Internationals Prove to Be the Best Again

For the third straight year, Peter Reid of Canada and Natascha Badmann of Switzerland provided international victories Saturday in the windy and overcast 140.6-mile Ironman Triathlon World Championship through the humid and unforgiving lava fields.

Reid, 29, took the lead from Jurgen Zack of Germany two miles into the 112-mile bike segment and then was never challenged en route to his win in 8 hours 24 minutes 20 seconds.

Badmann, 31, who withdrew last year midway through the bike segment, assumed the lead early in that event and raced with little competition while winning in 9:24:16.

Despite choppy but favorable swim conditions that produced men’s and women’s records by Lars Jorgensen of San Diego, and Wendy Ingraham of Walnut Creek, Calif., the unpredictable winds, with gusts to 40 mph, resulted in winning times well off overall record pace. Jorgensen’s swim record was erased later in the day because he didn’t finish the race.

Timothy DeBoom of Boulder, Colo., was the leading U.S. men’s finisher, placing 10th in 8:48:54. Joanna Zeiger of Baltimore, was the leading U.S. woman, placing sixth in 9:46:30.

Defending men’s champion Thomas Hellriegel of Germany finished eighth. Defending women’s titlist Heather Fuhr of Canada ran to a women’s marathon course record of 3:04:02, but finished fifth.

Not since 1995, when six-time winner Mark Allen of Cardiff, Calif., and Karen Smyers of Medford, Mass., claimed titles have Americans won the Hawaiian Ironman.

Luc Van Lierde of Belgium, who set the course record of 8:04:08 two years ago, finished second in 8:31:57, with Lother Leder of Germany third in 8:32:57. Leder ran a 2:44:58 marathon, the fastest of the day.

Lori Bowden of Canada was second in the women’s division for the second straight year in 9:27:19, with Fernanda Keller of Brazil third 9:28:29.

Julia Wallace, 34, of Rosewell, Ga., the first woman’s wheelchair entrant, finished in 13:31:14.

John Collins, a former Navy captain who invented the competition and finished it 1978, completed the 20th year in 16:30:02.

A record field of 1,486 began the race under clear skies. There were 1,379 finishers in under the 17-hour limit, also a record.

Reid and Badmann each earned $35,000 for their respective victories from the $250,000 purse.