About the author:

Medur is our go-to person for many of the essential tasks involved in putting on our races: race setup, our lap counting system and our website. An enthusiastic runner himself, he has participated in many editions of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run in Canada and the US.

Lessing, Bentley Take Half Ironman Florida

By Jay Prasuhn

It was as much a surprise to her as anyone else, but when Lisa Bentley got off the bike in second place at the inaugural Florida Half Ironman at Walt Disney World, she was as surprised as the rest the deep field."You know, I haven't have good training leading up to thisâ€”at least I didn't think I did," Bentley said. It was more than good. Against one of the deepest fields of the year, Bentley's 2:28 bike was third-best on the day. Combined with a trademark run, her day-best 1:21 half marathon cemented a four-minute victory in Orlando, in 4:22:04.

Another question was answered Sunday: could Great Britian's Simon Lessing manage the step-up from short-course to long-course? His last attempt at the distance was in 1995 when he won the Nice Long Course World Championships.

He answered it confidently. Against a smashing 2:02 bike effort by Sweden's Bjorn Andersson and a no-less-impressive 2:07 effort by American Chris Lieto, Lessing sent forth a balanced effort that saw him bide his time on the bike, then stride past the two strong bikers on the half-marathon to win in 3:52:02.

The women's race began with Boulder's Monica Caplan tearing out of the 1.2-mile swim in 26:08. But her lead would be short-lived, as she fell victim to an uncharacteristicly flat day. Several other top hopefuls, including reigning Hawaii Ironman World Champion Lori Bowden, fellow Canadian Melissa Spooner and New Zealander Lyndley Allison, quickly fell off contending bike pace.

Driving that pace was Austin's Andrea Fisher. Out of the water on Caplan's feet, she was able to keep the pace up throughout the bike, extending to nearly a two-minute lead over a pursuing Gollnick and Bentley.

But the runners were coming. Or rather, they were already there. Bentley surprised by passing Gollnick late in the bike to start the run in second position just two minutes back.

In her element, run specialist Bentley pressed on to take the lead from Fisher just a few miles into the run, cruising in for the win. Gollnick faded off Bentley's pace but still have a substantial advantage over the balance of the field to take second.

Surprising was the third-place result by Canadian Heather Fuhr. Off the bike in 12th place, she took flight with a 1:21:37 half marathon to pass eight women and earn a place on the podium. Nearby Tampa pro Lara Shaw, passed in the last half mile by Fuhr, took fourth.

The men's race saw Andersson, a growing bike phenom after a third-place finish at Ironman New Zealand this year, blast off to take the immediate solo bike lead. The only man to stay relatively close was reigning U.S. National Champion Lieto, two minutes back early in the bike.

Behind, a group including several heavy hittersâ€”Aussie Luke Bell, New Zealander Cameron Brown, German Uwe Widmann, Ukranian Victor Zyemtsev, Britan Spencer Smith and American Michael Lovatoâ€”gave chase a further two minutes behind Lieto.

But as the chase wore on (driven by occasional Boulder training partners Lessing and Lovato), the all-star group thinned out. Brown and Bell, experiencing flat days, fell off pace (with Bell dropping out), and Smith being assessed an unknown standdown penalty that took him from the closely-monitored chase group at the 40-mile mark of the bike. Playing his only card, Andersson rolled into T2 with a four-plus-minute buffer on Lieto and eight minutes on Lovato and Lessing, hoping it would be enough. As the run wound through Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course, the 90-degree F temperatures combined with a rolling cement cart path wore the Swede down.

Behind, Lieto closed on Andersson, while Lessing, with Lovato in tow, closed on Lieto. In a leapfrog, Lieto assumed a short-lived lead, as Lessing, with his long stride, took the race reigns with from Lieto with just over two miles left in the race.

Lessing extended to a five-plus minute win over Lieto, while Lovato pushed past Andersson to take the final podium spot from the intrepid Swede. German Uwe Widmann held off Kiwi Brown to take fifth.

2004 Florida Half Ironman

May 23, 2004, Orlando, Florida

1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men

1. Simon Lessing (GBR) 25:10 2:11:03 1:13:21 3:52:02

2. Chris Lieto (USA) 25:42 2:07:01 1:19:04 2:54:19

3. Michael Lovato (USA) 25:45 2:10:38 1:16:26 3:55:06

4. Bjorn Anderssen (SWE) 25:24 2:02:43 1:23:59 3:55:23

5. Uwe Widmann (GER) 26:21 2:10:41 1:17:28 3:56:39

6. Cameron Brown (NZL) 25:43 2:12:43 1:17:11 3:57:51

7. Victor Zyemtsev (UKR) 26:02 2:12:31 1:20:28 4:01:10

8. Spencer Smith (GBR) 25:39 2:20:00 1:14:19 4:02:14

9. Matt Seeley (USA) 28:32 2:11:43 1:19:49 4:02:34

10. Swen Sunberg (GER) 28:30 2:11:56 1:21:00 4:03:39

Women

1. Lisa Bentley (CAN) 29:50 2:28:16 1:21:29 4:22:04

2. Heather Gollnick (USA) 28:49 2:29:20 1:25:40 4:26:10

3. Heather Fuhr (CAN) 30:53 2:32:30 1:21:37 4:27:41

4. Lara Shaw (USA) 33:28 2:26:15 1:25:38 4:28:00

5. Andrea Fisher (USA) 26:12 2:26:04 1:33:30 4:28:49

6. Katja Schumacher (GER) 28:43 2:33:27 1:26:08 4:31:17

7. Kim Loeffler (USA) 33:30 2:32:27 1:22:27 4:31:35

8. Lauren Jensen (USA) 28:45 2:30:05 1:22:27 4:32:44

9. Amanda Gillam (USA) 31:41 2:31:28 1:30:08 4:36:16

10. Ute Mueckel (GER) 27:50 2:31:57 1:35:25 4:37:47

Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team articles - more articles

About the author:

Rupantar has been the race director of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team since 1985, having been asked by Sri Chinmoy to serve in that capacity. As well as working on the big races the US Marathon Team organise each year - the 3100 Mile Race and the Six and 10 Day Race - he also spends a considerable amount of time archiving the Marathon Team's 40 year history on this website.

