Posted: August 25, 2004

Triathlon: Veylupek, Kotland to compete at Ironman Wisconsin

MADISON, Wisc.-1999 Subaru Ironman Canada champion Chuckie Veylupek (Boulder, Colo.) and Ironman standout Peter Kotland (Spartanburg, S.C.) will compete in the 2004 Ironman Wisconsin triathlon set to take place on Sunday, Sept. 12 in Madison and surrounding Dane County.

One of the more colorful characters in the world of Ironman, Veylupek is also a proven triathlete, having claimed the Ironman Canada triathlon title back in 1999.

Known as "Chuckie V" in triathlon circles, Veylupek earned a thrilling win in Canada in 1999, edging Shino Tani of Japan and Bryan Rhodes of New Zealand to claim the crown

Veylupek also finished second at Subaru Ironman Canada in 1998 and was third at Ironman Lanzarote in 1999.

Veylupek finished in sixth place at Subaru Ironman Canada held in late August of 2003.

Kotland has been a staple at Ironman North America events, posting six top-ten finishes over the past five years.

The 30-year-old finished a career-best third at the Ironman California triathlon held back in 2000 at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base. Kotland’s time of 9:14:27 put him a little more than a minute out of second place at Ironman California. A strong runner, Kotland’s marathon time of 2:49:31 was the fastest at the Camp Pendleton event.

Kotland also posted a fourth place overall finish at the 2000 Ironman Florida triathlon and was fifth at the inaugural Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene triathlon in 2003.

The duo join defending Ironman Wisconsin champion Dave Harju (Canada) as early favorites in the men’s field for the Madison event.

Ironman Wisconsin will take place for the third time on Sunday, September 12 in Madison and surrounding Dane Country. Athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots to the 2005 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii as well as a $25,000 pro prize purse.

For more information on Ironman Wisconsin, log onto www.ironmanwisconsin.com.