Like every year we present the top 15 athletes overall during the run and talk about their running shoes. Fastest run among the men this year belonged to Aussie Pete Jacobs who managed a marathon time of 2:41:06 and finished in 9th place overall.

Australia’s Dan Wilson took charge with a race-best 31:26 10k run to win in Tongyeong, South Korea; Great Britain’s Jodie Swallow won her first ITU World Cup title with a bike breakaway.

In this week’s installment of our weekly Q&A column focusing on personal sports electronics, Ray covers a question from a blind athlete on GPS watches and tackles the future of ANT+ on phones.

It was the 4th closest men’s finish at Kona, but the strategies that veteran Chris McCormack employed to beat Andreas Raelert made this a duel for the ages

“And sometimes, well, he eats you.” Over the past year Ironman has been The Bear. It’s pushed up its shirtsleeves and outworked its competitors. Meanwhile Life Time Fitness abides.

The night before the 2010 Ford Ironman World Championships, Oakley invited media and a few other industry folks for the reveal of the brand new Oakley Fast Jacket performance eyewear.

It is not surprising to see Charlotte Paul in Kona during the Ironman World Championship week, but the Aussie is 5 months pregnant at this time and has other priorities in her life. That though doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy Kona in October.

The 34th edition of Ironman Hawaii had a generous helping of courage and drama. Photo Galleries by Timothy Carlson.

The 34th edition of Ironman Hawaii. Photo Galleries by Timothy Carlson.

Reigning World Champ Javier Gomez wins in hot and hilly Huatulco, Chrabot takes third. Japan’s Ai Ueda takes the women’s race, her second consecutive victory in Mexico’s scenic southern coast.

Bike check in day in Kona and like every year some folks line up early to drop off their bikes. We were there to capture a few impressions.

Mirinda Carfrae cracks 9 hours and wins with a record 2:53:32 run; Macca turns back the clock and runs 2:43:31 for a second Kona win; Chrissie Wellington a late scratch sickout

Slowtwitch, Muscle Milk and blueseventy threw a shindig at palatial digs on Alii Drive and lots of folks joined the fun Thursday.

The 35-year-old Dane is in the besty shape of his already distinguished triathlon career. With no broken hand, more training and more taper, he says “I can win.”

The 13th annual running of the BVDs in Kona. Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson

The much maligned Clearwater course is history. Pack your bags and your Elvis wig. We’re going west. Las Vegas is the new home for the biggest triathlon ever to hit Nevada.

He won Abu Dhabi, Lanzarote, the European long course title, Tri Grand Prix and XTERRA Worlds. So why is Eneko Llanos under the Kona radar?

Last year he came into Kona after a career win at Frankfurt but could only muster a 6th place finish. This year he’s a stealth contender who thinks his chances are better.

We are another day closer to the 2010 Ford Ironman World Championships and here are a few images we captured in Kona.

The kids’ race, the parade, the spectators and the athletes. Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson.

The Belgian who posted the 4th fastest Iron-distance time in history at Ironman Austria is ready for a breakthrough at Kona.

She’s going for four in a row. She broke Newby-Fraser’s Kona record. Her 8:19 at Roth smashed her own world best. And she says her broken arm was the best thing that ever happened to her.

The owners of the Ironman brand of multisport events dove down in distance with its announcement of 5150, a series of Olympic-distance races that poached prize properties from the Life Time and ITU series.

We wandered over to the pier this morning where it is getting quite busy now.