NHL Hall-of Famer Pat LaFontaine completes
the 2005 Ford Ironman Lake Placid Triathlon
By: Shane Facteau
LAKE PLACID, NY, July 25, 2005 - National Hockey
League Hall of Fame member Pat LaFontaine can't
seem to get enough Ironman racing. After
finishing the 2004 Ford Ironman Florida event in
13:06:49 and raising more than $40,000 for his
Companions in Courage charity through the Janus
Charity Challenge, he entered the Ford Ironman
USA Lake Placid on July 24th.
Considered one of the most grueling events in
all of sports, an Ironman Triathlon consists of
a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a complete
marathon (26.2 miles) all run in succession.
Athletes have 17 hours to complete the event.
LaFontaine, who finished the Lake Placid event
in 13:45:04, was using the event as a tune-up
for the 2005 Ford Ironman Florida Triathlon
scheduled for November 5th in Panama City, FL.
He partnered with Bob DeAngelo of (Greenwich,
CT) through most of the event through the
Adirondacks. DeAngelo developed significant back
strain during the bicycle segment and had to
withdraw at the midpoint of the run. LaFontaine
pressed on and finished in the top 50 percent of
all participants in the run.
He said, "The event is so organized that it's a
pleasure to participate in. The last leg of the
bicycle took its toll on many participants
because the last 15 miles was uphill and into a
steady wind. When my teammate had to pull out of
the event. I just hooked up with some other
runners, and I finished with them."
LaFontaine was particularly impressed by the
quality of athletes participating in Ironman.
"Without question, these are the finest athletes
in sports. Ironmen (and women) don't get
anywhere near the credit they deserve," he said.
Tony Delogne (Dedham, MA) was first to cross the
finish line at the 2005 Ford Ironman USA Lake
Placid event with an overall time of 8:56:11.
Delogne's first-place finish was the first of
his triathlon career. Heather Fuhr (Canada)
claimed her fifth women's title in seven years
in Lake Placid. Fuhr used an impressive run time
of 3:09:11 to finish with an overall time of
9:45:06. Fuhr is currently second all-time on
the Ironman victory list, having claimed 14
Ironman titles in her career.
Triathletes from around the world competed at
the 2005 Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid. Athletes
were competing for 80 qualifying spots to the
Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona,
Hawaii, as well as a $50,000 women's pro prize
purse.
For more information on the Ironman North
America Triathlons, log onto
www.ironmannorthamerica.com
There were 1,997 athletes competing in the
Ironman Lake Placid triathlon, one of only five
Ironman events in the continental United States.
There were 145 participants who succumbed to the
heat, the hills, damaged equipment or personal
injury and were unable to complete the event.
LaFontaine is one of the top U.S.-born hockey
players to ever compete in the National Hockey
League, being named to the NHL All-Star team six
times during his career with the New York
Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers.
Forced to retire at only the age of 31 due to
recurring concussions, LaFontaine was elected to
the NHL Hall of Fame in 2003.
The Hall of Famer will compete in Florida in an
effort to raise money for his charity. The goal
of his Companions in Courage is to build
interactive playrooms in children's hospitals
throughout North America. Through innovative
communications tools, these playrooms will
replace the isolation of a hospital with a
connection to family, friends and celebrities
during their hospital stay. For more
information, visit www.CiC16.org.
Pat LaFontaine's Race Splits at the 2005 Ironman
Lake Placid Triathlon were:
Swim (2.4 miles) - 1:22:59
Bike (112 miles) - 7:09:54
Run (26.2 miles) - 4:52:06
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