Here is a blow by blow account of the race, courtesy of the Internet. Once again, the Ironman managed to create some excitement!
7 am (local time): The race gets underway with nearly 1,450 entrants. A new starting procedure is initiated--with the professionals starting a little ahead of the age-groupers. Organizers hope this will ensure the professional women get a clean swim. Conditions are warm and breezy, with winds picking up.
Approximately 7:53 am (local time): Tracking the results during the swim was difficult, but Lars Jorgensen, 25, of Knoxville, Tennessee , appears to be the first to exit the water.
The transition to bicycles is a rapid 40 seconds to 1 minute, and the racers are off again.
7:57 am (local time): The racers are coming out of the water together which could cause confusion during the transistion. Women already out of the water: Paula Newby-Fraser, Karen Smyers and Wendy Ingraham.
8:11 am (local time): Now confirmed that Greg Welch was out of the water before Mark Allen, who trailed by roughly two minutes. Karen Smyers and Paula Newby-Fraser are neck and neck at the time.
8:15 am (local time): BULLETIN -- Lars Jorgensen has unofficially set a swim record, finishing under 47 minutes.
8:21 am (local time): Karen Smyers just past Wendy Ingraham on the bike.
8:24 am (local time): Forecasters now expect course temperatures to hit the low 100s. Newby-Fraser is leading the women, followed by Karen Smyers and Wendy Ingraham.
8:36 am (local time): Lothar Leder is leading the men along the bike course.
8:50 am (local time): Latest reports have Greg Welch, Mark Allen, Cameron Widoff leading, with Pauli Kiuru setting pace. Jergen Zack is working his way to the lead. This is a critical phase of the bike, according to the master, Dave Scott.
8:59 am (local time): Lead group also includes Jeff Devlin, Thomas Hellriegel.
9:00 am (local time): Paula Newby-Fraser still leading for the women.
9:04 am (local time): Battling 25 mph headwind. Thomas Hellriegel back. Allen, Welch, Kiuru and Glah are 6:30 off Hellriegel's hellish pace battling headwinds. Watch for changes as they return wind-aided.
10:21 am (local time): It's official! Olympic swimmer Lars Jorgensen has set an Ironman swim record with a time of 46:44.
10:21 am (local time): Newby-Fraser has extended her lead over Smyers to 4:00, Wendy Ingraham to 6:00 and Sue Latshaw to 8:00.
10:38 am (local time): At the Hawi turnaround, Newby-Fraser has posted an even greater lead over Karen Smyers, who trails by 5:00, and Karen Ingraham, who is now 7:00 off the lead pace.
10:43 am (local time): Hellrieger passes Mauna Kea on the return trip (72.6 mile marker).
11 am (local time): Hellriegel maintains lead over Jurgen and is now 8:00 ahead of the pack.
11:15 am (local time): First to reach the 80-mile mark is Thomas Hellriegel, who wins the Timex $1,500 prime. He is now 9:00 ahead of Welch, Allen and Glah.
11:18 am (local time): Lead group of women now at the 70-mile mark, in the following order: Newby-Fraser, Smyers, Ingraham, Mouthon, Latshaw, Keller, Webb, Nybo.
11:35 am (local time): Bike update: Leaders are Hellreigel, Zack, Welch, Glah, Leder, DeBoom, and Mueller. Kiuru is falling back.
11:37 am (local time): Weather conditions have changed. It's cooled down considerably. There's total cloud cover and possible rain.
11:42 am (local time): Obnoxious reporter on motorcycle trying to get an interview with Jurgen Zack, who now trails Hellriegel by seven minutes. The course is very windy.
11:50 am (local time): There's heavy cloud cover with heavy winds. Hellriegel looks really sharp and fresh. No extra movement. Still solidly in the lead.
11:59 am (local time): Hellriegel and Jurgen Zack working alone, separated by 7:30. Pack trails Zack by 3:00. Mike McCormick is pulling up behind the main lead pack.
12:06 pm (local time): Hellriegel is still in the lead at the 109-mile mark. Pack includes: Zack, DeBoom, Mueller, Welch, Allen, and Widoff. Paula Newby-Fraser is still 5:00 ahead of Karen Smyers.
12:13 pm (local time): Hellriegel's lead grows to 12:00 over the pack.
12:24 pm (local time): Thomas Hellriegel has started the run with a 12:00 lead over the pack.
12:30 pm (local time): Jurgen Zack has completed the transition to running. He trails Hellriegel by more than 8:00 and is 8:30 in front of the rest of the pack. Cyclists have been clocked at 13 mph due to the strong winds.
12:37 pm (local time): Jurgen Zack made a smooth transistion with a strong stride still 8:30 behind Thomas Hellriegel.
12:42 pm (local time): Thomas Hellriegel and Jurgen Zack are running. The pack--Tim DeBoom, Rainer Mueller, Greg Welch, Mark Allen, Cameron Widoff, Ken Glah, Lothar Leder, Rob Barel, and Pauli Kiuru--are right behind. Jeff Devlin is about 1:00 behind that group.
