Posted: August 20, 2004

Triathlon: Zeiger and Uhl to race at Subaru Ironman Canada

PENTICTON, B.C. - Two of the top female professional triathletes from the United States will compete at Subaru Ironman Canada on Sunday, August 29th in Pentiction and the surrounding Okanagan area.

Joanna Zeiger (Boulder, Colo.) and Mary Uhl (Santa Fe, N.M.) are both in the hunt for their first Ironman title and have set their sights on Subaru Ironman Canada.

Zeiger, probably best known for her 4th place finish at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the triathlon, has moved up to challenge the Ironman distance. A native Californian, Zeiger currently trains and works in Boulder at the University of Colorado in their Institute of Behavioural Genetics as a researcher.

Coming back from an injury-plagued year in 2002, the 34-year-old has a number of top-five finishes over the Ironman and Half-Ironman distances. Her best results in Ironman events came in 2001 as she finished second at Ironman USA Lake Placid and fifth at Ironman Florida. This is the first time that Zeiger will race at Subaru Ironman Canada.

Uhl has finished second at a pair of Ironman events in her career, posting runner-up finishes at Ironman Wisconsin (2003) and the inaugural Ironman USA Lake Placid event held in 1999. Uhl is also familiar with the Penticton event, having finished third at Subaru Ironman Canada in 2002.

Now 39 years of age, Uhl has enjoyed a long Ironman career, first qualifying for the Ironman in Hawaii in 1985 and turning pro in 1997.

Subaru Ironman Canada is the oldest Ironman event in continental North America and will take place for the 22nd time in Penticton, B.C. on Sunday August 29. Athletes will be competing for 100 qualifying spots to the 2004 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii as well as a $75,000. (Cdn.) pro prize purse. For more information, log onto www.ironman.ca.