Kailua-Kona resident Staci Studer not only completed the daunting Ultraman World Championships, but she did so in grand fashion. Studer finished as the first female overall, crossing the finish line with a host of her Team Staci supporters.
Studer completed the three day, 320-mile triathlon (6.2-mile swim, 261.4-mile bike, 52.4-mile run) in a time of 28 hours, 29 minutes and 28 seconds. She placed 15th overall.
For Studer, a three-time IRONMAN World Championship finisher, the race was more about reaching the finish line than where she placed in the field.
“This is the accumulation of the past five or six years,” Studer said. “I just wanted to finish.”
Studer had an experienced support crew to help her along the way. This crew included some of the top athletes on the Big Island. Dan Gampon and Mercedes DeCarli were there to help during the 6.2-mile swim. She was followed by Dene Sturm and Michael DeCarli during the 264.1-mile bike ride, and nearly the entire crew turned out for the final day, the 52.4 mile run, including local pro triathlete Bree Wee.
Studer was well aware of the conditions of the race after crewing for Ultraman athlete Martin Raymond the past five years. It was during this time that the seed was planted that she might want to give it a go. However, it wasn’t until last year that she decided to become more serious about competing.
“The summer brought me some different challenges, and I had to start all over, but the community around me supported me mentally, physically and financially,” Studer said. “I could not have done it without them and without my crew.”
Canada’s Mike Coughlin was the top overall finisher with a time of 21:44:18, followed by Australia’s David Kalinowski (22:11:45) and Connecticut’s Jeremy Howard (23:28.48).
Following Studer in the female division were Katherine Calder-Becker (21st overall, 30:57:17) and Beth Brewster (26th, 33:07:15).