Toulouse, France, October 29: Samunnati Nataliya Lehonkova of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team won the female open division of the Toulouse International Marathon in France on October 29th. Amidst extreme weather conditions including a temperature of 3 degrees Celsius, she set a new personal best in a time of 2.38:22. In a race of over 3,000 runners, she was 16th overall.

Samunnati hails from Ukraine and is the fastest female runner in the international Sri Chinmoy Centres. Earlier this year she won the marathon in Edinburgh, Scotland. When running she tries to invoke spiritual energy to help her in the race. Samunnati says she is inspired by Sri Chinmoy’s deep love of running.

The above article was taken from

More information on the marathon including results...

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Sri Chinmoy opened the V World Veteran's Track & Field Games, San Juan, Puerto Rico, at Hiram Bithorn Stadium with a silent meditation. Over 2000 masters athletes from 47 countries competed in the event. He also wrote the Games' official anthem, as well as competing in the Games. Sri Chinmoy met with many of the veteran athletes, including his friend, Payton Jordan:

"Payton Jordan." (Press Release). Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, New York: "You don't retire; you just step in another direction and do new, exciting things, face new challenges and new opportunities."...Payton Jordan

Payton Jordan, recently retired as Stanford U's track and field coach, finally took part in his first Olympic competition. He joined 2000 other athletes from 47 countries at the V World Masters Games, held in Puerto Rico in September. When he left, it was with a gold medal and a new world record in the 100 meter sprint (12.73); plus silver medals in the 200 meter and 400 meter events.

Jordan was, in his youth, one of America's legendary sprinters, with his athletic portrait appearing as the cover of Life Magazine. He missed the World Olympics his first time around when the 1940 games were canceled because of the War, but in 1941 at a club championship in Jamaica, WI, he established a new world record when he ran 9.5 on grass in the 100 meters. He retired from sprinting shortly after this and began an equally legendary career as a coach. During his 25 years as Stanford U's track coach, he also trained several US Olympic teams and served as meet director for the historic 1962 US-Soviet Union dual meet at Standard U.

At the age of 55 Jordan began running again, taking part in the growing Masters Athletics program. "Youth isn't the only vital thing in this world," he says. "Older people should be dynamic, too, because when we lose that, we lose a lot of the things that are very much a part of being alive in this big world of ours."

By 1982 Jordan had set over 26 age group world records. Never able to shake free from his other love, coaching, he has been responsible for coaching out of retirement a number of his own former Olympic students such as 400-hurdler Josh Culbreath and triple-jump champion Ira Davis.

In fact, a significant number of athletes at the Masters Olympics were taking part as a result of Jordan's encouragement. These included not only medal-winning champions such as Culbreath and Davis but also friends such as Dr. Bill Fairbank, age 65, a renowned physicist from Stanford U; and United Nations meditation leader Sri Chinmoy, age 52. Sri Chinmoy, a medal-winning sprinter during his youth in India, took part in the Olympic sprints and also conducted the Games' opening meditation.

Describing the gratitude Jordan's masters students feel for his training and encouragement, Sri Chinmoy told the champion, "Indeed, you are a river flowing continuously and carrying all those who want to swim towards the sea."

"Sometimes the world looks upon the first-place man as the only winner," Jordan replied. "I believe everybody who takes part is the winner.

"At 51, Josh Culbreath Takes to the Olympic Hurdles the Second Time Around." The New York Voice, Saturday, October 22, 1983.

"At age 51, 400-meter hurdler Josh Culbreath has triumphed over four major auto accidents and a bout with the bottle to win his second Olympic bronze medal.

Culbreath won his first bronze medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics: his second came at the recent 1983 World Masters Olympics, held in Puerto Rico. The Games were attended by over 2000 men and women from 47 countries and included over 20 former world Olympians.

'It's a miracle Josh is running at all,' said his former world Olympics coach, the current masters 100 meter world record holder Payton Jordan. 'He's walking around with a 3" metal tube in his lungs and 2" missing from his left hip that they took to repair a paralysis in his spine. He's a true champion in all ways!'

Culbreath himself tells of his steel-willed determination in over-coming the paralysis of his left side that saw him working endless hours relearning how to walk. Pain led to a bout with the bottle, and by the late 1970s he had ballooned from 145 pounds to 180 pounds. Then he read an article on Jordan's success in masters running...

'I solidly back the Masters competitions every chance I can,' Culbreath said. 'The competition gives encouragement, motivation and inspiration to the older runner. It gives longevity to their lives. It gives hope to the younger athletes, too; they see they'll have an avenue for competition as they get older.'

Sri Chinmoy, the masters athlete who conducted the opening meditation at the Olympics, supported and expanded on Culbreath's views. 'The Masters Games are most significant,' he said. 'Look how athletes such as Josh are helping and encouraging each other. Such joy they are both giving and receiving!

'These athletes,' he continued, 'have learned through years of often painful experience that true happiness comes from transcending their own previous limits, and this does not preclude helping others do their best as well...'

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