Deca Iron Challenge underway in Mexico
Athletes from around the world go for the sum distance of 10 Ironmans crammed all together
By TJ Murphy
Nov. 20, 2008 -- At the three-days plus eight-hour mark of the 2008 World Challenge Deca and Quintuple Iron triathlons, Sweden’s Kari Martens, having completed 1200 kilometers of the 1800 km bike ride, presently holds the lead of the Deca event, Deca referring to the sum distances of 10 Ironmans: a 24-mile swim, a 1,120-mile bike and a 262-mile run (or 38, 1800 and 422 in kilometer-speak). Chasing from 22km back is Marcel Nico Andreas of Germany, then Mario Rodrigruez and Hildeberto Villa, both of Mexico, are, respectively 85 and 100 kilometers behind the lead. Suraya Oliver of Great Britain leads the women race as she spins through her 758th kilometer on the bike.
There’s much more to tell, as you might imagine, here from the INDE sport complex, the State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport here in sunny Monterrey, Mexico. The athletes in both the deca and quintuple races began racing at 9 a.m. on November 16 at the Olympic pool here at the institute. Triathletes are now biking counter-clockwise around a closed 1.9km loop past various athletic venues including an archery field, a velodrome and fencing gym. A few of the quintuple racers have transitioned into their run, moving clockwise on the same loop (Germany’s Andreas Bucher holds the lead with 107kms of running under his belt; Michelle Santahano of the USA leads the women). Mind you, all of these times and distance markers are fluid entities -- as I type these words, racers are passing over a wired mat where their chips set off beeping sounds, indicating another small but meaningful bit of ground having passed beneath them. More>
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