Madden remains motivated by victory

2021 EAST COUNTY ALUMNI

By Nick Pellegrino
ECS staff writer

WACO, Texas —- It wasn’t the race he wanted, but San Diego triathlete Kurt Madden was pleased with the result.

“Mission: Accomplished,” exclaimed Madden after boat-racing the field in capturing Saturday’s (Oct. 25) Ironman triathlon in Waco. The “70.3” event was the replacement for the re-scheduled Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawai’i, but was rescheduled because of the pandemic.

Madden, undefeated in his 65-69 age group all year, made it five straight victories after completing the course in 4:5631 as theof lone sub-5 hour competitor in his flight.

Madden’s rate of 11:20 per mile almost a minute better than runner-up Reggie Bruhn, the local favorite from nearby The Woodlands, Texas, who posted a 12:16-mile rate.

“It’s over-the-top to win my age group at Ironman Waco,” added Madden. “This allows me to qualify for the world championships in both St. George and Kona in 2022.”

Considering he’s ranked No. 1 in the world among 65-69 competitors after spending three seasons in the top spot at 60-64, Madden was a sure thing to gain an at-large entry. But now, he can focus on the big events and not worry about other distractions or irregularities.

The annual Ironman world finals are usually held on the second weekend of October, but were changed to May 2022 in St. George, Utah. The 2022 final is slated for its regular date and site in 2022, should the health concerns decline enough to allow the small Island community to stage the event which began in the early 1980s.

Madden and Brahn were followed by Bin Liu of Silicon Valley Triathlon Club (13:10 rate), with no other athlete finishing under 16 minutes/mile.

The “70.3” event, which means it was half the distance of the traditional Ironman, featuring a swim in the South Bosque River, a 56-mile bike ride over a relatively flat course, then a half-marathon.