The Evergreen State Will Send An Experienced Group to Ironman Texas

Seven of the 10 Washington state residents who will make their way to The Woodlands for the inaugural Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas have at least one Ironman finish to their credit  -- and three had finishes last year.

Bellevue’s Shannon Day, 44, and Vancouver’s Jonathan Hough, 30, both appeared to have entered the longer distances in the sport last year with solid debuts at Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens with times of 6:00:34 and 6:44:18, respectively.

Speaking of solid, that’s what Sumner’s Sarah Lynch has been – in triathlons, running and roller derby.

While the 33-year-old will be looking to push past the Olympic distance from last September, the former speed skater has included roller derby in recent years to stay in shape as a member of the Dockyard Derby Dames.  (Please see the recent article.)

Lynch, though, began her preparation for this year’s Ironman Texas – her first -- with a steady 4:23:02 Skagit Falls Marathon last September.

While Lynch will be making her debut, the two candidates for the best showing from Washington state will be Ridgefield’s Darin Shields, 43, and Vancouver’s Joshua Monda, 29.

A three-time Ironman finisher, Shields earned a trip to the Ford Ironman World Championship in October – where he posted an 11:06:06 finish - with a personal best 9:53:46 at Subaru Ironman Canada just seven short weeks before.

Meanwhile, Monda’s only Ironman finish came last June at Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene where he meted out a 10:10:29 time that was sandwiched in the middle of half irons of 4:38:44 and 4:43:44 at Wildflower and Silverman, respectively. 

A finisher of 11 career half iron distance events, he competed at the 2009 Foster Grant Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Florida where he had a personal best time of 4:07:22.

Kirkland’s Jerold Gardner, 60, was the only other Washington state competitor coming to Texas that finished an Ironman last year.

Gardner added Ironman St. George in May (15:50:51) to finishes at Florida (2003), Coeur d’Alene (2005) and Lake Placid (2007).

Mill Creek’s Steven Duniho, 45, and Vancouver’s David Fanning, 49, had 2009 finishes at Canada and Florida, respectively, of 11:40:13 and 12:07:01.  Fanning, who has three Ironman finishes, sports a personal best of 11:39:08 at Ironman Arizona in 2006.

Duniho went 5:18 at Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens in 2008.

Joining Lynch in the women’s age groups are Vancouver’s Candace McCammon, 23, and Spokane’s Christiana Kenny.

McCammon will be one of just four women competing in the 18-24 age group.  She finished Ironman Coeur d’Alene in 2009 in 16:31:02.

A trail runner the last couple of years, Kenny is planning on coming full circle to Ironman.

The 44-year-old finished Vineman in 2007 in 16:16:04 and followed up with a pair of 70.3’s in 2008 before registering three 50-kilometer trail runs in 2009 and a trail marathon last year.