Courtesy of Ironman North America. By Shane Facteau

MADISON, Wisc.-Dave Harju (Canada) and Nicole DeBoom (Lyons, Colo.) won the men's and women's title respectively at the 2004 Ironman Wisconsin triathlon held Sunday in Madison and surrounding Dane County.

Harju used a strong swim and the fastest bike time of the day (four hours, 49 minutes and two seconds) to post his second consecutive victory in Madison.

The 36-year-old Canadian held off a strong charge by Petr Vabrousek (Czech Republic) to claim the overall crown. Vabrousek was able to whittle 10 minutes off of Harju's lead on the run, but couldn't overtake the Canadian, settling for a second-place finish with an overall time of 8:55:41. The 31-year-old Czech posted the fastest run time of the day with a marathon time of 2:54:54

Portugal's Sergio Marques finished third overall in 9:00:31, with Alexander Fruehwirth (Austria) fourth in 9:04:27 and Thomas Brunold (Madison, Wisc.) fifth in 9:12:29. Brunold was the fastest amateur finisher, as well as the top local finisher at the event.

DeBoom, who was one of the pre-race favorites entering the event, used an overall consistent day to post the first Ironman win of her career.

The 32-year-old posted, who is the wife of two-time Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom, posted an overall time of 10:05:40, eight minutes faster than runner-up Lauren Jensen (New Berlin, Wisc.)

Andrea Fisher (Austin, Texas) led the event after the bike portion of the event, but was overtaken on the run by DeBoom and Jensen to finish third overall with a time of 10:20:09.

Amateur Lisa James (South Bend, Ind.) finished fourth overall among women in 10:31:12, while Alison Hayden (Dade City, Fla.) was fifth in 10:43:29. James was the highest amateur female finisher on the day.

The 2004 Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon, which took place for the third time in Madison, featured 2,188 athletes, the largest Ironman event ever held in North America. The total topped the 2,172 athletes featured at Subaru Ironman Canada in Penticton, British Columbia, held only two weeks ago.

Ironman Triathlon features a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a complete marathon all run in succession. Athletes have 17 hours (from 7 a.m. to midnight) to complete the event. There are currently 17 Ironman events around the world, including five in the continental United States.

Athletes were competing for 80 qualifying spots to the 2005 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii as well as a $25,000 pro prize purse. Harju and DeBoom each earned $5,000 for their winning efforts.

For more information, check out, www.ironmanwisconsin.com.

Results from the 2004 Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon Madison, Wisconsin Sunday, September 12, 2004

Top Ten

Men 1. Dave Harju, Canada, 8:52:33 2. Petr Vabrousek, Czech Republic, 8:55:41 3. Sergio Marques, Portugal, 9:00:31 4. Alexander Fruehwirth, Austria, 9:04:27 5. Thomas Brunold, Madison, Wisc., 9:12:29 6. Chris McDonald, New Zealand, 9:14:18 7. Chuckie Veylupek, Boulder, Colo., 9:18:03 8. Eric Schwartz, Boulder, Colo., 9:19:17 9. Bernd Eichhorn, Germany, 9:28:00 10. Christopher Peeters, Colorado Springs, Colo., 9:35:28

Women 1. Nicole DeBoom, Lyons, Colo., 10:05:40 2. Lauren Jensen, New Berlin, Wisc., 10:13:28 3. Andrea Fisher, Austin, Texas, 10:20:09 4. Lisa James, South Bend, Ind., 10:31:12 5. Alison Hayden, Dade City, Fla., 10:43:25 6. Claudia Hille, Germany, 10:45:27 7. Gabriela Loskotova, Czech Republic, 10:48:28 8. Melinda Silbernick, Plymouth, Minn., 10:49:17 9. Isabelle Gagnon, Canada, 10:53:32 10. Ann Terlaak, Madison, Wisc., 10:57:25