Ironman New Zealand
Taupo, New Zealand
Saturday, Mar 5, 2005
2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run

Women
1. Jo Lawn NZL 9:30:14
2. Monica Caplan USA 9:46:07
3. Claire Murray HKG 9:59:06
4. Jess Draskau-Petersson GBR 10:00:46
5. Naomi Imaizumi JAP 10:23:42
6. Vicki Jones NZL 10:28:54
7. Mamiko Suzuki - JAP 10:29:28
8. Dayna Davidson AUS 10:35:44
9. Miranda Stacey NZL 10:38:32
10. Fleur Bromley NZL 10:51:57

Men
1 Cameron BROWN - NZL 46:24:00 4:40:47 2:48:28 1 8:20:15 ProM
2. Gordo BYRN - NZL 50:12:00 4:52:32 2:52:29 2 8:39:52 ProM
3. Bryan RHODES - NZL 46:18:00 4:55:53 2:55:53 3 8:42:01 ProM
4. Gael MAINARD - FRA 46:27:00 4:50:52 3:04:04 4 8:45:58 ProM
5. Chris MCDONALD - NZL 52:38:00 4:49:55 2:59:38 5 8:46:45 ProM
6. Kieran DOE - NZL 46:18:00 4:40:34 3:16:29 6 8:47:38 ProM
7. John VAN WISSE - AUS 46:19:00 4:50:33 3:09:59 7 8:51:02 ProM
8. Brent LORENZEN - USA 49:35:00 4:52:46 3:07:53 8 8:55:00 ProM
9. Stephen SHELDRAKE - NZL 46:17:00 4:41:55 3:25:31 9 8:58:30 ProM
10. John NEWSOM - NZL 49:39:00 4:58:08 3:11:59 10 9:04:30 ProM
11. Brent SHELDRAKE - NZL 49:36:00 4:54:34 3:15:29 11 9:04:42 ProM

Kiwis Cameron Brown and Jo Lawn rewrote the record books at the Bonita Ironman New Zealand triathlon in Taupo today. While Brown became the New Zealand event's most successful triathlete in winning five in a row, Lawn became the first female to win it three times, both records previously held by former Kiwi great Erin Baker.

Brown broke his own race record, set last year, when he finished in 8:20:15, nearly 20 minutes ahead of Canadian Gordo Byrn with local Bryan Rhodes taking third. Brown backed up a solid swim with his top showing to date on the cycle in the Taupo race, coming into the bike to run transition just 30 seconds behind fellow Kiwi Kieran Doe who he ran down within the first minutes of the run.

Brown put together his best combination to win the event, saying he had “a great day”.

Now looking forward to Ironman Germany and Kona in Hawaii, Brown said he would take a lot of confidence from today's victory as he looked to win overseas. “This is fantastic … I've been dreaming of this race for a long time,” he said of his Taupo achievement. Auckland's Brent Foster again led out of the water but was quickly swallowed up by Doe and Swede Bjorn Andersson, who withdrew on the run after ``blowing up'' late on the bike.

In the women's race Lawn looked strong all day although she said she found it tough going at times. She came out of the water behind Monica Caplan, who shaved three minutes off the race record in 46:30 and then led the cycle leg until she was overtaken by Lawn around the 140km mark. By the end of the cycle, Lawn had a lead of about seven minutes on Caplan and built on that to beat the American by 16 minutes.

Lawn said she didn't at any stage think she had the race in the bag, knowing that anything could go wrong, but she was rapt to take it out for a third time. “It's an amazing thing to achieve but it was a really hard day,” she said. Lawn will have little time to relax and enjoy the milestone with Ironman Australia in five weeks. It will be the first time she has backed up with another major event so soon after New Zealand.Both she and Brown will compete at Kona in Hawaii later in the year.