Zeiger dominates Ironman

The problem with leading from the start in an Ironman event is the ever pressing fear of being overtaken at some point.

Joanna Zeiger raced with that anxiety in the back of her mind Sunday at the 2006 Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene. But Zeiger got far enough out front that the chasers didn’t see her during most of the biggest portion of the three-discipline event, the 112-mile bike ride.

Zeiger became essentially the first start-to-finish Coeur d’Alene winner, breaking the tape in 9 hours, 31 minutes and 7 seconds under a bright sunshine that baked athletes as the day progressed.

“It’s tough (to lead start to finish) but I was prepared for it,” Zeiger said. “Having a strong swim usually puts me out there. When I won (Ironman Brazil) last year it was the same thing. I led wire to wire. I’m no stranger to being out in front, but it is a really difficult way to race because you just never know where anybody is. You just have to stay strong and stay within yourself and that’s what I did today.”

The inaugural Coeur d’Alene winner, Heather Gollnick, had a second straight runner-up finish, but she did it in a personal course best (9:36.39). Kate Major, third at the Ironman World, placed third (9:41.18).

Zeiger, 34, of Boulder, Colo., earned $14,000 out of the $50,000 purse. It was her first Ironman win on U.S. soil. She captured her first win at 2005 Ironman Brazil.

Zeiger came out of the water 11 seconds behind Linda Gallo of Mountain View, Calif. But Zeiger quickly passed Gallo on the bike, and the event-long chase was on.

Gollnick, 36, of Bradenton, Fla., was 4 minutes behind Zeiger out of the water and ninth out of the bike transition. But by the 16th mile on the bike, Gollnick had moved up to second.

Zeiger kept pushing the throttle on the bike, building as much as an 11-minute lead. But Major cut that lead to six minutes when she moved ahead of Gollnick and was second off the bike.

Since the run is a 13.1-mile loop that follows the front part of the bike course along the northern shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene, Zeiger’s chasers got a better glimpse of the leader. But to no avail.

Zeiger’s lead fluctuated between five and six minutes the length of the marathon-length run.

She said she could feel the heat.

“It was really hot,” Zeiger said. “I felt thirsty the whole time on the run.”

With about eight miles remaining, Gollnick realized that Zeiger couldn’t be caught so she concentrated on not being caught herself. Major never got closer than a minute.

Gollnick said that having to make up as much ground as she did coming out of the swim proved too big a hurdle.

“The hardest part is when you can’t see them (the leaders) anymore, and Joanna had quite a big lead that I couldn’t see her. Then you’re kind of in la la land – and that’s the hardest because you’ve just got to really push yourself.”

It was the first Ironman of the year for both Zeiger and Major, who have battled injury and illness since the World Championships in October. It was Gollnick’s second Ironman this year. She took second in a career-best 9:33 at Ironman Arizona in April.

Zeiger had a conservative strategy on the first run loop.

“I didn’t want to go out too hard because I knew it was going to be very hot today,” Zeiger said. “I just had to do my own race and I couldn’t think about where they were. I felt great on the second lap and I was able to hold it.”

Zeiger’s expectations were less than winning Sunday.

“My biggest goal aside from finishing – which is always your first goal in an Ironman – was to get my Kona (world championships) slot,” Zeiger said. “Anything above and beyond that was going to make the day that much better. As soon as I got on the bike I felt great and I knew it was going to be a great day.”

Gollnick, who plans to compete at Kona in late October, takes a lot of positives from the race Sunday. She noted that three of the top 10 placers from the world championships last year (Major, Kim Loeffler and Katja Schumacher) were at the Coeur d’Alene race. So Gollnick takes quite a bit of consolation from finishing ahead of them.

“I felt good overall,” Gollnick said. “It was windy out there. It was windier on the bike than I remember from past years.”