Jubilant Sproule Now an Iron Woman

Only a dedicated triathlete would describe swimming, biking and running for nearly 13 hours in intense heat and strong winds as “one of the best feelings in the world.”

Tracy Sproule is now officially a dedicated triathlete.

The 23-year-old from Ventura finished her first Ironman Triathlon world championship Saturday in a time of 12 hours 45 minutes 54 seconds. Sproule was 11th in the 18-24 age group and 999th of 1,500 overall.

“I had the most excellent race,” said Sproule, whose longest race previously was a half-triathlon.

Retired dentist Jack Perrodin, 65, of Chatsworth was second in the 65-69 age group and 1,143rd overall with a time of 13:50:40.

“Under the conditions, it was OK,” he said of his effort. “The wind was pretty tough on me.”

Perrodin won the 55 age group in 1984 and finished second in the 60 age group in 1989.

Becky Ilagan, 51, of Thousand Oaks dropped out 93 miles into the bike race because of dehydration and a digestion problem. She passed out and required six hours of medical attention.

“I had a protein drink before the race and that was a mistake,” she said. “I was really down because I’m not a quitter, but the lesson I learned was valuable.”

Conditions were brutal during the world championship race, held along Hawaii’s Kona Coast. Wind gusts of up to 50 m.p.h. and a blazing sun with 85% humidity made this perhaps the most difficult Ironman in its 16-year history.

“The wind blows so hard and it’s so unpredictable,” said Paula Newby-Fraser of Encinitas, the women’s champion for the fourth consecutive year. “It takes the strongest of people with the most resolve and absolutely crumbles them.”

Newby-Fraser’s time of 9:20:17 was her slowest since 1987. Greg Welch of Australia won the men’s race in 8:20:27.

Sproule was anxious before the race about the mental and emotional highs and lows she might face. She stared down those demons and crossed the finish line in high spirits.

“I had a smile on my face the whole time,” she said. “There were no emotional lows.”

The swim was difficult because all 1,500 competitors took off at once, crowding the water. “It was like swimming in a washing machine,” Sproule said. “People were on all sides and all I could see was white bubbles in front of my face.”

Stiff head winds at times made the bike race the most difficult segment. But after climbing a steep hill to begin the marathon, Sproule felt home free.

“You really forget how long you’ve been out there,” she said. “I looked at my watch and realized I’d gone for 10 hours. Yet I felt good. It was an amazing sensation.”