Posted: May 21, 2005

Triathlon: Lessing leads men’s field at 2005 Ford Florida Half Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA—Defending champion Simon Lessing (Great Britain) returns to Florida to lead an experienced men’s field at the second annual Ford Florida Half Ironman at WALT DINSEY WORLD® Resort on Sunday, May 22.

Lessing, a four-time ITU World Champion, has made a very successful transition from short-distance to long-distance triathlon.

The 34-year-old topped a star-studded field to win the Ford Florida Half Ironman last May and then added his first Ironman title by setting a new course record at the 2004 Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid in July. His overall time of eight hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds was more than 10 minutes faster than the previous Lake Placid course record.

A veteran group will compete with Lessing for the Ford Florida Half Ironman 2005 title.

Luke Bell (Australia) burst onto the Ironman scene two years ago and recently finished second at both Ironman Australia in April of 2005 and Ironman Lake Placid in July of 2004.

Bell placed third at Ironman Australia in 2003 and then ended that year in fine fashion with a fifth-place overall finish at the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Great Britain’s Spencer Smith has seen major success at both long and short course triathlons in his career. Smith has posted a pair of Ironman wins in his career (Ironman Brazil in 2002 and Ford Ironman Florida in 2001) as well as a pair of top ten finishes at the Ironman World Championship, including a fifth-place finish in 1998.

Smith is a two-time ITU Olympic Distance World Champion (1993 and 1994) and has recorded victories in a number of short course races.

Uwe Widmann is one of a large number of Germany standouts who compete at the Ironman distance. The 34-year-old has finished in the top five at five Ironman events in his career, including a career-best third place at both Ironman Germany in 2002 and Ford Ironman Wisconsin in 2003.

A second top contender from Australia in this year’s race is Luke McKenzie. McKenzie is a relative newcomer to Ironman and has placed in the top five in each of the three Ironman events he has competed in, including a third-place finish at the Ironman Western Australia in November of 2004.

Bjorn Andersson (Sweden) had an impressive showing in 2004, placing fourth at the Florida Half Ironman in May and placing third at Ironman New Zealand in that same year and should also challenge for the 2005 Ford Florida Half title.

There are also two Ukrainians looking for a win at the 2005 event.

Andriy Yastrebov has made his mark at Ironman North America events over the past two seasons, posting top three finishes at Ford Ironman USA Coeur d’ Alene (third in 2004) and Ironman Florida (second in 2003).

Yastrebov is considered one of the strongest runners in all of Ironman and is always a threat on the run portion of any event.

Victor Zyemtsev is a three-time Ironman Austria champion, posting impressive times in winning the event in each of the last three years.

A late addition to the field, Michael Lovato (Boulder, Colo.) could also challenge for the 2005 title. Lovato won the 2003 Ford Ironman USA Coeur d’ Alene Triathlon and finished second at the inaugural Ford Ironman Arizona held this past April.

More than 2,000 triathletes from around the world are expected to compete at the Ford Florida Half Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort. Athletes will be competing for 30 qualifying spots to the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, as well as a $30,000 pro prize purse.