12:50 pm (local time): Paula Newby-Fraser has a 11:30 lead on Karen Smyers and is closing in on the bike-run transition.
1:10 pm (local time): Mark Allen is making a move on the run, and has closed to within one minute of Jurgen Zack.
1:30 pm (local time): Mark Allen is catching up quickly. Looks calm and cool. Just dropped Mueller.
1:40 pm (local time): Isabelle Mouthon passed Ingraham to take over third place. Newby-Fraser is still more than 10 minutes ahead of second-place Karen Smyers
1:48 pm (local time): Mark Allen has just passed Jurgen Zack.
1:59 pm (local time): Hellriegel maintains solid lead over Allen. Allen is steps ahead of Zack. Mueller is 1:30 behind Zack. Welch is 2:00 behind Mueller. At mile 8 of the marathon, Tony DeBoom stopped running and began walking.
2:07 pm (local time): Times splits at 8.3 miles into the marathon: Hellriegel, 6:21:05; Zack, 7:45; Allen and Mueller, 8:45; Widoff, 9:40; Barel, 10:10; Welch, 10:15; Glah, 10:45; Leder, 11: 15; Kiuru, 12:08
2:09 pm (local time): After mile 15, Mark Allen is only 4:45 back from Hellriegel. At this pace, Mark Allen is on track to catch up with Hellriegel before the finish.
2:12 pm (local time): Allen looks relaxed and determined. Hellriegel looks very tired, yet deliberate. Do not count him out yet. He has an iron will to win.
2:15 pm (local time): Allen is about to see Hellriegel coming back from Energy Lab Road. Hellriegel reached the energy lab at 2:15:13. They are approaching a point where experienced Ironman runners can seize an advantage, according to Dave Scott.
2:18 pm (local time): Allen is 3:20 back from Hellriegel.
2:30 pm (local time): Hellriegel is still in the lead, but he is noticeably suffering. His head is slouching and you can see the pain on his face. Allen looks to be back. They are now heading out of the Energy Lab.
2:33 pm (local time): On women's front, Newby-Fraser has a 7:50 lead on Smyers at Mile 10 of the marathon. However, at the current pace, Smyers is making up about 1:00 per mile on Newby-Fraser. Isabelle Mouthon is two minutes behind Smyers.
2:36 pm (local time): For Hellriegel and Allen, a 10K is all that remains. A glimpse of the 20-mile marker. Apparently has revived Hellriegel's spirits. It may be too late, however,
as Allen has gained over six minutes on the run. The "Grip" is just 2:10 down and gaining like he knows he's got it.
2:43 pm (local time): Critics may have said that Allen had lost his title as "The Grip" by taking a year off. That appeared to be the case as he was over 12 minutes back at the bike-run transition. People may have forgotten similar scenarios in years past though, as Allen has confidently reeled Hellriegel to within 1:20. With less then four miles left crowds are lining up for one of the closest finishes in history.
2:44 pm (local time): At mile 13 Karen Smyers is 6:50 behind Newby-Fraser.
2:44 pm (local time): Newby-Fraser looks to be suffering a bit more on the run than in recent years. At the beginning of the run it looked like championship # 8 was in the bag, but Smyers is making a challenge at the Queen of Kona.
2:45 pm (local time): Hellriegel and Allen have become the only story in the men's race. Allen can now see Hellriegel on the edge of town. He is now only a minute down. What a masterful race Allen is running.
2:48 pm (local time): Mueller is now in third place with Welch passing Zack and moving into fourth.
2:50 pm (local time): Allen attempted to make a clean break, but Hellriegel pulled back even with Allen. They are now neck and neck at 23 and 1/2 miles.
2:54 pm (local time): Allen has the lead. He didn't even look at Hellriegel on his way by. The young German may have struggled to keep pace, but the master knew that this was just part of his whole race strategy. He is looking straight ahead and accelerating toward the finish. Newby-Fraser is six minutes up on Smyers.
2:57 pm (local time): Approaching Mile 23, and the lead is less than thirty seconds in the men's race. Whether Hellriegel wins or not, the Germans have now made their mark on the triathlon world. Hellriegel, Zack, Mueller and a host of others including over 150 age groupers are here, in force.
2:59 pm (local time): With a little over a mile to go, Allen has reached the crowds within the town limits of Kona. He is more than fifty yards ahead of Hellriegel and it appears that--after a year off--he is about to regain the crown as Gatorade Hawaii Ironman champion. If he can hold pace, Allen will be tied with Dave Scott with six total wins.
3:05 pm (local time): Mark Allen is within a mile of the finish line.
