With Men at Work’s "Down Under" blaring from the finish-line speakers, Chris McCormack captured his first Ironman World Championship on Saturday. Fellow Australian Craig Alexander finished second, 3½ minutes back. Torbjorn Sindballetook third, and American Tim DeBoom fourth. Last year’s champion, Norman Stadler, dropped out of the race during the bike leg, and Faris Al-Sultan withdrew before the race began.
Competing in only her second Ironman race and surprising many, Christine Wellington won her first Ironman World Championship. She is the first female from Great Britain to win Kona. Samantha McGlone crossed the line in second. Australian Kate Major finished third, followed by Joanna Lawn of New Zealand. Michellie Jones, a prerace favorite, dropped out of the race during the bike leg, and Natascha Badmann pulled out after a bike crash.
After finishing, McCormack said he "had never hurt like that" before. McCormack’s father and wife hugged the exhausted winner after he received the ceremonial lei and crown. Also in the finishing area to congratulate McCormack was Stadler, who graciously embraced Macca.
Wellington dedicated her win to her grandfather, who turned 101 in August. Her smile, wide and infectious, never wavered during the marathon and beamed even more at the finish.
Columbia’s own Andy Pele finished in an impressive 10 hours, 2 minutes.
For the winning pros, the celebration continued yesterday. For the others, reflection and plans for next year have already begun. Many of the age-group athletes boarded planes to travel home and headed to work with weary legs but hearty grins today. There will be no headlines announcing their accomplishments. Their coworkers, perhaps, will not even ask about their race. Yet, those closest to these athletes will know the sacrifices made during the past 10 months to reach the penultimate goal of triathlon.
As we watched the race, the glitz and glamour of the two-hour television version vanished. The grueling, workaday truth of Ironman cannot be captured by television commentators. One must compete in or witness in person an Ironman to fully appreciate the rawness of the event.
At the finish, McCormack asked for a chair while being interviewed by the race announcer. There was no chair, so McCormack found a spot on the bleachers provided for media. His effort was such that he had to sit down or he would fall. McGlone took several swallows of water before she could speak after finishing.
After the parade of professionals ceased, age-grouper after age-grouper arrived. One finisher from Japan, so overjoyed, sprinted across the finish line and did not stop until he collapsed amid volunteers. Many stood, fleetingly, under the arch of flowers, raised their hands in triumph and received their lei, medal and finisher’s towel, as the announcer pronounced them Ironmen. Later, as we walked Alii Drive in the darkness, these same Ironmen pushed or rode their bikes back to their hotels.
For us, the mystique of Kona has been demystified. However, the mystique of Ironman has not. Less than 75,000 people worldwide compete in and finish Ironman races. McCormack, after winning, put it simply: "Yes. Yes, I did it." He also said, "Sometimes you get scared to seize the moment. … Don’t be scared today." Ironman is a solitary struggle to seize the moment and relish in the beauty of affirmation. And, while not via Kona, we, too, are proud to say, "We are Ironmen."
- Gary and Christine Stamper
Columbians Gary and Christine Stamper went to Kona, Hawaii, to observe the Ironman World Championship.
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