Triathlon Informer

Had you been a female professional on the start line for this past Saturday's Ironman France in the idyllic Lorraine region of eastern France, you would have been guaranteed a cash payout of $900. Period. Just for finishing the race. Only six female pros toed the line, and that was enough to tempt France's Hélène Salomon-Watson out of a retirement commenced just one week ago. Not yet immersed in the shuffleboard scene, Salomon-Watson had last raced in Ibiza at the ITU Long Distance World Championships and finished sixth. Her last Ironman had come more than a year ago in Australia, where she had gone 9:51 to also take sixth. A career spanning ten years was ready to make room for time with her husband, duathlete Craig Watson, and the possibility of children.

But then France appeared on the horizon with its dearth of female entrants. $10,000 (the take for the winners) would purchase a lot of diapers, so Salomon-Watson gave in to the organizer's beseeches. But she didn't necessarily notch the training back up: "I ran the long distance world championships on the 11th of May in Ibiza, and I did all of my winter training in New Zealand," she stated before the race. "I hope that tomorrow [last Saturday] will follow from this base. But it's true that since Ibiza I have not done any long sessions. I believe in the power of rest; after all, it's the only thing I have right now."

And it is the only thing she would need. Exiting the water 25th overall under a cloudless sky, Salomon-Watson took to the bike two minutes ahead of her closest female competitor, amateur Françoise Wellekens of Belgium. That is the closest Wellekens, or any other woman, would get all day, as Salomon-Watson steadily and confidently checked off the kilometers.

It was not a record-breaking effort for the consistent Frenchwoman, coming nowhere near Swiss Karin Thurig's record of 9:44 from last year, but it was adequate for the task at hand. Salomon-Watson swelled her lead from nine minutes at T2 to a staggering 25 minutes by the finish - her competition was simply outclassed. Wellekens staged a remarkable race for an amateur, clinging tenaciously to second all day and coming across in 10:33.

Nine minutes later the second pro and third overall crossed the tape. Jennifer Potts of Canada had spent a better part of the day waffling between third and fourth place, but finally shed Germany's Silke Hamacher for good in the final 30 kilometers of the bike. The only placing even remotely close among the women's top finishers was the battle for fourth, which came down to the final six kilometers. Inspired earlier by Wellekens in second, the amateur uprising saw Cora Wende of Germany steal fourth from her compatriot Hamacher with a late charge in the marathon. Hamacher held on for fifth and the $3,100 payout as the 3rd pro.

Upon crossing the finish line, Salomon-Watson took the mike and assured the crowd that this was definitely her last race, no doubt about it, and it was time to thank everyone for making ten years of professional triathlon so memorable. "I feel blessed to be here," she humbly confessed.

With four times as many competitors in the men's pro race as the women's, it was more much difficult to pick win, place, and show before the gun went off. Garrett Macfadyen was given the nod by many as the pre-race favorite, having conquered Ironman Canada last year and owner of a lethal bike leg. The French were quick to point out Cyrille Neveu, 2002's ITU long distance champion racing in his backyard. Entering late but sending ripples of notice up the chain of command was Stefan Riesen from just over the border in Switzerland, a proven duathlon star primed to win a big one after seconds at the World Duathlon Championships and last year's Ironman France.

But laying in wait was first-year pro Timo Bracht of Germany, a skinny 27-year-old with a third place overall from last year under his belt as an amateur. Bracht would wait until the close of the first bike circuit to announce his presence on the field, and not look back after doing so.

A cool, clear morning greeted a fast wetsuit-legal swim across the glass surface of Lake Gerardmer. The trio of Australian Nicholas Marland and the Frenchmen Henchmen Neveu and Gilles Reboul pulled into open water on a brisk pace until Reboul could no longer keep pace and drifted back at the 2,000m buoy. Neveu was onto the exit ramp first and thus secured the new swim course record in 46:39, but Marland was right behind him. A minute back came Reboul and a further minute behind him the first amateur, Brent Lorenzen of the United States, popped out of the drink.

Matt Stephens of Australia, a four-time qualifier for Hawaii intending to make his first appearance there this year, was not having such a good time. During the melee entrance into the water he sliced his foot badly on either a rock or glass, then proceeded to complete the swim. Upon exiting the water he was repulsed by what he saw when he looked down - a foot covered in blood and one tendon completely sliced in half. Though he initially wanted to continue, the doctor's advice prevailed and he was dispatched to the hospital. 65 stitches later Stephens is on his way back to Australia and wondering what this will do to his plans for a start in October.

