Longest running full distance race contested in continental US
The 27th annual Ironman Vineman triathlon will be renewed on Saturday, July 30, providing the ultimate endurance test for the top professionals and an estimated 1,800 age-group athletes.
The oldest full distance triathlon held in the continental United States, the race kicks off at dawn at Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville with a 2.4-mile swim, continues with a 112-mile bike ride through the wine country of Sonoma County and concludes with a 26.2-mile marathon, finishing at Windsor High School.
The swim segment features one of the most rustic venues in the sport, followed by a bike ride through the Russian River, Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Chalk Hill grape-growing regions, an elevation climb of about 4000 feet. The marathon consists of a scenic, two-loop out and back course.
The 27th edition of the event is the first under the Ironman ownership and has some notable changes to the course, most notably to the swim and run segments. The swim has been reduced to one loop, while the run has been completely revamped and trimmed from three loops to two.
Also new to the Ironman Vineman is a change in the professional prize structure of $50,000, which will be shared among the top eight finishers. The race will also award 40 coveted qualifying slots for the 2016 Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
This year’s top professional male contenders include two-time Vineman champion Max Biessmann, fellow Americans Chris McDonald, Brandon Barrett, Thomas Gerlach, Pedro Gomes and Richie Cunningham and New Zealand’s Kyle Buckingham.
“Max Biessmann won the event in 2010 and 2014 and is now racing as a professional,” race announcer Dave Latourette reported. “He’s been given the #1 bib as a symbolic gesture to thank those who have raced the Full Vineman in its previous 26 years before the change. He’s passing the torch from the old to a new generation of what is now ‘Ironman Vineman.’”
Vying for the top spot in the women’s race are Sarah Piampiano, Mary Beth Ellis, Kate Bevilaqua and Amanda Stevens.
For more information on the race, visit the official website at www.ironman.com.
