Posted: February 20, 2005

Triathlon: Nicole Deboom, Keller To Compete At The 2005 Ralphs California Half Ironman Triathlon

OCEANSIDE, Calif.-Two Ironman standouts have announced that they will compete in the 2005 Ralphs California Half Ironman Triathlon, set to take place on Saturday, March 10 in Oceanside.

Nicole DeBoom (Lyons, Colo.) and Fernanda Keller (Brazil) have both posted success competing at the Ironman distance.

DeBoom claimed the first Ironman title of her career in September of 2004 by winning the Ironman Wisconsin triathlon with an overall time of 10 hours, five minutes and 40 seconds.

DeBoom was also third at the Ironman California Triathlon in 2000.

Nicole is the wife of two-time Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom.

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.

Keller has been a staple at the Ironman World Championship finishing in the top five eight times in her career.

Keller has posted two Ironman victories in her career, winning Ironman Brazil in 2004 and 2000.

The duo join 2004 Ironman USA Lake Placid champion Kate Major (Australia) and two-time Ironman Wisconsin champion Heather Gollnick (Hartford, Wisc.) in what is turning out to be a very strong women’s professional field.

The Ralphs California Half Ironman will take place for the fourth time in 2005 in Oceanside and on neighboring Camp Pendleton. More than 2,000 athletes are expected to take part in the event.

For more information on the Ralphs California Half Ironman log onto www.ironmancalifornia.com