By MICAH LEWTER
By MICAH LEWTER
Stephens Media
Talk to people involved in this weekend’s Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, and one topic invariably comes up.
Lance Armstrong.
The seven-time Tour de France winner will seek to re-establish himself as an Ironman professional after his bicycling career came to an end in 2011.
Stephens Media could not reach Armstrong by press time, but other participants were eager and willing to talk about him.
“I never imagined I’d be at the same starting line as Lance Armstrong,” said Kealakekua’s Rani Tanimoto, a regular participant in an event Big Islanders call Honu. “It’s going to be exciting all the way around.”
Tanimoto’s husband, Penn Henderson, shared the excitement over Armstrong’s participation.
“Of course, the whole Lance Armstrong thing is going to create a lot of excitement,” Henderson said. “It’s the biggest Honu race we’ve had around here.
“If you just look at all the races he’s done so far this year, it seems like a media frenzy. I’m sure it won’t be any different on Saturday.”
Armstrong won his most recent triathlon, Ironman 70.3 Florida on May 20. He finished the race in 3 hours, 45 minutes, 38 seconds. He wants to qualify for the Ford Ironman World Championship, set for Oct. 13 in Kailua-Kona.
Obviously, Armstrong is strong on the bicycle, but Henderson thinks his advantage this weekend might not be as large as everyone may expect. Henderson said Chris Lieto, last year’s runner-up, is nearly on par with Armstrong on the bike.
“Chris lives out here,” Henderson said. “He’s put a lot of miles on that road. They’re going to be real close.
“I don’t think either one will ride away from the other. They will push each other to go faster than they normally go.”
Lieto, a resident of California, makes the Big Island his part-time home. But Armstrong has been on the island a while, working out and getting to used to the surroundings.
“I’ve seen him here and there, running, swimming, cycling,” Henderson said. “It’s kind of cool to have him here in our backyard.”
But Henderson, the top Big Island male finisher in the 2011 event, doesn’t expect Armstrong’s presence to have any real impact on his own race. He just wants to improve on his 14th-place overall finish from a year ago, when he completed the race in 4:22:42.
“I feel great going into this race, better than last year,” Henderson said. “Training’s been going awesome. I feel great — no injuries.
“You never know what will happen on race day. But I feel prepared, and right now, kind of enjoying it.”
Henderson’s quest to improve his time gets harder every year, and he promises to have a different approach this time.
“Last year, I had a really good race,” Henderson said. “Going to outdo myself from last year will be tough. I will have to take some calculated risks on the bike. My run is a lot stronger.
“Once your times start getting faster and faster, you have to take a little more risks with your pacing to get to another level.”
For his wife, though, this year’s race is not about improving her time.
A bike accident last September prevented her from riding until January.
“I’m trying to get back into things,” Tanimoto said. “It’s not really about the time. It’s how I feel out there. If I feel good during the swim, bike and run, that’s a win for me.”
Tanimoto was practicing for a race on Oahu with a group of athletes when a cyclists in front of the pack went down. The domino affect caught her, and she fell, resulting in a concussion.
“I was told not to ride, in case I would fall again,” Tanimoto said. “It wouldn’t be good to have a bruise upon a pretty bad bruise. I truly enjoy the privilege of being able to swim, bike and run. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things.”
The defending women’s champion, Kailua-Kona’s Bree Wee, also returns for this year’s event. Her 2011 win was her first in a half-Ironman. She is one of 12 professional women registered in this year’s event.
Ironman 70.3 Hawaii
When: 7 a.m. Saturday
What: 1.2-mile swim at Hapuna Beach State Park; 56-mile bike ride, traveling north to Hawi on Queen Kaahumanu Highway before turning around and heading to the Fairmont Orchid Hawaii; 13.1-mile run through Fairmont Orchid grounds.