Cam Widoff finished second in this year’s Wildflower, the 20th anniversary of the event. By some accounts, he was cheated out of his fifth win there by a mishandling of a drafting penalty in T2.
After starting the run in eighth place, he passed the likes of Matt Reed and Cameron Brown of New Zealand, Chris Legh of Australia, and cycling powerhouse Steve Larsen. Nearly breaking the run course record of 1:14:34 that he himself set in 1999, he clocked a 1:15:04 half-marathon over the rough and hilly trail course. His total time was 4:07:03.
Tim DeBoom File photo by Kristen McFarland
Other Colorado pro finishers included Tim Luchinske, 11th (4:19:53), Nicholas Cady, 17th (4:26:32), and Teri Duthie, 12th (4:56:56).
Tim DeBoom 4th in his Season Opening Race
On the site of his IRONMAN California win last May, Tim DeBoom returned to race his first event since winning the IRONMAN World Championship in October.
After finishing the swim second behind Aussie Craig Walton, Tim rode close to the front for the entire bike, with a draft marshall hovering near by. His 2:09:09 bike split was less than two minutes slower than the fastest, set by Steve Larsen (Larsen finished 10th overall). Although his legs felt a bit tight during the first lap of the run he recorded a 1:15:15, 3:49:42 total, for a fourth overall.
Cam Widoff came in 8th with a time of 3:56:10.
Williams and DeBoom Finish Strong at St.Croix
Susan Williams and Nicole DeBoom both have ambitious seasons planned and started strong with second and fourth place finishes, respectively, at the St. Croix half-IRONMAN distance race on May 5th in the Virgin Islands.
Nicole DeBoom File photo by Kristen McFarland
While Williams (formerly Bartholomew) is starting to train for longer distances in preparation for her first IRONMAN, DeBoom is planning on a summer filled with Olympic distance races.
Susan led the race out of T2 but was soon passed by eventual winner Joanna Zeiger. Nicole was off the bike third, but was passed by current IRONMAN World Champion Natasha Badmann about half-way through the run and fell to fourth.
In the men’s race Tony DeBoom placed seventh with a 4:18:31.
Kristen McFarland is an editor-at-large for Colorado Triathlete. As an athletic trainer and massage therapist, she works with professional triathletes in Boulder that have included both ITU and IRONMAN world champions.
