In The NEWS

Ironman USA - Lake Placid
	Almost 100 Virginians participated in the 2001 Ironman USA - only 5 other states had more competitors. Well over a third of those athletes were from the Tidewater area and all of them can now be called "Ironman". Congratulations to all for completing the event and earning that title! While completion of the event is impressive enough, there were a few competitors who deserve some extra mention. Naoto Yoshimura finished 27th overall and had the 10th fastest marathon of the day, which was also the fastest amateur split. And then there is the Master - Mel Williams. Mel was in 9th in the M60-64 age group after the bike. However, he was probably able to meet most of his age group as he passed them on the run to finish in 2nd place. His marathon split was 3:37:39; the 116th fastest of the day and faster than 10 pros. Mel Williams of Norfolk is the only Tidewater Athlete to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. However, he will not be the sole competitor from Virginia. Max Carroll (M25-29), Thomas Shinners (M45-49), David Cascio (M35-39) & Kirsten Black (W25-29) will be joining him as they also earned slots at Lake Placid. Tom Waldrop (M55-59) did not accept his slot to Hawaii. Naoto had already qualified at Ironman California. Again, Congratulations to all the Lake Placid Ironmen! Virginia Results
Ironman California Three Virginia Residents qualified for the 2001 Ironman World Championships. Richard Gizzie of Springfield finished 4th in the 30-34 Men's Age Group. Naoto Yoshimura of Yorktown earned his return trip by finishing 2nd among the 35-39 Men; He finished the race with a sub 3 hour marathon. Bill Reister, the final qualifier from Virginia is also in the 35-39 age group and he earned the final slot finishing just under 10 hours and 12 minutes. Complete Results
Gulf Coast Triathlon Over 40 Hampton Roads residents competed in the Gulf Coast Triathlon in Panama City, Florida. Not counting the Homebrew Relay Team, Ben Vaughan turned in the fastest local time crossing the line in 4:46:20. Ben finished 4th in the military division. Leslie Fedon was the 9th overall Female which converted to a 3rd in the 35-39 age group. Joining her on the winner's stand was Bee Andrews in 7th. Amy Frostick and Cathie Sykes were 8th in their age groups. Patti Pearson was 5th in the Athena category. Congratulations to all! Local Competitors Results Pictures
St Croix Triathlon Two Virginia Beach Residents competed in the St Croix Half-Ironman on May 6. Jill Riblett was 3rd among the 25-29 Females. Mitchell Hall was the top military finisher. More details on the race are available at www.stcroixtriathlon.com
Nelson Bay Challenge Triathlon
	Nancy Lewis won her third Nelson Bay Challenge Triathlon May 5th against stiff competition. Congratulations Nancy!! There were several great performances from our area. John Dill finished third overall, only the Marines finished ahead of him! Holly Northup and Mary Lee won their respective age groups. Heidi and Rich Nawalsky picked up hardware after a long reprieve from racing. Local Competitors Results Pictures

The 2001 Season has Begun!
A handful of local athletes, Kevin Cloe, Donald Brown, Tommy Holland, Steve Knott, Connie Maxwell and Jose Rivera, competed in the Blackwater Traverse Duathlon on April 22. The 10k Run, 41k Bike, 5k Run Duathlon was in Cambridge, Maryland. The competition was quite intense as the race served as a qualifier for Team USA. However on this hot and windy day, Tommy Holland was the top amateur finisher; only professional duathlete Todd Wiley crossed the finish line ahead of him. Local Competitors Results

Tommy has had an impressive start to the triathlon season. Prior to Blackwater, Tommy won the Azalea Festival Triathlon in Wilmington, NC, the Virginia Tech Duathlon and placed third at the Moores Creek Duathlon in Currie, NC. Other local athletes also brought home hardware from the Virginia Tech Duathlon where Brian Haddad was 2nd among the 20-29 men, Jean Troutman was the the 2nd Female in the 30-39 age group and Steve Knott placed 3rd in the 40-49 men. Local Competitors Results
More congratulations are in order...
281 Virginians received USA Triathlon National ranking in 2000. Of these athletes, 13 received All American recognition and 19 received All American Honorable Mention! Check out the Rankings!!

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