Ironman tag well earned

How Air Force members fared
FLTLT Richard Gardiner	09:32:57
CPL Sean Bell	10:17:09
SQNLDR Brock McKinlay	10:33:39
WGDCR Colin Clarke	10:40:50
FSGT John Gilbert	10:43:22
LAC Christopher Holbert	10:45:29
FLTLT Stephen Jones	10:47:06
FLTLT Julian Weller	10:53:01
SGT Craig Ewen-Crawford	11:09:55
CPL Julia Morris-finlay	11:12:47
SGT Gavin Stitt	12:27:22
SGT Peter Macklin	12:33:34

AN IRONMAN is defined as an athlete who swims, cycles and runs a total of 226km under 15 hours 30 minutes – an average 14.6km/h.

Flight Lieutenant Richard Gardiner has proved he is a true Ironman with a strong performance in the 42km marathon at the Australian Ironman at Forster-Tuncurry on April 4.

FLTLT Gardiner clocked 9:32:57 to finish as the fourth ADF competitor and 16th in the 25-29 age group after a blistering 3:01:24 marathon. He had gone into the run a full 36 minutes behind the leaders but with the knowledge that in 2003 he had set the fastest Defence run of the day at 3:12:31. This year he staggered the Ironman by knocking an almost unbelievable 11 minutes off that time.

He was part of a 40-strong Defence team that joined some 1500 other triathletes for the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42km run. Four ADF athletes achieving podium finishes, the ADF’s best-ever result in the event.

Captain Stirling Keen’s overall performance of 9:13:19 earned him the status of 2004 ADF Ironman Champion and a place in the Australian team for the World Ironman Triathlon Championship in Hawaii in October.

Of the women competitors, Captain Christina Van Der Hulst crossed the line in 10:44:14 to secure her first ADF Ironwoman Championship and finish third overall in her age group. Corporal Julia Morris-finlay was the first ADF woman to emerge from the water but she faded in the cycling and running legs.

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