 (Sunday NZ time). Baker is there to firmly establish herself as the world’s No. 1 female triathlete, while Snellex is optimistically looking for a top 10 placing and realistically a spot in the first 20. But what of the others? Bedwell has taken time away from his policeman duties and has been training in Hawaii for nearly two months. He has already competed with success in one short course event there and is confident of a fine performance.

Harrow and Moch are not as competitive. Moch is competing in the under--50 years section and already has fine performances behind him in other ironman events. Harrow finished the DB ironman in Auckland in 9hr 19min and has a strong swimming background. “I started masters swimming and that was not enough to satisfy me so I gradually just fell in triathlons. The running leg will definitely be the hardest for me but all I really want to do is just finish it,” he

said. The Hawaii ironman triathlon was first mooted only a decade ago when John Collins suggested that the three main endurance events held on the island of Ohau should be combined into one event. These events were the Waikiki Rough Water Swim (3.9 km the around Ohau bike race (200 km and the Honolulu marathon (42km). At that stage Collins was unaware that the bike race was in fact a two-day event. On February 18, 1978, 15 men started the race and Gordon Haller was first home in llhr 46min 58s. Twelve contestants finished.

These early events were a far cry from the sophisticated equipment, training and transition techniques used today. In 1978, athletes took the luxury of a shower and a picnic meal before taking off on the next discipline. John Collins stopped at a drive-in for a bowl of chili during the run while the race leader, John Dunbar, downed two cans of beer with only 16km to run to quench his thirst, became delirious and started stumbling into parked cars. He eventually finished second. Even in 1980 there were surprises aplenty for competitors, none more so than for Bob Babbitt who •r

was handed a Big Mac, fries and large coke by his support crew during the cycling leg. He is one of the few people to put on weight during the event.

These early events were essentially athletes competing against their own willpower. There were no financial rewards, just the inner satisfaction of having conquered both body and mind.

Money as an incentive has only been introduced in the last couple of years and this year the top man and woman will pick up $NZ25,000 each with another possible $13,000 in bonuses.

While a decade ago 15 people entered, this year entries were received from 4000, of whom 1575 athletes were selected, an increase of 325 on the field from last year.

Besides the New Zealand contingent, there are athletes from every state in America except Wyoming and from countries as diverse as Turkey, Taiwan, Guatemala, Lichtenstein and Zimbabwe. In total 44 countries will be represented. Eric Loomis, an 18-year-old from California, has the distinction of being the youngest competitor while Edson Sower of Arizona is the oldest at 72. Forty athletes over the

age of 60 will compete this year. For each competitor there are at least two volunteers who ensure that this event retains its reputation of being one of the best organised sports competitions of its type in the world.

The majority of the volunteers come from the big island of Hawaii where the race is held, but others come from the other Hawaiian islands. These people are responsible for handing out food and drink at aid stations, carry supplies, oversee finish lines, pick up sponges, process computer data, count athletes, stand by radios and telephones, team up in medical vehicles and tents, paddle surfboards, assist the media and cover every other duty imaginable.

By the close of the race, volunteers at the 28 aid stations will have dispensed and recycled 16,000 bicycle bottles, passed out 108,750 paper cups filled with liquid refreshment, handed off 33,000 orange sections, 37,500 cookies, nearly three tonnes of bananas, 25,000 gallons of water, 4500 gallons of energy drink, 3000 litres of coke, 3875 sandwiches, 825 chocolate milkshakes and policed the course to pick up the litter produced.