Posted: April 28, 2004

Triathlon: Fuhr, Bentley To Race at Inaugural Florida Half Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort

CLERMONT, Fla.-Ironman standouts Heather Fuhr (Canada) and Lisa Bentley (Canada) will compete in the inaugural Florida Half Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLDâ Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Sunday, May 23.

Fuhr is currently second all-time on the Ironman victory list, having claimed 13 Ironman events in her career, trailing only Ironman legend Paula Newby-Fraser, who has posted an amazing 23 Ironman victories.

The Canadian standout, still one of the top female competitors in Ironman triathlon, earned her only Ironman World Championship title back in 1997 in Kona, Hawaii. Among her other wins are four victories at HSBC Ironman USA Lake Placid (1999, 2001-03) and an Ironman California title (2000).

The 36-year-old Fuhr stands as one of the top runners in the history of Ironman, often overcoming large deficits on the run to win events.

Most recently Fuhr finished second at the Ralphs California Half Ironman held on Oceanside, Calif., in early April.

The 34-year-old Bentley has won six Ironman titles in here career, including Ironman Australia the past three seasons (2002-04) and Ironman New Zealand twice (2000 and 2001) and posted a career-best fifth place finish at the Ironman World Championship in 2003.

Bentley also posted a dominant performance in winning the 2003 Subaru Ironman Canada title with an impressive time of 9:21:18.

Well-known for her running ability, Bentley has also represented Canada at the Pan American Games (1995) in Olympic Distance Triathlon and posted top five finishes at Ironman Germany (2000 and 2001) and Subaru Ironman Canada (1997 and 2002).

More than 2,000 triathletes from around the world are expected to compete in the inaugural Florida Half Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLDâ Resort. Athletes will be competing for 30 qualifying spots to the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, as well as a $25,000 pro prize purse.

For more information on the event, log onto www.floridahalfironman.com.