Twenty athletes this past weekend called themselves "Goofy" for running the Goofy Challenge - a half marathon on Saturday and a marathon on Sunday - as part of the Walt Disney World Marathon in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
But they all hope to be able to add the term "Ironman" to their lexicon for 2011 as they are registered for the inaugural Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas, to be held in The Woodlands, Texas on Saturday, May 21.
Eleven of the 20 already have an Ironman finish to their credit. Another six have at least a half iron distance finish in their triathlon past while three -- all from Texas -- are hoping that Cinderella will leave her glass slipper in transition for them.
The fastest female finisher this weekend -- Erin Ruyle of Georgetown, Texas -- will be looking to make a vast improvement on her debut Ironman time of 12 hours, 35 minutes and 49 seconds in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho last June.
Ruyle, 32, ran the half marathon on Saturday in 1:29:58 and the marathon the next day in 3:12:32 for a combined time of 4:43:30 -- eight minutes and 13 seconds ahead of New Orleans, Louisiana's Brittany Van Nielen.
The top two men's finishers - Ottawa, Canada's Milko Rivera and Kenner, Louisiana's Chuck Compton - posted combined times of 5:19:51 and 5:29:56, respectively.
Rivera, 39, has two career Ironman finishes, but the last one came at the 2007 Ironman Wisconsin in a time of 12:11:08, while Compton, 27, was a busy athlete last season as he posted a 14:31:19 Ironman Louisville time along with three 70.3's that were better than five hours and 48 minutes.
Glendale, Arizona's Edward Bernal likely would have had the fourth fastest combined time, but he took it easy on Saturday with a 2:47:27 half marathon.
However, Bernal, 48, was right on the money with a marathon time of 3:43:23 that was right in line with his 3:40:18 at Walt Disney World last year and followed by a 3:30:46 Boston Qualifier at the P.F. Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in Phoenix. He is also the owner of 18 Ironman finishes with two in 2010 alone. His 14:05:16 finish at this year's Ironman Arizona was his best in four years.
Floridians Nancy Griff, 46, of Lantana, and Michael Melton, 35, of Orlando both will bring Ironman finishes in 2010 to Texas. Griff, who has completed four Ironmans, went 14:12:58 last November at Ironman Florida - the place where she set her personal best in 2009 (13:44:07). Melton, meanwhile, finished Ironman St. George last May and then recorded a personal best at Ironman Wisconsin in 14:37:05.
The best marathon of the 20 - besides Ruyle - belonged to Royal Oak, Michigan's Eric Eder, but it was his half marathon time of 3:31:02 that would have thrown everyone off. The 39-year-old must have stopped to get pictures taken with every Disney character available. However, when Sunday rolled around, Eder ran down a time of 3:26:49.
It was no fluke. Eder, who finished Ironman Coeur d'Alene last June in 13:59:15 and the Pikes Peak Marathon in 7:34:11, had run the Boston Marathon in April 2009 with a time of 3:15:20.
Washington, D.C.'s Jason Abernathy, 36, was the only Goofy Challenge finisher that is headed to Ironman Texas to have competed at Kona in 2010. He finished the Ironman World Championship course in 14 hours and seven minutes -- and just two months after doing the Pikes Peak Ascent in 4:34:45.
Carrollton, Texas' Jason Maloy has three Ironman finishes of the remaining Goofy Challenge finishers while Weylin Sing of Windermere, Florida and San Antonio bike shop owner Jimmy Britton have one each of their own.
4:43:30 - ERIN RUYLE, F, 32, Georgetown, TX - 1:29:58 and 3:13:32
5:19:51 - MILKO RIVERA, M, 39, Ottawa, Canada - 1:44:15 and 3:35:36
5:29:56 - CHUCK COMPSON, M, 27, Kenner, LA - 1:54:49 and 3:35:07
6:13:58 - LUKE VALDEZ, M, 39, Houston, TX - 1:55:26 and 4:18:32
6:27:47 - NICHOLAUS GAYTAN, M, 28, Houston, TX - 2:14:17 and 4:13:30
6:30:50 - EDWARD BERNAL, M, 48, M, Glendale, AZ - 2:47:27 and 3:43:23
6:33:20 - NANCY GRIFF, F, 46, Lantana, FL - 2:33:43 and 3:59:37
6:53:30 - MICHAEL MELTON, M, 35, Orlando, FL - 2:10:28 and 4:43:02
6:57:51 - ERIC EDER, M, 39, Royal Oak, MI - 3:31:02 and 3:26:49
7:05:05 - WARREN THOMPSON, M, 33, Irving, TX - 2:29:06 and 4:35:59
7:06:54 - JASON ABERNATHY, M, 36, Washington, DC - 2:24:34 and 4:42:20
7:20:47 - JOHN ZACHARY, M, 40, Alexandria, LA - 2:24:54 and 4:55:53
7:38:07 - CHARLES WAIT, M, 52, Richmond, TX - 2:21:29 and 5:16:38
8:08:30 - ANDREW GRESHAM, M, 48, McAllen, TX - 2:43:01 and 5:25:29
8:23:00 - JASON MALOY, M, 30, Carrollton, TX - 3:04:27 and 5:18:33
8:32:07 - SCOTT DEISCHL, M, 44, The Woodlands, TX - 2:41:42 and 5:50:25
8:50:02 - WEYLIN SING, M, 39, Windermere, FL - 3:05:44 and 5:44:18
9:22:27 - DAVID MIODUSZEWSKI, M, 33, Tamarac, FL - 2:46:06 and 6:36:21
9:26:45 - JIMMY BRITTON, M, 51, San Antonio, TX - 2:51:32 and 6:35:13
9:56:24 - VICKI SUE MERRY, F, 53, Cantonment, FL - 3:15:16 and 6:41:08
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