Four local triathletes qualify for Hawaii Ironman

The Daily Inter Lake

Four area triathletes have qualified for the Hawaii Ironman, the world championships for the Ironman, in Kona, Hawaii, Oct. 15, based on their performances Sunday in Coeur d'Alene at the Coeur d'Alena Ironman.

They are: Matt Seeley of Polson; Scott Gaiser of Kalispell; Chris Williams of Kalispell; and Robert Foley of Whitefish.

Top eight finishers in all age groups in Coeur d'Alene qualified for the Hawaii Ironman. In the pro division, the top four advanced.

The triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run.

Seeley, 34, competing in the pro division, finished with an overall time of 8 hours, 37 minutes and 27 seconds (51:54 swim, 4:47:26 bike and 2:54:50 run).

The overall winning time was 8:23:29 by Viktor Zyemtsev.

Williams, 26, placed fourth in the 25-29 division with a time of 9:41:26 (53:34, 5:12:49, 3:29:48). He was 28th overall out of 2,000-plus competitors.

Benjamin Schloebel had the winning time in that age bracket, 9:25:49.

Gaiser, 43, competing in the 40-44 age bracket, placed seventh in 9:56:03 (1:01:49, 5:19:38, 3:28:23).

Foley, 40, finished one spot behind Gaiser in 10:05:11 (56:20, 5:15:52, 3:44:27).

Albert Boyce had the winning time in that age bracket, 9:28:52.