Posted: September 10, 2004

Triathlon: Fisher, DeBoom lead women’s field at Ironman Wisconsin

MADISON, Wisc.-Americans Nicole DeBoom (Lyons, Colo.) and Andrea Fisher (Austin, Texas) are among the top female competitors scheduled to compete in the 2004 Ironman Wisconsin triathlon set to take place on Sunday, September 12 in Madison and surrounding Dane County.

DeBoom has posted a pair of top-five finishes in her Ironman career, and has three top-15 finishes at the Ironman World Championship held annually in Kona, Hawaii.

Competing in the first Ironman distance event of her career in 2000, DeBoom took third place at Ironman California. The 30-year-old returned to finish fifth in 2001 at the same event.

Nicole, who is the wife of two-time Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom, is a standout swimmer who qualified for the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials in the breaststroke. DeBoom has been in the top five at the Ralphs California Half Ironman each of the past two years.

Fisher has been a staple at Ironman North America events over the past four seasons, posting five top-five finishes, including a career best second-place finish at Ironman Florida back in 2000. Her overall time of 9:38:24 at the Panama City Beach event was also the fastest Ironman in her career.

An All-American swimmer at the University of Texas, Fisher has been improving steadily, breaking the 10-hour mark for the first time in earning a fourth-place finish at Subaru Ironman Canada back in August of 2000. The 31-year-old also registered a top-five finish at the inaugural Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon back in 1999.

This year has saw Fisher finished fourth overall at Ironman New Zealand held in March.

Four other Americans who could challenge for the Ironman Wisconsin title are Laura Jensen (New Berlin, Wisc.), Allison Hayden (Dade City, Fla.) and Laura Shaw (Tampa, Fla.).

Jensen finished ninth at Ironman Florida in 2003, while Hayden was second at Ironman Brazil in 2000 and Shaw was sixth at Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene in June and finished fifth overall at Ironman Florida in 2002,

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.