The bike course has been changed drastically this year in efforts to tame its brutality. Two loops have morphed into three and several of the larger climbs have been eliminated, leaving two challenging summits and 1,583m of elevation gain. Nicholas Marland was the first to kilometer twenty after shedding Neveu, who faded back to Reboul. Marland was steadily building a lead when his bike failed mechanically, requiring him to acquire a hex wrench and begin repairs while giving everything back to his French pursuers. The three would become inseparable for the duration of the 180 kilometers, not working together but notably not working apart either. This caught the eye of a passing official who ordered a stand-down for both Neveu and Reboul.

Though sanctioned by the World Triathlon Corporation, official "Ironman" races are run under the rules of the national federation of the country in which they are held. France has a penalty system somewhat similar to soccer's (football's) card system - verbal warnings are followed by either stand-downs, for minor infractions, or black cards. Each black card received requires the completion of a penalty lap around the transition area at the conclusion of the bike. After three black cards the color changes to red, and receiving a red card signifies you are done for the day.

While Neveu, Reboul, and Marland were playing tag a lightning fast Timo Bracht was slipping past the few men between him and the front. He had exited the water tenth, nearly five minutes behind Neveu at 51:14. By the conclusion of lap one he had the trio in his crosshairs and there was nothing they could do when he shot past. By the conclusion of the carnage the fleet German had put nine minutes on Reboul, the second into transition, and had bested François Chabaud's bike course record (albeit forged on a much tougher circuit) by 13 minutes with a 4:46.

Behind Reboul the only cyclist able to match Bracht's overwhelming split was none other than Garrett Macfadyen. Someone please get this man a respectable swim split so we can see what he can do when not forced to pass 173 participants on his way to third at T2. Macfadyen was clocked at 105 kph descending into Gerardmer on the final pass into town.

At the outset to the marathon we had Bracht nine minutes up the road, Reboul managing to stay clear of a charging Macfadyen, Neveu and Marland just behind the heavily muscled Canadian, and dangerous Stefan Riesen in sixth ahead of Germany's Thomas Braun. Responding to the excited exhortations of his coach, Bracht fell into a steady rhythm and refused to crumble. Macfadyen, on the other hand, had played all his cards on the bike and was reduced to a walk at the outset of the second of three loops. Drawing a finger across his throat horizontally in the universal sign for "I'm done," the courageous Macfadyen stated, "it's all in my head" before withdrawing for good.

Back in sixth Riesen refused to accept Bracht's probable victory. Pushing past Marland, Neveu, and Reboul, the springbok Swiss trumped the run course record by a full eight minutes to complete the marathon in 2 hours 48 minutes.

But it was not enough. With arms raised high and a look of utter disbelief Bracht crossed the finish line in 8:33:11, a healthy seven minutes in front of Riesen. Bracht had also beaten the marathon record with a 2:52, and that was more than necessary to secure his first Ironman victory. We will see more of the young German in Hawaii.

Reboul's 2:54 on the run kept him in third place ahead of compatriot Neveu, with Nicholas Marland and Thomas Braun completing the list of sub-nine hour finishers. François Chabaud did not choose to defend his title, instead aiming at the Quelle Challenge in Roth, Germany and its hefty prize purse in two weeks.

Perhaps the most well-decorated physically challenged fields ever assembled for an ironman competition arrived in Gerardmer with the express intention of bringing exposure to their inspiring abilities. Six athletes representing themselves and the French federation traversed the lake and roads against seemingly insurmountable odds, yet fought courageously and powerfully. Four men finished the Ironman, three for the first time, led by Jose Rodriguez who has only 10% of his vision. Dominique Benassi and Etienne Caprin each lack one leg, forcing them to pedal on a single piston and use a handcycle for the run. Emile Wenger and Franck Pajet are each without the use of one arm. And David Renaut has a malformed hip due to polio earlier in his life. To see them on the course was to look upon strength of spirit and force of will one cannot even begin to imagine.

If you remember Ironman Lanzarote earlier this year, you'll know that the triathlon festivities do not necessarily have to end at midnight of the day of the Ironman. Like Lanzarote, France also staged an ironkids race on Sunday to round out the sprint, corporate, and team races held earlier in the day, but unlike Lanzarote, France staged a true triathlon by including the bike leg. Recalling how much fun the last one was, you'll realize that an ironkids race gets even better when you throw in a bike leg that winds through town (kids unleashed into town on bikes! can you imagine?) and a larger range of equipment to sort out and put on in the right order after the swim. Serious entertainment.

The curtain fell on Gerardmer late Sunday as the music of the awards ceremony drifted off down the valley. Familiar faces departed the sport and new ones arrived into the Ironman family, along with a fresh course in a sparkling venue. The march to Hawaii is in full swing.