Posted: June 25, 2004

Triathlon: Two-time Ironman World Champion Bowden, defending champion Gollnick lead women’s field at 2004 Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene triathlon

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho-Two-time Ironman World Champion Lori Bowden (Canada) and defending Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene champion Heather Gollnick (Hartford, Wisc.) will lead an impressive women’s field scheduled to compete at the 2004 Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene triathlon set to take place on Sunday, June 27 in Coeur d’Alene and surrounding Kootenai County.

One of the most prolific Ironman athletes in history, Bowden has won 12 Ironman titles in her career, third most all-time, including a pair of Ironman World Championship titles (1999 and 2003).

Besides her two Ironman World titles, the Canadian standout has also finished second at the World Championship in both 2000 and 2001 and is one of only four women ever to break the nine-hour mark in an Ironman event. Bowden registered the second-fastest women’s Ironman finish time in history at Ironman Austria in July of 2002, finishing the event in 8:51:22.

Bowden has also broken the nine-hour mark at Ironman Austria in 2001 (8:59:49) and Ironman Australia in 2000 (8:55:08). Bowden also has claimed five Subaru Ironman Canada titles (1997-2000 and 2002) and remains a fan favorite at the Penticton event.

Gollnick has won three Ironman titles in her career, including last year’s inaugural Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene event.

Gollnick posted the first Ironman win of her career at the inaugural Ironman Wisconsin triathlon held on September of 2002. Gollnick’s overall time of nine hours, 54 minutes and 54 seconds was more than 18 minutes faster than second-place finisher Yoko Okuda of Japan.

The 33-year-old overcame brutal weather conditions to claim her second Ironman Wisconsin women’s title in September of 2003.

Perhaps the top challenges to Bowden and Gollnick at the Coeur d’Alene event should come from last year’s second and third place finishers Lynley Allison (New Zealand) and Monica Caplan (Longmont, Colo.)

Allison was second at the inaugural Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene event in 2003 and has four top-five finishes in her Ironman career. Most recently, Allison was second at Ironman New Zealand back in March. The 31-year-old New Zealander also finished fourth at Ironman New Zealand in 2003 (9:41:09), 3rd at Ironman New Zealand in 2002 (9:34:46), fifth at Ironman Korea in 2002 (10:05:42) and sixth at Ironman New Zealand in 2001 (10:05:37).

2003 was a breakout year for the 27-year-old Caplan as she placed second at the Utah Half-Ironman (behind veteran Ironman standout Lisa Bentley) and was third at Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene in June of 2003. The third-place finish was the highest at an Ironman in Caplan’s short professional career.

Caplan also finished third at the Ralphs California Half Ironman back in April of this year.

Six other U.S. competitors could also provide a challenge to Bowden, as each attempts to claim the first Ironman title of her career.

Mary Uhl (Santa Fe, N.M.), Michelle Deasy (San Francisco, Calif.), Amanda Gillam (Boulder, Colo.), Karen Holloway (Richmond, Va.), Judith McSweeney (Monument, Colo.) and Lara Shaw (Tampa, Fla.) have all registered success at the Ironman distance and should be in the mix at Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene.

Uhl has been a runner-up at a pair of Ironman North America events over the past four years, posting second-place finishes at Ironman Wisconsin (2003) and Ironman USA Lake Placid (1999).

Also among her top finishes were a third-place showing at Subaru Ironman Canada in 2002 and a fifth-place finish at Ironman USA Lake Placid in 2000.

The 38-year-old posted the fastest finish time of her career in August of 2002 (nine hours, 41 minutes and 26 seconds) in finishing third at Subaru Ironman Canada.

Deasy has posted four top ten finishes at Ironman North America events, including an impressive fourth-place finish at Ironman California back in 2000.

Last year Deasy finished fourth overall at the inaugural Coeur d’Alene event.

Gillam is one of a number of up and coming female Ironman performers from the United States.

Gillam posted her best performance at an Ironman in 2003 by placing fourth at the Ironman Wisconsin triathlon held in September.

Holloway has finished in the top 10 at three Ironman North America events in the past five years, Ironman USA Lake Placid (2002 and 2003) and Ironman Florida (2000).

Her best finish time was 9:55:04 at Ironman New Zealand in 2004, good for sixth place overall at the Taupo event.

McSweeney has finished in the top 10 at three Ironman North America events: Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene (2003), Ironman Florida (2001), and Ironman Utah (2002).

Her best finish overall finish was fourth place at Ironman Florida, where she also registered her top Ironman finish time of 10:00:32.

Shaw finished fourth at the Florida Half Ironman held last month at Walt Disney World Resort, and was fifth at Ironman Florida in 2002.

More than 1,800 athletes from around the world are scheduled to compete at the Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene triathlon. Athletes will be battling for 80 qualifying spots for the 2004 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, as well as a $50,000 pro prize purse.

For more information, log onto www.ironmancda.com.