In 2001 Tim DeBoom became the first American man to win Ironman Hawaii since 1995. It was his eighth attempt at Hawaii and each of the last five years he was closer to the top before finally breaking through for this year's victory. His 2001 season also included a win at Ironman California. A couple weeks ago we interviewed DeBoom about his win, the race, and training.

DuDot: Is your life any different now that you won Ironman Hawaii?

DeBoom: Mentally it is. I feel a little more satisfied. Last year I was antsy and itchy to correct things that went wrong during the race. It hasn't totally sunk in.

DuDot: How did the race develop for you?

DeBoom: It was different. I was pretty relaxed. Before the race I had an hour to sit down and focus. As soon as the cannon went of I went to the front of the swim and stayed there. It felt pretty easy and I felt strong. I try not to work too hard. You don't want to tap anything in that point.

I got on the bike and immediately it was me and Lothar and Ralf Eggert. Than Andreas Niedrig joined us and we increased the gap over the group behind us. Then I got a penalty at mile 15. I was pissed because it was a judgment call on if I had dropped back quick enough and if I dropped back enough. We were very legal from what I could tell. You immediately lose at least a minute.

After the penalty Tony (DeBoom), Luc (van Lierde), and Cam Brown went past us. I caught them and went to the front of that group. As soon as Normann Stadler caught us we took off to catch Lothar's group. At the start of the climb to Hawi we caught Lothar and Niedrig.

Right before Hawi Normann took off. I let him go and stayed with Lothar and Niedrig. Normann had 1.5 minutes on us at the turnaround. On the way down I dropped them and I was about 1 minute behind Normann. I could tell Peter was making his move and Larsen was coming on.

Going back to the Queen k I was feeling tired. That was where Peter and Larsen passed me and I was feeling so bad that I didn't chase them. Then I sat about 1 to 1.5 minutes behind peter. I eventually caught Peter and Normann and came off the bike second. Normann just blew up at the end.

DuDot: What is going through your mind as you were completing the bike?
DeBoom: You start having negativity, especially with the penalty. Peter finished the bike with me and now he is going to be ahead of me by 3 minutes.

DuDot: What did you eat during the bike?
DeBoom: I eat everything. It isn't very scientific. Bananas and gels.

DuDot: What did you do during your penalty?

DeBoom: In the box you try and be calm. But it just sucks. Especially when you see Peter and Normann running through and I am just sitting there. I felt good that only Peter and Normann were in and nobody else passed me.

DuDot: With the penalty did you think you could still win?
DeBoom: At that point I thought I could still win. I did what I could to catch up to Peter. I didn't want to just sit behind him so I ran hard to catch him as fast I could.

I passed Peter when he was walking - mile 3 or 4. I had heard at mile 2 that Peter was walking and I didn't believe it, but then I heard it again and then I saw it. I could see Normann and it looked like he was running normal. I was slowly catching him. Then I saw Larsen coming the other way and that motivated me. At that point the lead was under 5.5 minutes and I knew I was gaining on him because when I started the run I was 8.5 minutes down.

DuDot: When did you pass Steve Larsen and take the lead?
DeBoom: I caught Larsen at mile 11 or 12.

DuDot: How were you feeling when you passed him?
DeBoom: Once I got on the Queen K up Palani it was the hottest part of the day and I didn't feel that good. It was easier for me running behind him because I could see that I was gaining on him. So after I caught him I didn't know the time difference. I started feeling better in the Energy Lab and I was told I had 4 or 5 minutes on him. And the other guys were 9-12 minutes back. I figured if I could get out of the Energy Lab feeling good I would be okay.

DuDot: When did you realize you were going to win?
DeBoom: It hit me going down Palani. I saw Peter Reid and his brother on the side of the road and they were cheering. I didn't think anyone was gaining on me.

DuDot: Your run has continued to improve at Hawaii. Did you train any differently to prepare for this year's race?
DeBoom: I didn't change much of my run training. I think it is just a year stronger.

DuDot: Is there anything else you have changed?
DeBoom: Just a general focus going into Hawaii. I decided that Hawaii was going to be my race and nothing else mattered. Financially it wasn't the best thing to do at first, but it really paid off.

DuDot: How did you learn to train for an Ironman?
DeBoom: A lot of us train the same way. You figure it out if you do it long enough. I learned a lot from Chuckie V and Peter Reid. It is more a progression and sticking with it. A lot of people get frustrated and give it up. My body is able to handle longer and harder training and that is what it takes.

DuDot: How much do you train?
DeBoom: I average 25-30 hours per week. My biggest weeks are 35 hours.

DeBoom's progression to the top at Ironman Hawaii