NewsKona Bound Age Group Women
Gaylia Osterlund profiles some of the qualifiers from Subaru Ironman Canada
Published Thursday, October 2, 2008
With the Ford Ironman World Championship just 10 days away, the women who qualified in August at Subaru Ironman Canada and Ford Ironman Louisville have barely had time to celebrate getting their Kona slots. Most of these gals said it will become a reality when their planes land on the Big Island. Today we are pleased to introduce the women from Canada.
Penticton’s own Jen Annett (W18-24) made quite a splash at her Ironman debut by winning her division in 10:34:14. This youngster put down solid times in all three disciplines including a deadly bike/run combination. Since this is also her first year racing at any distance, Annett will be a name to watch to see how she handles the pressure of the world championship course. If she demonstrates the same focus and fortitude she did in Canada, Jen will most likely be one of our rising stars.
Canadian Sarah Manske (W25-29) is not only preparing for Kona but for her PhD exam, which happens just two weeks after the race! Finishing third in her division with a time of 10:33:26, Manske has a history of amazing consistency across the board. Her edge will be in her ability to put together swim and bike splits equal to the pro women as she did at the Oliver Half in 2006.
Also qualifying in this division was 29-year old Robyn Wangberg. A six-year veteran in our sport, Robyn has clearly been working on bringing her speed to the Ironman distance. Since racing her first Ironman in 2006, she has had great success racing over the Ironman 70.3 distance, clocking 4:41:32 or better. My guess is this is what allowed her to improve her Ironman time by more than one hour!
The first amateur female across the line in Canada was 31-year old Janelle Morrison in 9:59:54. This young lady pulled off a 3:17:59 marathon, the second fastest female run split including the pro women. The good news for the gals in Kona racing against her is Janelle will be turning pro next year. Their challenge will be her presence in the division this year. Morrison is another gal who used Canada as her introduction into Ironman racing so again, the mental game on the Big Island will be her X-factor.
Malia Greening, 33, will also be representing W30-34 division next week having crossed the line in third place with a time of 10:26:31. Greening is fairly new to triathlon but has an overall duathlon win on her resume. Coming out of the water in 1:07:05, Malia used her bike/run strength to post the second fastest female age group bike split of the day.
Vicki Scates (W35-39) should bottle and sell her enthusiasm and joy for sport and life in general. At 39-years old, Scates exudes a youthful appreciation for her family and healthy lifestyle. She has twice hit the podium in an Ironman event and is yet another duathlete-turned-triathlete who used her cycling talent (5:22:45) on race day.
For 37-year old Lesley Mettler, the more challenging the conditions on race day, the better for her. This is a woman who has overcome injuries sustained in a bike accident, figured out how to train, compete and go on to qualify for the Ford Ironman World Championships while dealing with a bulging disk and degenerative arthritis. Her fourth place finish of 10:55:32 included a sub-four hour marathon even after racing Ironman CDA in June.
On October 11, Larre Sterling (W35-39) will be starting her 25th Ironman race! This would be an accomplishment for any triathlete, but for Larre it is a reminder of how grateful she is to the sport which ultimately changed her life. Diagnosed with Lupus in 1998, she has managed a full-time career at EA Sports as a marketing director, teaching spin classes in the early morning to assure getting her cycling miles in and continues to be very competitive in triathlon. At 39 years of age, she is no stranger to the podium at the Ironman events.
Lyndsey Clapperton (W40-44) is another Canadian women who came to Penticton for their her Ironman and ended the day with a Kona slot. Clapperton set an age group course record with her time of 10:17:53. In her six years of racing, she holds several titles and championships at just about every distance. Look for her to be in contention for a podium position in Kona.
Few of us understand what it feels like to stop breathing and have “thoughts of death” cross our mind. Unfortunately, Mimi Winsberg (W40-44) does. In June of 2004 she went into respiratory arrest while receiving IV iron for anemia. Her last thought before losing consciousness was “I hope they can get the epinephrine here in time.” A doctor herself, she determined the cause of the anemia and has seen her life improve dramatically. Dr. Winsberg finished third in her division with a personal best time of 10:58:10.
Diana Noble qualified with a sixth place finish (11:07:51) in the W40-44 but has since aged up and will be competing against the women in the 45-49 group. Noble is a busy mom of three girls under the age of 11, but has managed to qualify for Kona every year since starting to race.
Germany’s Kerstin Meier (W45-49) once thought qualifying for Kona would always be just a dream. Admittedly challenged in her swimming, Meier has worked to improve her bike and run and earned her slot to Kona (11:39:33). She says she aims to reach the finish line having enjoyed the great atmosphere.
Also grabbing a slot in this division was 48-year old Glenda Clapham (11:26:31). A seasoned marthon runner, Glenda focused her training to improve her mental strength for the run and it worked. Not only did she have a great run, she raced her best overall time for this distance.
Sue Petch aged up to the W60-64 on October 1! Sue rounds out the quartet of Canadian women who earned a slot at their first attempt at Ironman. Petch favors marathon running so her impressive 4:37:10 run split should be no surpsise at all.
Check back tomorrow to meet the women who raced the Ford Ironman Louisville, Kentucky to earn their spot to Kona.
