Where waas Kiuru and Dietrich??
John Winter
where the heck was Pauli Kiuru and Wolfgang Dietrich???
QRman
Vaatainen) writes:
<<In the interview on finnish TV he was agentleman and did not blame
anyone. His coach Seppo Nuuttila took all the responsibility. Between the
lines I concluded that there were two reasons to this bad luck. First,
something went wrong in high altitude training in the mountains, and
second, Pauli missed his food bag in the half way of cycling leg.>>
I think the reason Seppo took the blame was because all three of his
athletes, Pauli, Teemu Vesala, and Oliver Bernhart, finished badly. I
don't think it was a problem training at altitude, as Pauli trained in
Flagstaff last year before the race and did very well. Oliver and Teemu
both did Ironman races between six and eight weeks before the race (both
winning), which may explain why their races in Kona were sub-par. Also,
if Seppo is taking credit he must take credit for those wins.
There were many somewhat mysterious bad performances like Pauli's. It has
led some in Hawaii this year toward speculation not unlike that after
Canada. I have heard more than once that Staph levels in Hawaii's water
are extremely high, maybe do to runoff from pasture lands, and a nice
living environment in the coral offshore. The pros get to Hawaii at least
a week before and swims in the water every day until the race. It would
be interesting to know the white blood cell counts of Pauli, Tinley, and a
few others.
I don't mean to start a rumor, this is just idle speculation. Maybe
Jenky wants to jump in here.
QRman
Marc Lee
Wolfgang Dietrich had a staph infection in a knee which may have been
the result of swimming in the ocean shortly after getting a cortisone
injection. Anyway, he had a disagreement with the medical facility in
San Diego on his treatment, and returned to Germany before Ironman.
Marc Lee
HP San Diego
ma...@hpsanaeo.nsr.hp.com
Baringo
don't mean to start a rumor, this is just idle speculation. >>>>>
Uh, may I add that both Tim DeBoom and Tony DeBoom, who were staying in
the headquarters hotel, came down sick two nights and one night,
respectively, before the race. (As for if they were sharing a room or in
adjoining rooms, I don't know ... remember the IMC thread? ... which, I
think, was discounted by those who are in a position to surmise about
these things). A reliable person told me that one of the maids told him
that a few others in the hotel had fallen ill, too. Nor do I mean to
start any rumors, either, but the DeBooms were rarin' and ready to go,
only for something strange like this to occur ...
Timothy Gotsick
other locations around the island every day prior to the race. I
feel fine now, felt fine (considering) during the race, and
immediately afterwards.
Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean jack, but it does add a
data point. Although it was my first Ironman, it seems to me that
it is very hard to guess why anybody dropped out or went slower
than they'd expected without a really intimate knowledge of their
situation. It's easy to forget how incredibly long and taxing
the Ironman is, and I think a lot of people approach it as a race
against others before they approach it as a challenge to themselves.
That, it seems to me, is a quick way to get in over your head.
Timothy
--
Timothy Gotsick
got...@neon.chem.utk.edu
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QRman
Gotsick) writes:
<<I was in the King K for a week. I swam both near the pier and at
other locations around the island every day prior to the race. I
feel fine now, felt fine (considering) during the race, and
immediately afterwards.>>
As did I, my wife, Paula, Welch, and so on. No problems with us. Most
everyone swam in the ocean before the race, and only a certain number, a
considerably smaller number, felt crappy.
I have no idea if the water caused any problems with anyone. It just
seemed to be a year where there were a higher number of complaints of "no
energy available" on the course. It could be my imagination, it could be
that it just happenned to some high profile athletes in a higher % than in
other years.
QRman
Seppo Vaatainen
He walked 16 km in the marathon. In the interview on finnish TV he was a
gentleman and did not blame anyone. His coach Seppo Nuuttila took all the
responsibility. Between the lines I concluded that there were two reasons to
this bad luck. First, something went wrong in high altitude training in the
mountains, and second, Pauli missed his food bag in the half way of cycling
leg.
Seppo Vaatainen
Jyri Seppo Manninen
: I've read all the results from the ironman. What I'm still wondering is
: where the heck was Pauli Kiuru and Wolfgang Dietrich???
