NewsShowdown in the land of the Rising Sun
Nick Munting previews this weekend's Ironman Japan event
Published Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Along with Ironman New Zealand, Ironman Japan is one of the two original Ironman qualifying races. At its inception in 1985 the race was based at Lake Biwa, north of Kyoto and Osaka. When a typhoon in 1996 reduced the race to a duathlon, subsequent events were cancelled until the current course on the island of Fukue, just south of Nagasaki, was found and competition in Ironman Japan restarted in 2001.
The 2006 edition promises a race that will be very different. The men's field features two Ironman champions, while the women's event is set for what should be a historic showdown amongst two California based Ironman world champions, and a brace of girls from down-under who've also tasted Ironman success and a young heroine from Japan who's looking to go for the home town win.
The number one seed for the men’s field is Japanese pro Hayato Kawahara, who was third to Jason Shortis and Peter Kropko in Japan last year, but the clear favourites going into the race should be the USA’s Chris Lieto and Petr Vabrousek, each a two time Ironman race winner.
On paper this could be Lieto’s race. He’s strong on the bike and good on the run; and that’s what it takes to conquer this challenging course. Vabrousek is strong in all disciplines, too, but each of these two athletes will be remembering that the Japanese home team just keeps on getting faster each year.
Korea’s top Ironman athlete, Byung-Hoon Park, has been steadily getting faster and totally consistent in recent seasons and recently won the Japanese Strongman, the major lead up race to Ironman Japan.
From Japan, top contenders include Masayuki Matsumaru and Shingo Tani (Tani was the best known Japanese athlete in Hawaii for many years.)
There’s also a brace of Japanese fast men returning to the race, including Shigenobu Ikegata, Makoto Imaeda, Yuji Fujiwara, Takuya Shibata and Olympian Takumi Obara, who was third here in 2001.
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Some new faces in Japan include Chris Dmitrieff from Australia, Austria’s Hubert Hammel, Belgium’s Jonathan Leger and New Zealand’s Brent Foster.
Also returning this year is Thomas Vonach, the Austrian age grouper who was ninth outright last year.
Sadly, for the first time in many years Yoshinori Tamura, the first Japanese athlete to win at home in Japan, will not compete in Goto this year.
The major interest in the women’s field will arguably commence with the truly incredible Paula Newby Fraser. With eight Ford Ironman World Championships, and 24 Ironman wins, PNF is the greatest athlete in the sport.
Can Paula find the speed and endurance to take win number 25?
At 43 she’s the equal oldest pro athlete (sharing with Australia’s Susan Peter, who has an Ironman Malaysia title on her resume).
And proving age is no barrier to Ironman competitors she’s also faced with long time friend, and the second most winning female in Ironman, Canada’s Heather Fuhr, 38.
These two astounding women have 38 Ironman victories between them – expect an exciting race!
Newby Fraser will be looking to enjoy her time in Japan; it’s her second visit and number one netted her Ironman win 23!
Ranged against the California based pair is a brace of Aussies, beginning with defending Ironman Japan champion, Sarah Fien, 39. Also from down under we have two-time Ironman Malaysia winner, Belinda Halloran (just 29!), Peter, and a first time competitor in Japan, 35-year-old Angela Milne, the winner of Ironman Western Australia.
The two Japanese Ironman winners competing are are New Zealand based Yoko Hori and 23-year-old Naomi Imaizumi, who won in Korea last year. (Yoko Okuda, who was the first Japanese woman to win at home, is now one of Japan’s fastest women road racing cyclists).
Ahead of the field is a tough challenging course that has to be covered in 15 hours under the rules laid down by local Japanese authorities.
There’s representatives from 17 countries present, headed by Japan and with South Korea the best overseas representative with 21 competitors just ahead of the USA and Australia with 19 and 18 respectively.
New Zealand is the next best represented head of Austria, Germany, Thailand, Singapore and Norway!
Also represented are Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, China, Spain and the United Kingdom.
There’s also a new factor that could affect the outcome of the race in 2006. Ironically in these days of global warming, temperatures in Japan have stayed low this year, averaging just 20C or 68F and the current water temperature is just over 18C or 64.5F (I’m guessing there’ll be a lot of Ironman wetsuits!)
With a week to go the temperature could easily rise and with it the humidity, but right now it’s a pleasant time in late spring and conditions could be ideal come race day.
FOOTNOTE:
Sadly going into this race, one of the entrants was lost to us. Nishimura Tatsunobu (47), died a few weeks out from competition after a training session. His loss was all the sadder because he was a member of JBEAT, the team coached by Ironman Japan Race Director Mickey Yamamoto, a former top pro triathlete.
Sadly going into this race, one of the entrants was lost to us. Nishimura Tatsunobu (47), died a few weeks out from competition after a training session. His loss was all the sadder because he was a member of JBEAT, the team coached by Ironman Japan Race Director Mickey Yamamoto, a former top pro triathlete.
Tatsunobu was a dedicated Ironman triathlete and often talked to all around him about his Ironman aspirations. Our thoughts are with his family and his team.
