Colorado’s Rob Gray remains in the lead after Day 2 of the Ultraman World Championship.
Gray started Stage 2 in the early morning Saturday, which featured a 171.4-mile bike ride. The ride started in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and continued to Keaau. Athletes then turned east with a counter-clockwise loop through Kalapana, Kapoho and Pahoa, before moving on through Hilo.
From Hilo, the route continued north along the Hamakua Coast to Waimea, and over the Kohala Mountains via Route 250, finishing at Kamehameha Park in Kapa’au.
Gray crossed the finish line in a Day 2 time of 7 hours, 50 minutes and 21 seconds. His total time of 15:20:15 edges out France’s Arnaud Selukov (15:44:45) by a little over 14 minutes.
Selukov will try to make up the ground in stage 3 today, which will be a a 52.4-mile double marathon from Hawi to Kailua-Kona, finishing at Old Airport Park.
Selukov is competing in his second Ultraman World Championship and likes the events for their the challenge.
If challenge is what he likes then he has plenty of it in Gray, who is competing in his third Ultraman World Championship.
In the women’s division, Germany’s Steffi Steinberg has a dominating lead over the field after finishing stage 2 in a time of 8:56:41. She sits in 12th place overall with a time of 18:15:23. The battle for second place is close, with Texas’ Meredith Terranova (21:09:34) holding just over a one-minute lead on Texas’ Fiona Siemelink (21:10:43).