Lew Hollander becomes the oldest person to finish Ironman. He is 81. (Hawaii 24/7 photo by Karin Stanton)

Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Editor

When you line up 1,918 triathletes to challenge themselves on the world’s toughest course, you have 1,918 amazing stories to tell.

Here a few athletes share the stories of their day:

Kate and Charlie Stannett (Hawaii 24/7 photo by Karin Stanton)

Kate Stannett, 50, Ipswich

“It wasn’t as bad as I expected … except for the wind. That was horrible, horrible, horrible,” said Kate Stannett, who was competing in her first Hawaii triathlon. “The first half of the bike ride was alright, but it was lousy coming back. If anyone tells you different, they are lying.”

Stannett is captain of the Ipswich triathlon club in England and was competing in her eighth Ironman. She has never entered the lottery, preferring to qualify on her own merit.

“The only way I was going to do Kona was if I qualified for myself. I was a little disappointed in my time, but I’ve never in Kona before and I really didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “It was a bit odd to run in the dark.”

Her husband Charlie volunteered in the bike-to-run transition area and didn’t have a chance to watch her times throughout the day.

“I was a bit worried when she was on the bike, but once I sent her off on the run, I knew she’d be fine,” he said.

Stannett said she knew her bike time was noticeably slow.

“I thought Charlie would be waiting for me at the finish line and ask about the bike,” she said. “And I was ready to poke his eyes out. But he didn’t ask, so everything is alright.”

Stannett said she was most impressed with the volunteers.

“I can’t say enough about them. They were absolutely brilliant, just amazing,” she said. “I don’t think I could have done it without them. The support has just been fantastic.”

Stannett finished in 13:57:44

Team GG (Hawaii 24/7 photo by Karin Stanton)

Gregg Gordon, 40, New York

Gordon arrived in Kona with a group of 10 friends and family to watch him fulfill his Ironman dream.

“We’re all very proud of him. It’s been his dream to race in Kona,” said friend Brad Olsen. “This is his fourth Ironman. He did do Ironman Germany before this, but he got in here through the lottery.”

The group gathered outside King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel to wait for him after the race, sporting matching bright orange shirts.

Most of the group was making their first visit to the Big Island.

“We haven’t seen much, but we’re very familiar now with the start/finish line area,” Karen Sohn said.

Karen Olsen said she was most impressed by how much action happened right around Kailua Pier and along Alii Drive.

“We’re from New York so we’re used to barricades all over,” she said. “But here you can walk around and see everything. It’s been great.”

It’s all about the race and the triathletes, though.

“It’s the most inspiring spectator event I have ever seen,” said Brad Olsen. “It’s much more spectator-friendly than I thought it would be. I can’t believe how many people over the age of 50 are out here doing this. It’s just very inspiring to me.”

Gordon finished in 14:14:22.

Tom and Erica Masilzewski.(Hawaii 24/7 photo by Karin Stanton)

Tom Maliszewski, 33, Detroit

“This is my first time on the island and first race in Hawaii. It was an awesome day,” he said. “The course is challenging, but it was the perfect day for me. I felt good.”

Maliszewski said the atmosphere around Kona pumped him up for the race.

“There’s a buzz. It was great. You could feel it all building up all week,” he said. “I loved it.”

His wife, Erica, said she walked back and forth along Alii Drive, taking in the spectacle.

“It’s such an inspiring thing to watch. It’s just amazing to me how many people do this and it’s so incredible to see it,” she said. “The energy here is amazing and the people are great.”

The couple, who have a 3-year-old son (and two dogs) waiting at home, plan to see some Big Island sights before making departing.

“Now it’s time to relax,” Maliszewski said. “And take it easy.”

Maliszewski finished in 9:45:57.

April Novak and Todd Allen (Hawaii 24/7 photo by Karin Stanton)

Todd Allen, 41, Muscle Shoals, Ala.

“It was a good day, but it’s a very hard course with the wind and hills,” Allen said. “My time wasn’t what I wanted it to be, but I’m still a little beat up.”

Allen qualified for Kona at the Aug. 28 Louisville Ironman and, even though it was coming up quickly, he couldn’t pass on a trip to the world championship.

“There is nothing like crossing that finish line. At some point during the day, you’ll want to give up. But you don’t. You somehow just keep going and get to that finish line,” he said. “It really is amazing what the body and mind can do.”

Racing in his fifth Ironman, Allen said he’s not done yet.

“It’s usually either one-and-done or you’re in it for the long haul,” he said. “You train hard and that’s the toughest part … just getting to the starting line. It’s definitely a family affair if you are into it.”

