This is the kind of story we tell each other over a beer. It’s a triathlon classic from the wooly early days of the sport, when the world was just waking up to the notion of triathlon, and even folks in the business were learning as they went. It was on-the-job training for everyone,...
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January 2014
Then
Kiuru’s competitive fire produced seven international Ironman victories, including four wins in a row (1991-1994) in Australia. In the photo above he is leading Mark Allen at the 1991 Ironman in Kona. (Click on the photo for the full shot)
Now
Kiuru retired from the sport of triathlon in 1998, and moved seamlessly into the business world as an entrepreneur and motivational speaker. He was elected to the Finnish Parliament in 2011.
Then
Linda Buchanan after her victory at the NIce Triathlon in 1983.
Now
Buchanan in 2013, still in the fitness and endurance business and still an Oakland fan, too.
Then
Carl Thomas on the Queen K Highway in 1985. At the time Bud Light was the sponsor of Thomas' U.S. Triathlon Series, and the Ironman in Kona.
Now
Thomas in 2010, striking the Heisman pose with his trophy at the USAT Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Then
Colleen Cannon at the long-distance Horny Toad Triathlon in 1984.
Now
Cannon today, still smiling. "Bascially, we jusst play," she says about her adventure travel company, Vision Quest.