3:11 pm (local time): Mark Allen is closing in on the finish line. The crowds are cheering. Paula Newby-Fraser is eight to nine miles from the finish and is turning around at the Energy lab. 3:17 pm (local time): Mark Allen just crossed the finish line with a marathon time of 2:42:08. The Grip maintains his hold on the greatest endurance race. Allen wins his sixth Ironman in Hawaii!
3:22 pm (local time): Hellriegel just finished in second place. Mark Allen shook hands with Hellriegel and said, "Nine minutes. I didn't think I could make that. It was great! Thank you everybody."
3:27 pm (local time): Rainer Mueller finishes third. Defending champion Greg Welch finishes fourth.
3:29 pm (local time): Paula Newby-Fraser was just knocked down by an aid-station volunteer.
3:31 pm (local time): Unconfirmed results: Allen, Hellriegel, Mueller, Welch, Glah, Bustos, Zack, Leder, Kiuru.
3:35 pm (local time): Paula Newby-Fraser hurting but three miles from the finish line.
3:36 pm (local time): Karen Smyers moving very well. She can see Paula. Smyers is moving in.
3:38 pm (local time): Smyers can now see the motorcycles and helicopter surrounding Newby-Fraser. They are now in the last four miles and Smyers is gaining. Earlier in the week, Newby-Fraser stated that this would be her last competitive Hawaii Ironman. Smyers may dethrone her before she retires.
3:45 pm (local time): Newby-Fraser still holding a 600-800 meter lead with three miles to go.
3:57 pm (local time): Paula Newby Fraser just passed the 24 mile mark and Smyers is still able to see her.
4:02 pm (local time): The head winds have been the major factor in this year's Gatorade Ironman. The winds typically are cross winds, but this year they are true headwinds. They were reported to be gusting in excess of 50mph when the leaders came through the most exposed areas. They are increasing now. For the age groupers, the winds have left some people standing with their bikes in the lava fields waiting to be picked up by race-support vehicles.
4:05 pm (local time): The slow finish times for this year's Ironman are an indication of how extreme the weather conditions are. Standing at the finish line it's hard to appreciate the impact of these winds out on the lava fields. They continue to increase. The temperature continues to be in the upper 80s and very humid.
4:07 pm (local time): Newby-Fraser is nearing the finish and may be able to hold off Smyers. She is notably suffering, more so than in past years. On the last downhill approaching the finish she has leaned back. Her legs may be causing her some serious problems at this point.
4:08 pm (local time): With just over a mile left, Paula stopped and is leaning over. It appears that she is hurting deeply. She knows Smyers is stalking her. Now she has gathered herself for one final push and is running again.
4:10 pm (local time): Many age groupers and pros over-extended themselves getting through the winds on the bike. It is showing on the run. This is probably what is happening with Newby-Fraser. Uncharacteristically, she has lost all form, is stopping and going.
4:12 pm (local time): Smyers just blew by Newby-Fraser with less than a mile left. Newby-Fraser immediately started staggering and lost her composure.
4:16 pm (local time): The Queen of Kona has fallen to Smyers. The Ironman torch has been passed. Karen Smyers is the women's 1995 Gatorade Ironman Champion at 9:16:41 (unofficial time).
4:17 pm (local time): The question now is what is wrong with Newby-Fraser. Just after Karen Smyers overtook her with a quarter-mile to go, Newby-Fraser stopped and began to look like bewildered, lost. She's hunched over in dehydration, sitting down. She's taking her shoes off.
4:19 pm (local time): Does Newby-Fraser know that she has not finished? She is laying on her back after taking off her shoes. Now medical attendants are helping. It appears that medics are escorting her to the medical tent.
4:22 pm (local time): Isabelle Mouthan, in her first Ironman start, just passed Newby-Fraser to finish second. She is a rising French star on the European circuit and now has made a bold statement at the highest level of the sport.
4:25 pm (local time): Newby-Fraser's condition appears to be caused by severe dehydrated, to the point where she became delirious.
4:28 pm (local time): Paula Newby-Fraser is still sitting 300 yards from the finish. Medics are watching her closely, but they have not rendered medical attention, waiting to see if she wants to press on.
4:34:21 pm (local time): Paul Huddle, Newby-Fraser's fiance, has called for more medical assistance. There is a great deal of confusion as medical attendants attempt to determine her condition, but have not yet aided her. She remains in the race.
4:38 pm (local time): Newby-Fraser pushed the ambulance attendants and medics away and got up. Fernanda Keller cuts in to finish third. After more than 10 minutes sitting on the ground, Newby-Fraser is up and walking across the finish surrounded by friends. She finishes fourth. Paul Huddle, her fiance, is now holding her. He is helping her to the medical tent.
4:42 pm (local time): It appears that she is cramping and still extremely disoriented. Newby-Fraser must have been running on will for the last several miles. As soon as Smyers passed her she stopped and began wobbling and weaving before collapsing to the ground.
4:42 pm (local time): After watching Newby-Fraser stagger and fall to the ground, the crowd erupted in wild cheers, amazed to watch her walk across the finish.