Fiance April Novak agreed it’s a family commitment as far as training goes, but race day is another thing entirely.

“You worry. You plan your day according to when you can see him on the race course and then you just worry,” she said.

Allen said he appreciated racing with the world’s elite triathletes.

“One thing I really like about Ironman is you get a great caliber of people,” he said. “They are excited and motivated and it’s easy to get caught up in it.”

Novak is an experienced marathon runner, but does she have the desire to join Allen on the Ironman journey?

“No. Nope. None. I’ll stick to marathons,” she said. “I know what I’m good at.”

Allen finished in 11:38:47

Lew Hollander, 81, Bend, Ore.

Hollander finished Ironman for the 22nd time and became the oldest person ever to finish it.

The scientist, author and renaissance man ran his first marathon in 1980 and entered his first Ironman in Hawaii back in 1985.

His time that year was 15:47, one minute faster than his time last year.

By winning his age group last year, the father of six, grandpa to five and two great-grandpa to two, Hollander automatically qualified to come back to Kona this year.

His response: “Yeah, sure, I’ll be there. I’ll be there ’til I can’t make it any more. Yeah, I’ll give it a shot. Why not?”

With thousands of people still crammed into the finish line area and the clock counting down to midnight, the 17-hour cut-off mark, the chanting started: Lew, Lew, Lew!

Hollander finished in 16:45:55.

— Find out more:
www.ironman.com

2011 world champion Craig Alexander poses for photos at the finish line close to the midnight cut-off time. (Hawaii 24/7 photo by Karin Stanton)

Some statistics from the 2011 Ironman World Championship, courtesy of Marc Roy and his team from Sportstats.

Fastest Swim – Age Group Men

Place Swim Numb Lname Fname Ag City Pro Cnt

1 51:35 1657 Colpaert, Bart 30 Izegem WES BEL

2 52:55 1220 O Flaherty, Andrew 39 Johannesbu GAU RSA

3 52:58 1521 McNeese, Griffin 34 Hoboken NJ USA

4 53:05 1638 Carter, Brett 30 palm beach QLD AUS

5 53:13 1625 Gardner, Andy 31 Kingwood TX USA

Fastest Swim – Age Group Women

Place Swim Numb Lname Fname Ag City Pro Cnt

1 53:33 1876 Chura, Haley 26 Atlanta GA USA

2 54:44 1942 Holmes, Erin 22 Kennewick WA USA

3 57:31 1857 Thomas, Kathryn 28 Stephens C VA USA

4 57:32 1143 McCarty, Erin 41 San Jose CA USA

5 58:17 1420 Carpenter, Rebecca 39 Atlanta GA USA

Fastest Bike – Age Group Men

Place Bike Numb Lname Fname Ag City Pro Cnt

1 4:30:13 1226 Favre-Felix, Damien 39 marsannay YES FRA

2 4:35:17 1025 Zamboni, Andrea 41 Agarone TIC SWI

3 4:35:26 1197 Ganser, Markus 39 Stolberg NRW GER

4 4:38:13 1754 Lueddecke, Kai 29 Br¸hl BW GER

5 4:38:27 1337 Gyde, Sam 36 Destelberg O-V BEL

Fastest Bike – Age Group Women

Place Bike Numb Lname Fname Ag City Pro Cnt

1 4:58:41 1114 Goertz, Beate 42 Cologne NRW GER

2 5:05:40 1681 Hufe, Mareen 33 Wesel NRW GER

3 5:07:31 1419 Rudolf, Michaela 39 St. Pˆlten AUS AUT

4 5:09:40 1164 Donley, Shannon 40 Anchorage AK USA

5 5:10:50 1669 Wicks, Hilary 34 Papakura AUK NZL

Fastest Run – Age Group Men

Place Run Numb Lname Fname Ag City Pro Cnt

1 2:43:29 1797 Thorne, Joe 27 Austin TX USA

2 2:56:48 1337 Gyde, Sam 36 Destelberg O-V BEL
3 2:57:28 1499 Sloan, Chuck 34 Tulsa OK USA

4 2:58:09 1901 Duffy, Brian 23 West Chest PA USA
5 2:58:21 1755 Haak, Steffen 29 Karlsruhe BW GER

Fastest Run – Age Group Women

Place Run Numb Lname Fname Ag City Pro Cnt

1 3:06:25 1458 Croft, Sheila 37 Redmond WA USA
2 3:16:51 1728 Clayton, Gillian 30 Vancouver BC CAN

