COURTESY IRONMAN REVISITED
Dan Powell, who was one of 15 athletes to finish the first Ironman Triathlon in 1978, runs as Captain Challenge now.
A lesson
in historyIronman Revisited
allows athletes to revisit
the course the Ironman
started on 22 years ago
It's hard enough to even think about preparing for the Ironman let alone actually participating. There are hundreds of hours of training before the starter's gun goes off, signaling the mad dash into the water for a chilly, early morning swim.
For many competitors, the 2.4-mile swim is the toughest portion of the triathlon. They eagerly look forward to hitting the beach and heading for the transition area, slipping into shoes for the 112-mile bike leg.
That was Dan Powell's thinking last year when emerging from the water at Duke Kahanamoku Beach in the inaugural Ironman Revisited. Powell was one of 25 individuals -- and one relay team of physically challenged athletes -- invited to compete in the race, which retraces the course of the first Ironman in 1978 -- a combination of Oahu's three top races, the 2.4-mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim, 112-mile Perimeter Bike Ride, and 26.2-mile Honolulu Marathon.
Powell said he was very excited after having his best swim leg ever in six triathlons. He was greeted by cheers and also the news that his rental car had been broken into. Gone were his cycling shoes, food and water for the race, and his wallet.
Back to the Future
What: Ironman RevisitedWhen: 7 a.m. Sunday
Who: 42 triathletes and 8 relay teams.
What: Original Ironman course, 2.4-mile swim from San Souci Beach to Duke Kahanamoku Beach; 112-mile clockwise bike ride around Oahu, ending at Kapiolani Park; 26.2-mile marathon, ending at Kapiolani Park.
Information: www.challengedathletes.org
Defending champion: Deon Lourens, 9 hours, 45 minutes.
Powell decided to try riding the bike with his running shoes. He spotted another cyclist, who wasn't entered in the race, and asked what size shoe he wore and what kind of bike pedals.
"His shoes were a match, size 12, but the pedals were incompatible," said Powell. "I kept riding and he followed me. He said take my shoes and take my pedals. We found a maintenance man with an adjustable wrench and put his pedals on my bike.
"Here is someone out for a Sunday ride and he ends up being the silver lining in my dark cloud of a day."
Powell's rescuer was Colin Peters. The race organizers invited Peters and wife Keala to the banquet the next night where Peters was recognized for his generosity.
Powell wants to pursue the theft case and gave police information that should have led to the thieves' arrest. The crime remains unsolved, but it didn't prevent Powell from coming back to Hawaii.
He has two goals: To better his 11th place finish from last year and to find the criminals.
"And I want my shoes back," said Powell, who finished last year's race in 13 hours and 57 minutes.
This time, the 43-year-old triathlete brought his 15-year-old daughter Dawn to compete in a portion of the race. After the swim, the two will cycle around Oahu on a tandem bike before Powell takes off solo on the marathon run.
The Powells are two of some 50 athletes scheduled to compete in the race fund-raiser for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. The entry fee is $1,250 with many of the entrants raising additional funds through sponsorships and pledges.
Last year's event raised $65,000 to help fund grants and purchase handcycles, racing chairs, sports prosthetics and other adaptive equipment for athletes with a disability. This year the goal is $100,000.
Triathlete Chris Kostman, 10th last year in 13 hours and 25 minutes, has raised over $12,500 so far en route to his goal of $20,000. Kostman runs under the name Team Magnum in honor of the old Hawaii-based television show "Magnum, P.I." He'll again don Tom Selleck's trademark attire -- an aloha shirt, Detroit Tigers cap and Ray-ban Aviator sunglasses -- but is still seeking a Ferrari as a support vehicle.
Ironman Revisited was created by Rick Kozlowski and Bob Babbitt as a way to get back to Oahu so people could experience the beauty of the original Ironman course.
It was also their idea to give back through the CFA, a charity co-founded by Babbitt, who was inducted last year into the Ironman Hall of Fame, the hall's 10th member.
Babbitt is a six-time finisher of the Ironman, was one of the 108 athletes to finish the 1980 Ironman race at its original location on Oahu.
The race moved to its present site in Kailua-Kona in 1981.
"Bob wanted people to be able to experience Ironman in its true form, " said race organizer Tabi King. "It's about getting back to the roots of the Ironman. It's not fancy. The finish line is a line of flowers."
Navy commander John Collins is credited with the Ironman's biggest urban legend. The original race was started to answer the question: "Who is the fittest athlete? The swimmer, the cyclist or the runner?
"Swim 2.4, ride 112 and run 26.2, and brag for the rest of your life," Collins wrote on the last page of the prerace instructions handed out to 15 competitors.
Only 12 completed that inaugural February 1978 race, including Collins, who will again be the official starter for this year's race. He will then crew for his wife Judy, who is entered in Sunday's event.
Six-time Ironman winner Dave Scott, the first inductee into the Ironman Hall of Fame, is also back for this week's events.
