It has been a long and exciting day here in Kona. I have a nice brown tan and very sore feet. We watched some of the most exciting racing since Mark Allen and Scott Tinley dualed. This year's race showcased some of the best running in history. Six of the top ten men ran sub 2:50 marathons. Amazing!!!! The race was won on the final 2 mile stretch. The pro race may be over, but the real Ironman has just begun. Racers will stream in throughout the evening trying to beat the elusive stroke of midnight when athletes are pulled from the course. We will be back down at the finish line to watch these amazing people become Iron men and women. Below are some photos of the Mens winner... Make sure you scroll down and view the other pages for more sights and sounds of Ironman Hawaii.

The men have exited the Energy Lab. Here's how they stand at mile 20:

1Chris McCormack
2Andreas Raelert:35
3Marino Vanhoenacker1:10
4Craig Alexander5:40
5Raynard Tissink6:00

Raelert is flying. Macca is running scared. Less than six miles to go and it is going to be a battle. This could be the closest race in history...

Run photos next

We've had a bit of technical difficulty, but are back up again. Since the last post, we witnessed yet another epic ride by Lieto. This year's gap shrunk down to a little under three minutes, with an additional pack 7-8 minutes back. Chris held strong through mile 11.5, but was being chased hard by McCormack, who pulled 7 minutes back in the first 11 miles. I was there to witness the pass, which I have seen before. There seemed to be a **** eating grin on Macca's face. Pissed me off a little, but also was a clear indication that he is the dominate one today. As much as I hated to see Chris being passed, it was also incredibly inspiring to see these athletes dual. We are awaiting additional updates, as we are now back in the press center.

It is extremely hot today. Talk was that the pavement was in the mid 120's. Riders passed us out on the course with more salt outlines than I have seen in years. Below you can see photos of the top ten riders.

The men have made the turn. Chris Lieto has taken the lead and is beginning to pull away. However, there are ten men within 2 min 30 sec. It is going to be a race......

Women's Leaderboard @ 35miles Position Athlete Name Differential

1 Julie Dibens 2 Caroline Steffen 3:04 3 Rachel Joyce 4:16 4 Mirinda Carfrae 5:42 5 Tereza Macel 5:46 6 Leanda Cave 5:47

Men's Leaderboard @ 45milesPositionAthlete NameDifferential

1 Andreas Bocherer 2 Chris Lieto:25 3 Maik Twelsiek:25 4 Norman Stadler1:40 5TJ Tollakson1:40

Chris is now :34 seconds down. Photos from the course coming soon....

Chris Lieto - last years runner up has moved into 2nd place. After exiting the water in around 25th place he has moved through the field and position himself to take the lea before Hawii. Last year Chris finished the bike with a 12 minute lead, but ended up finishing the day in second by less than 3 minutes. Could this be Lieto's year. We will see. Stay tuned...