3 3:17:16 1178 Davis, Susanne 40 Carlsbad CA USA

4 3:18:45 1114 Goertz, Beate 42 Cologne NRW GER

5 3:20:33 1677 Pekerman, Nina 34 Nofit ISR ISR

Fastest Swim – Pro Men

Place Swim Numb Lname Fname City Pro Cnt Ag

1 49:44 29 Potts, Andy Colorado S CO USA 35

2 51:38 11 Jacobs, Pete sydney NSW AUS 30

3 51:41 48 Reed, Matty Boulder CO USA 36

4 51:43 49 Albert, Marko Tallinn HAR EST 32

5 51:44 33 Bockel, Dirk Bereldange LUX LUX 35

Fastest Swim – Pro Women

1 51:54 125 Stevens, Amanda Enid CO USA 34

2 53:54 107 Cave, Leanda Tucson AZ USA 33

3 53:56 112 Joyce, Rachel London GRE GBR 33

4 55:49 110 Williamson, Kelly Austin TX USA 34

5 55:54 128 Ellis, Mary Beth Superior CO USA 34

Fastest Bike – Pro Men

Place Bike Numb Lname Fname City Pro Cnt Ag

1 4:18:32 25 Lieto, Chris Danville CA USA 39

2 4:24:05 1 Alexander, Craig Boulder CO USA 38

3 4:24:16 19 McKenzie, Luke Bend OR USA 30

4 4:24:17 33 Bockel, Dirk Bereldange LUX LUX 35

5 4:25:46 31 Boecherer, Andi Freiburg YES GER 28

6 4:26:28 18 Twelsiek, Maik Tucson AZ USA 31

7 4:26:28 26 Lowe, Tom Ludlow SHR GBR 33

8 4:26:52 10 Raelert, Andreas Rostock MV GER 35

9 4:28:38 2 Tissink, Raynard Port Eliza EC RSA 38

10 4:29:31 5 Al-Sultan, Faris Al-Ain ABU ARE 33

Fastest Bike – Pro Women

Place Bike Numb Lname Fname City Pro Cnt Ag

1 4:44:20 105 Thuerig, Karin Retschwil LUC SWI 39

2 4:50:26 103 Steffen, Caroline Spiez BE SWI 33

3 4:56:53 102 Wellington, Chrissie Feltwell NOR GBR 34

4 4:58:41 107 Cave, Leanda Tucson AZ USA 33

5 4:58:55 113 Tajsich, Sonja Sinzing GER 36

6 4:58:57 112 Joyce, Rachel London GRE GBR 33

7 4:59:10 116 Wurtele, Heather Kelowna BC CAN 32

8 5:00:04 118 Deckers, Tine Kessel-Lo VLA BEL 33

9 5:00:29 133 Badmann, Natascha Oftringen AAR SWI 45

10 5:01:45 114 Morrison, Catriona Broxburn WES GBR 34

Fastest Run – Pro Men

Place Run Numb Lname Fname City Pro Cnt Ag

1 2:42:29 11 Jacobs, Pete sydney NSW AUS 30

2 2:44:03 1 Alexander, Craig Boulder CO USA 38

3 2:47:26 9 Bracht, Timo Eberbach BAW GER 36

4 2:47:48 10 Raelert, Andreas Rostock MV GER 35

5 2:51:56 40 Viennot, Cyril BEAUVAIS PIC FRA 29

6 2:53:04 33 Bockel, Dirk Bereldange LUX LUX 35

7 2:54:08 44 Aigroz, Mike Chateau d VD SWI 33

8 2:54:41 39 Russell, Matthew Austin TX USA 28

9 2:55:29 50 Ogden, Courtney Perth WAA AUS 39

10 2:56:20 35 Lovato, Michael Boulder CO USA 38

Fastest Run – Pro Women

Place Run Numb Lname Fname City Pro Cnt Ag

1 2:52:09 101 Carfrae, Mirinda Boulder CO USA 30

2 2:52:41 102 Wellington, Chrissie Feltwell NOR GBR 34

3 2:53:51 123 Snow, Caitlin Brockton MA USA 29

4 3:03:33 110 Williamson, Kelly Austin TX USA 34

5 3:04:47 113 Tajsich, Sonja Sinzing GER 36

6 3:06:36 107 Cave, Leanda Tucson AZ USA 33

7 3:09:55 112 Joyce, Rachel London GRE GBR 33

8 3:12:50 117 Berasategui, Virginia Bilbao BIZ ESP 36

9 3:13:18 114 Morrison, Catriona Broxburn WES GBR 34

10 3:13:31 105 Thuerig, Karin Retschwil LUC SWI 39

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The close of the Ford Ironman World Championship. Video by Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7