IRONMAN - OCTOBER 6, 2001 - SOME RACE FACTOIDS

WHO: Approximately 1,500 competitors, ages 18-82, compete from 48 countries and 50 states.  Most competitors qualify at Ironman qualifying races worldwide; nearly 50,000 annually enter qualifiers.  Another 2,000 enter the race lottery, which awards 150 slots to U.S. citizens and 50 slots to international athletes.

WHAT: A 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run.  Competitors have 17 hours to finish the race; cutoff times are applied to each segment of the race.

WHEN: October 6, beginning at 7:00 a.m to midnight.

WHERE: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The swim segment begins and ends at Kailua Pier. The bike race travels north on the Kona Coast and then along the Kohala Coast to Hawi, and then returns along the same route to the Old Airport Park transition.  The marathon course travels through Kailua-Kona to Pahoehoe Park and onto the Queen Kaahumanu to NELHA.  Contestants run back into Kailua-Kona, coming down Alii Drive to the finish line.

COURSE     Men - Luc Van Lierde, 8:04:08 in 1996.
RECORDS: Women - Paula Newby-Fraser, 8:55:28 in 1992.

FURTHER FACTOIDS: During the course of the race, more than 250,000 cups, 50,000 bike bottles, 125,000 pounds of ice,100,000 gallons of fluid  replacement, cola, water and soup and 600 bottles of sunscreen are used, provided by nearly 7,000 volunteers lining the 140.6-mile course.  More than 100 million people worldwide watch the event on television. http://vnews.ironmanlive.com 

NOTE:  Roads in and around West Hawaii are closed or have limited access on race day (Oct 6.)  In addition, many triathletes are training on Big Island roads this week.

For more information go to the Official Ironman Race Website: http://vnews.ironmanlive.com 

      *** Be Cautious .. Be Patient ... Be Kind ***