Hail to the Ironman
The Hawaiian Ironman took place October 26 in the usual heat and wind along the Kona Coast of Hawaii's Big Island. A formidable group of contenders descended on Kona for the most grueling endurance race in the world.

1997 Hawaiian Ironman

Race report
New Ironman champions crowned
Paula Newby-Fraser won her eighth Ironman title and Belgian rookie Luc Van Lierde broke the Ironman record by three and a half minutes.
Top 50 overall results
Pro men results
Pro women results

Event coverage
Live from Kona
Our correspondents spent the day out on the course filing live report from the race. Follow the dramatic events as they unfolded.

Race update
Zäck is in the zone
German contender Jürgen Zäck, the man who still holds the bike record with a 4:27:42 clocking in 1993, says the popular image of the Germans working as a team is untrue.

Race update
Drafting rules to be enforced
At the last minute, Ironman officials have called in the sport's toughest draft marshal, Charlie Crawford of Alabama.

Race update
Canadian knows German threat
Canadian contender Peter Reid has first-hand experience with the training and racing strategies of the Ironman's German dream team.

Race update
Swimming with dolphins
Ironman contender Sue Latshaw uses the power of positive thinking--and a pre-race swim with dolphins--to boost her confidence.

Race update
Wheelchair racers face tension
Wheelchair Ironman competitors John MacLean of Australia and David Lindsey of Florida have issues that divide them.

Race update
Veteran's views meet with disagreement
Mark Allen's pre-race evaluations don't sit well with contenders Ken Glah and Jeff Devlin.

Race update
Women's race gets shuffled
Paula Newby-Fraser's presence at the Ironman is sure to mix things up for the women--especially 1995 champion Karen Smyers.

Race update
Newby-Fraser to race
Seven-time champion and 1995 fourth-place finisher Paula Newby-Fraser has announced she will compete Saturday.

Race preview
A new Ironman era
The Ironman has entered the Age of Unpredictability, when it's anyone's guess who will walk away with the men's and women's crowns.

The odds
Women on the move
Karen Smyers may have dethroned Ironman queen Paula Newby-Fraser in an upset last year, but a repeat Ironman title is far from in the bag.

The odds
Men on the move
A pack of young Germans has been treading on the heels of the Ironman masters for some time now. Will this be their year for victory?

Outside Magazine Profile--October 1996
From Wurst to First
An inside look at the training habits, diet, and TV show preferences of the trio of junk food-fed Germans looking to sweep the Ironman this year.

The amateurs
Other folks to watch at Kona
They may not break the tape at the Ironman, but these triathletes all have something to prove at this year's Hawaiian Ironman.

Profile
Ironwoman
Baltimore businesswoman Lyn Brooks, the Ironman's first and only 16-time finisher, will once again don her swim cap Sunday morning.

Looking back
Outside Online's 1995 coverage
Follow last year's coverage of the Ironman, where Mark Allen won his sixth contest and Karen Smyers passed seven-time women's champion Paula Newby-Fraser as she collapsed with less than a mile left.