Vineman Ironman 70.3
ColoradoTriathlete.com
July 30, 2006 (Sonoma County, CA) – Colorado’s top pros put on a show at this year’s Vineman Ironman 70.3 in Sonoma County, California. The fourteen year old race hosted last year’s one-on-one match up between Tim DeBoom and Peter Reid (handily won by DeBoom), but has been without an official pro race for a few years. In 2006, the event became part of the Ironman 70.3 Series, and attracted a top-notch international field.
After a large group exited the swim together, Tim DeBoom and Cam Widoff stayed close to bike leaders Chris Lieto and TJ Tollakson during the early portion of the bike leg. Brit Simon Lessing, a long time Boulder resident, caught up to Widoff and DeBoom by T2 and immediately surged on the run. Lieto turned his ankle and was forced to drop out. The Boulder trio of Lessing, DeBoom, and Widoff soon passed Tollakson, followed shortly by current Lyons resident, Australian Chris Legh. That would represent the final ordering of the top five, with the top four all breaking the four hour mark.
Michael Lovato finished tenth in 4:10:07. Boulder coach and six time Ironman World Champion, Dave Scott, entered the race as a pro at age 52, twelve years the senior of the next oldest pro, and finished in a time of 4:31:53.
Colorado’s female pros sat out the race, but the state was well represented in the amateur division with two top ten finishes. Wendy Mader, 33, and Diana Hassel, 38, both of Fort Collins, finished 7th and 10th, respectively.
Colorado Pro Results
| 1 | Simon Lessing | Boulder | 35 | 56:58.5 |
| 2 | Tim DeBoom | Boulder | 35 | 58:17.7 |
| 3 | Cameron Widoff | Boulder | 28 | 58:46.1 |
| 4 | Christopher Legh | Lyons | 33 | 58:59.9 |
| 10 | Michael Lovato | Boulder | 32 | 10:07.4 |
| 11 | Courtney Ogden | Boulder | 34 | 13:25.2 |
| 20 | Dave Scott | Boulder | 52 | 31:53.8 |
