Posted: April 8 2005

Triathlon: Top females to battle for the title at the inaugural Ironman Arizona Triathlon

TEMPE, Ariz.-A number of top Ironman performers are expected to challenge for the women’s title at the inaugural Ironman Arizona Triathlon set to take place on Saturday, April 9 in Tempe.

Kate Major (Australia) and Heather Gollnick (Hartford, Wisc.) are two of the top competitors who have claimed Ironman titles in their careers.

Major had a banner year in 2004, claiming the first Ironman title of her career at Ironman USA Lake Placid. Major not only won the event, but set a new course record in the process with an overall time of nine hours, 24 minutes and 41 seconds.

The 27-year-old Australian also finished an impressive third overall at the 2004 Ironman Triathlon World Championship and was also third at Ironman Australia this past season.

Gollnick has won three Ironman titles in her career and ranks as one of the top U.S. female competitors in Ironman triathlon.

Gollnick posted the first Ironman win of her career at the inaugural Ironman Wisconsin triathlon held in 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.

Gollnick also won the inaugural Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene title back in June of 2003 and repeated as Ironman Wisconsin champion in September of that same year.

Ironman standouts Joanna Zeiger (Boulder, Colo.), Ute Mueckel (Germany) and Marilyn MacDonald (Canada) should also be in the mix at Ironman Arizona.

Zeiger ranks as one of the top U.S. female athletes that compete at the Ironman-distance.

Most recently the 34-year-old Zeiger finished second at the 2004 Subaru Ironman Canada Triathlon held in Penticton, B.C.

Zeiger also finished fifth at Ironman Florida and second at Ironman USA Lake Placid in 2001, and was fifth overall at the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in 2000.

Zeiger has also been a standout at the Olympic-distance finished 4th at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Mueckel has claimed a pair of Ironman titles in her career, winning Ironman Germany (1996) and Ironman Switzerland (1997). Mueckel posted times of nine hours, 21 minutes and 30 seconds and 9:32:48 in winning the Germany and Switzerland titles respectively.

MacDonald posted the first Ironman win of her career by winning Ironman Malaysia in 2004. The Canadian standout also place second at Ironman France that same year.

Other women who have posted top Ironman performances at past events and could challenge for the title include Tamara Kozulina (Ukraine), Judith McSweeney (Monument, Colo.), Lori-Lynn Leach (Canada), Alison Hayden (Dade City, Fla.) and Lisabeth Kristensen (Switzerland). All have posted top-five finishes at Ironman events during their careers.

The inaugural Ironman Arizona Triathlon, which will take place in Tempe and will feature a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a complete marathon all run in succession. More than 1,900 athletes from around the world are expected to compete in the event. Athletes will competing for 80 qualifying spots to the 2005 Ironman Triathlon World Championship, as well as a $75,000 pro prize purse.

For more information on the event, log onto www.ironmanarizona.com.