Aug. 5, 2010 (Boulder, Colo.) -- This Sunday, more than 1,200 professional and age group athletes will take part in the inaugural Rohto Ironman 70.3 Boulder Triathlon. A professional field consisting of some of the sport's top contenders will vie for the men's title, to include Tim DeBoom, a two-time Ironman World Champion, Andy Potts, Olympian and 2010 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene winner, and Tim O'Donnell, a titleholder at multiple Ironman 70.3 events. The women's field features two Ironman 70.3 World Champions, Joanna Zeiger and Julie Dibens. Athletes will compete for a professional prize purse of $30,000 and 50 coveted slots to the 2010 Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3, Presented by Ford, taking place on Nov. 13 in Clearwater, Fla.
One of more than 40 events in the Ironman 70.3 global series, Rohto Ironman 70.3 Boulder will take athletes on a 1.2-mile swim in the Boulder Reservoir followed by a 56-mile bike and a 13.1-mile run on courses that offer spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains.
Also taking place this weekend is IronKids Boulder, the seventh event in the 2010 IronKids National Triathlon Series. Drawing youth ranging from 3 to 15 years of age, IronKids aims to inspire and motive youth through the sport to lead an active, positive and healthy lifestyle.
Rohto Ironman 70.3 Boulder participants range in age from 18 to 68 years old and represent 15 countries and 40 states, including more than 600 Colorado residents. A variety of inspirational athletes are racing, to include:
- Mari Ruddy, 45, of Denver, Colo., a breast-cancer survivor and type-1 diabetic who founded a triathlon team for women with diabetes.
- Derek Reiner, 39, of Parker, Colo., a father of three and thyroid-cancer survivor.
- Jennifer McLellan, 35, of Lakewood, Colo., a deaf athlete.
- Bradd Bieshaar, 33, of Highlands, Colo., who has lost more than 100 pounds since he began training.
The winner of Rohto Ironman 70.3 Boulder is expected to cross the finish line at approximately 10:30 a.m., while the majority of age group athletes will finish in five to seven hours. The official cutoff for the event is 3:55 p.m. MDT, 8.5 hours after the start of the final swim wave.
Visit www.ironmanboulder.com for additional event information, including course maps, and race results after the veent.
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