With three Ironman wins and two race records this summer, Ellis has shown that her two Ironman 70.3 World Championship silver medals were just the beginning of her stardom.

From the elite pros to the elite Slowtwitch Forum contributors, ST threw its annual Kona party on Alii Drive this Wednesday. Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson

Thursday in Kona is mostly known to be about the underpants run, the Pro press conference and the E Komo Mai dinner, but it is certainly not limited to these 3 events.

The Luxembourg killer cyclist has an all around game that can make Bockel a factor at the very end of the day at the Ironman World Championship. We had a few words with the man also known as DeBockel.

The strange and terrible saga of the Kona Underpants run, the wicked brainchild of Paul Huddle and Roch Frey, carries on. Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson

We are another day closer to the 2011 Ironman Hawaii and it was another busy day. The highlight of the day though clearly was the annual slowtwitch Kona gathering.

After a disappointing 6th at Kona last year, Timo Bracht dominated with a course record at IM Arizona. Returning to Kona, Timo draws on his 2009 Frankfurt win over Raelert

Marino Vanhoenacker had a breakthrough 3rd last year at Kona. In 2011, a 2nd at Abu Dhabi and a brief Ironman distance record of 7:45 at Austria give the Belgian a winning belief.

Here in Kona we had a chance to look a bit closer at the Cannondale Slice RS of Michael Weiss. The bike is actually still a prototype but we can expect to see a very fast split on it.

The fourth annual Keiki Kids Splash and Dash on the Tuesday before Ironman Hawaii was full of unalloyed joy and pure love of sport. Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson

Like a small town version of the Olympic opening ceremonies parade of nations, Kona honors its international competitors. Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson

Even though we are still several days away from the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championships, it appears that Kona is busier than before. Enjoy this gallery from our first day coverage.

Specialized unveiled the highly anticipated Shiv Tri bike in Kona, Hawaii yesterday. This new bike sits alongside the Shiv TT and will make a lot of sense for most triathletes.

Cyclists, CEOs, and professional bike racers, not only in California but across the country, are watching as Governor Jerry Brown readies pen for a signature. A former CHP officer, still a bike racer, but now a quadriplegic, watches as well.

Craig Alexander’s partnership with Orbea was one of the strong athlete-company relationships in triathlon. But it’s officially over now, with each side acknowledging the end of an era.

Quite a few fast Pros gathered this morning in Dallas to race the Toyota US Open race and here are some of Pro bikes from the event.

A pair of Europeans, Spain’s Javier Gomez and Sweden’s Lisa Norden, took the crowns at the U.S. Open Tri in Dallas. Potts held on barely for Toyota Cup Series win, while Haskins won it comfortably.

The CycleOps Kona Challenge is the best of the season’s pick-the-winners contests. It’s got an intriguing contest format and rule set, and what’s up for grabs for the winner and runner-up isn’t chicken feed.

We are now just about a week away from the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championships and here is a look at the Pro start list. But like every year we won’t really find out who will show up until race day.

Potts, Dye, and Bennett will duel for the Toyota Cup men’s series title at Toyota US Open in Dallas. Haskins must hold of a series challenge by Alicia Kaye.

Powered by his best bike split in years and a killer run, Craig Alexander won his second IM 70.3 world title at Las Vegas. Now he’s going after his third Kona win at age 38.

A year and a half ago, Melissa Rollison had never done a triathlon. Earlier this month, the former Australian steeplechase record-holder is the Ironman 70.3 World Champion.

At the relatively advanced age of 39, Greg Bennett proved yet again that he is one of the greatest triathletes in history with his $151,500 Hy-Vee win in Des Moines, Iowa. Bennett chatted with Timothy Carlson.

Usually we feature a variety of items in our What We Have Noticed column, but this week we are only looking at the Sheex performance sheets. What is good for Mirinda Carfrae has at least caught our attention.