Waymire Competes Like a Thoroughbred, Wins Ironman Clydesdale Division

Kirk Waymire of Trabuco Canyon was shocked at his finish in the Ironman California Saturday in Oceanside. Not because he won the Clydesdale division for athletes who weigh more than 200 pounds, but because of how well he did against the rest of the competition.

Waymire, a 40-year-old marketing manager for a sports nutrition company, finished 63rd of 1,364 finishers and second in his age group.

Waymire, who is 6 feet 4 and before the race weighed 207 pounds, finished the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run in 10 hours 26 minutes 5 seconds, his personal best for the event by nearly half an hour. He outsprinted his closest Clydesdale competitor, Peter Courogen of Lake Oswego, Ore., by the length of one stride at the finish.

Waymire has finished two Hawaiian Ironmans, making the field for triathlon’s most prestigious event by lottery each time. Now he will be going as a qualifier.

CRAMPING UP

Irvine’s Mike Cowdrey, attempting his first Ironman-distance race, finished 265th in 11:25:59. Cowdrey left the water in 74th place and said he moved up into the top 30 halfway through the bike ride. But back cramps forced him to get off his bike and stretch after nearly all the hills the rest of the way and by the time he had finished his first marathon, in 4:17:53, he could barely walk.

“I have never felt anything like that in my entire life and hope to never feel it again,” said Cowdrey, who specializes in shorter events.