Tony DeBoom At Ironman Utah

Ironman standout Tony DeBoom (Boulder, Colo.) has announced that he will compete in the inaugural Ironman Utah triathlon set to take place on June 8 in Provo and Utah County. DeBoom, the brother of 2001 Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom,  had a strong season in his own right in 2001, posting a pair of second-place finishes at Ironman North America events.

Tony posted the best Ironman time of his career by placing second at Ironman California last May with a time of 8:27:13. He also finished second at Ironman Florida in November of 2001 with an overall time of 8:28:02. The 32-year-old DeBoom has also posted a top-10 finish at Ironman Switzerland in 1997 (4th place with a time of 8:46) and has numerous short-course wins including Chicagoıs Mrs/ Tıs (1998) and the St. Anthonyıs Triathlon (1999).

DeBoom enters Ironman Utah as one of the pre-race favorites to win the inaugural event. At stake at Ironman Utah are 80 qualifying spots to the 2002 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii as well as a $50,000 pro prize purse.

Cameron Brown at Ralphs California Half Ironman

OCEANSIDE, Calif.-Two-time Ironman New Zealand champion Cameron Brown will join an outstanding field competing at the Ralphs California Half Ironman triathlon taking place on May 19 in the city of Oceanside. Brown has continued to place himself at the forefront of his homeland race, winning Ironman New Zealand the past two years, and finishing second the two years before that.         

The 30-year-old also posted his best finish at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii in 2001, placing second. Brown has also finished third at the Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon twice. A leg injury hampered the Kiwi in 1999, while a flat tire in transition cost him in 2000.

Brown joins a menıs field which features three Ironman World Champions (Peter Reid, Luc van Lierde and Tim DeBoom) as well as Ironman standouts Steve Larsen, Craig Walton and Chris Legh. General entry into the Ralphs California Half Ironman at Oceanside ends on April 30

Ironman New Zealand on ESPN2 on Sunday, May 5

Listing: ESPN2, Sunday, May 5, Noon to 1:00 P.M. (EST). Ironman New Zealand Triathlon, 60 minutes taped. Commentator: Phil Liggett. On-camera expert: Greg Welch, 1994 Ironman Triathlon world champion.  

Beautiful Lake Taupo, New Zealand, plays host to the second of five Ironman Triathlon events being broadcast on ESPN2 this year. At the heart of the broadcast is the exhilarating series of lead changes throughout the 140.6-mile course that had record breaking crowds celebrating the triumph of hometown favorites achieving double Ironman titles.

An international field of more than 1000 triathletes from 39 countries was the largest field to date. Thousands of spectators withstood the unpredictable autumn weather to witness the 18^th running of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship's oldest qualifying event.

Kiwi Cameron Brown continued his great year of Ironman racing by defending his 2001 title, recording a time of 8:32:54. Brown jumped onto the international stage last year, first by winning in New Zealand and then with a surprising runner-up finish at the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii last October. Close behind was Sweden's Jonas Colting finishing in 8:36:15, followed by Canadian Garrett MacFayden in 8:40:52. The top American finisher was Texan James Bonney, who led briefly during the cycle, eventually finishing fifth in 8:43:50.

In the women's race, New Zealanders made a clean sweep of the top three spots for the first time in the event's history. Three-time runner-up Karyn Ballance finally seized the top spot, overcoming a 10-minute deficit after the swim to finish in 9:27:33. JoAnna Lawn finished in second place with 9:31:08, while Lynley Allison took third in 9:34:46. This was Allison's first pro race after winning her age group at the Hawaii championship last October. American Wendy Ingraham placed fourth, crossing the line in 9:49:22.

Broadcasts of Ironman Triathlon events have aired on ESPN since 1996. Each year, more than 50,000 athletes from around the world vie for one of 1,500 coveted starting spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship at races like Ironman New Zealand. A total of 23 qualifying events for the October 19 championship, being held in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, are held in North and South America, Europe and the Pacific Rim.

Broadcast times and dates are subject to change. Viewers should check their local listings for exact dates and times in their area.