Source: xtri.com
URL: http://www.xtri.com/article.asp?id=1755

Iron-legend, Canada's Heather Fuhr, strolled to her fifteenth career Ironman win on Sunday with a resounding victory at Ironman Japan. Fuhr produced a trademark comeback marathon, closing down an 11-minute gap to Australia's Sarah Fien, before building an eventual 15-minute buffer to second place.

Fien secured second, with fellow Australian Angie Milne finishing in third place. In a rare outing over the iron distance, the most commended athlete in the sport, Paula Newby-Fraser, proved that the years will have to run harder if they plan on catching up with her anytime soon. Forty-three years young, PNF went 10:13 to take fourth place overall. It was Paula's first Ironman race for over eighteen months.

Fuhr's convincing win will be a tonic for the Canadian athlete after a disappointing showing in Kona last year. Coming off her runner-up placing in 2004, Fuhr had to walk much of the marathon in 2005 and finished well down the field. Ironman Japan presented a welcome opportunity to reassert her class. Not only was the Fukue field comparatively weak, but Heather and Ironman Japan go way, way back. She won her first two Ironman titles at the original Lake Biwa race venue back in 1995 and 1996.

The men's race in Fukue had all the makings of a walkover for US poster-boy Chris Lieto, who has hit a blue streak of form since his win at Ironman Canada in August 2005. That win marked Lieto's return from an injury-plagued year-and-a-half and preceded a creditable 18th place in Kona after mixing it with the leaders all day long. His winning streak hit a snag when the extreme heat of Ironman Malaysia, a race he was expected to win, forced him - and many others - into a death walk to the finish. Second place in Malaysia proved less important to him than crossing the finish line for a chance to get out of the sweltering heat.

Ironman Japan, with cool cloudy conditions all day, was a far more palatable prospect and Lieto wasted no time in imposing his class on the field. After a strong swim, Lieto emerged from the water well ahead of his principal rivals on the day, including the Europeans, Petr Vabrousek and Hubert Hammerl. Although it took him until the 50km mark of the ride to catch the early leader, Australian age grouper Brian Fuller, Lieto then powered on through the rest of the circumnavigation of Fukue Island, building a substantial lead in the process. As the early pretenders fell away, there was no one else coming through to challenge and Lieto eventually arrived in T2 with a massive 18-minute advantage over Hummerl and Vabrousek, riding together in second and third.

So that was the end of it? Not quite. Czech Petr Vabrousek was having one of those great days on the run. He powered onto the marathon course and immediately began eating into what had looked an unassailable lead. Hitting the half way mark, the 18-minute gap was down to 10 and a tiring Lieto was running scared. Vabrousek continued to consistently chip away at the lead, but Lieto was just able to hang tough for an extremely hard-fought victory. The winning margin at the line? A slender 62 seconds!