To answer your questions: Firstly, Dittrich did not race at all due to
a knee injury (as was reported somewhere).
The story with Kiuru was that he blew up completely on the run, and was
forced to run / walk / run most of the way. He finished in a time of about
10h02min which was a position of apprx. 250. He was 3 minutes down on the swim,
and 11 minutes down after the bike. The reasons for his problems are many
and they have been discussed no end in the Finnish press lately. The main
reason, according to Kiuru's coach Seppo "Nitti" Nuuttila, was that their
last altitude training camp was timed to close to the race. Everything went
well in training and the test results showed improvement from the previous
year, however, Kiuru (and his fellow team mates) did not have enough time
to recover. That is to say, they would have needed about one more week of
recovery time. Nuuttila said it was evident during / after the swim that all
was not OK, and it was all downhill from there. Possibly, Kiuru could have
still made the top 10, but apparently, he did not get his food supply bag
during the bike leg (i think that was at the turnaround). Kiuru himself said
that while that wasn't the main reason for his poor performance, it was the
proverbial "last nail in the coffin" for his chances at KONA that day. He was
forced to eat energy bars, which he said were full of sugar and his stomach
just couldn't take it and he felt bloated and had no energy. The theory that
the timing of the altitude training caused the problems receives added
strength from the fact that Teemu Vesala, the other of Nuuttila's Finns, was
"only" 28th and according to him, his racing was also "tired" right from the
beginning. The 3rd of Nuuttila's triathletes, Oliver Bernhard didn't even
make the finish, dropping out at about half way into the marathon.
I guess these things happen when your racing at your limits, but it was a
real shame for Kiuru who has consistently improved his performances at KONA
during the last 8 years. Despite his poor showing this time around, he was
still in the best shape of his life, unfortunately, not on the day. That's
life.
When asked about coming to Hawaii next year, he said he wasn't sure at this
stage. He said that 8 years in a row was alot, especially when Hawaii was
always the main goal. He is considering doing the German Ironman next year
as his main race, so that in effect, his racing season would finish there.
That way he could omit the 1995 Hawaii IM from his programme for that year,
relax abit and start afresh already in September for the 1996 IM. Usually he
begins his training season in November. Also, he said that the break would be
mentally refreshing (shades of Mark Allen?). But, as mentioned, this is only
what he is considering, but he won't make any firm decisions till the effects
and "depression" of his failed race are behind him.
Hope that gives you guys on the net something to talk about. Just hope the
Finnish press don't get stuck into him as they have a habit of doing with
their "fallen" sports heroes.
Have a good one!
Jyri Manninen
Jyvaskyla, Finland.
j...@miller.cs.saic.com
>these things). A reliable person told me that one of the maids told him
>that a few others in the hotel had fallen ill, too. Nor do I mean to
>start any rumors, either, but the DeBooms were rarin' and ready to go,
>only for something strange like this to occur ...
Definitely unfortunate occurrences, but probably jumping the gun a bit to
categorize a few people getting sick as a 'strange' occurrence. From what
I understand, there is a fine line between being in peak condition and being
susceptible to illness. It's quite possible these people got too close to
that line. Also, several people here at work have been fighting colds so
I would guess it's that time of the year again. Combine that with a minimum
five hour flight to Kona in a cold airplane in cramped quarters, then
getting off into very hot weather, and then back into an air-conditioned hotel.
All those factors plus nervousness about the race could stress the immune
system. I assume the DeBooms spend a lot of time together so it's not
surprising that they would both get sick around the same time.
Jim Miller __o o j...@miller.cs.saic.com
_ \<_ <\
___/\o__ ( )/( ) / >
JJSJ
>>>I've read all the results from the ironman. What I'm still wondering is
: where the heck was Pauli Kiuru<<< etc. etc etc...
Isn't it possible that Kiuru just had a bad 1994 Ironman, plain and
simple. There can be 10000s of reasons.
(But I guess this topic makes for good discussion, trying to figure it
out.)
If he *wants* to, no doubt, this guy will be back next year or the year
after or in five years, and be a major contender.