Athletic career
Lieto grew up in Danville, California and later began his athletic career playing collegiate water polo at Long Beach State University. In 1997, he saw the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championship on television and decided to participate in his first triathlon ever, which he won. Only three years later he became a professional triathlete. Just another three years after that, in 2003, he went on to place 13th at that same championship he saw on television which sparked his interest in the sport.
After a disappointing race career in 2005, Lieto chose to return to work as a mortgage broker while still continuing to train. Lieto said that returning to work "...helped me balance the time and focus I put into triathlon. I still focus on training, but without the endless thinking about the next race or the next training day. It allows me to be a little more relaxed in my preparation for a race." [4] Since 2003, Lieto has steadily worked up his finishing place at the Ironman World Championship: 13th in 2003, 18th in 2005, 9th in 2006, 6th in 2007, 18th in 2008 and 2nd overall in 2009. He is the current bike course record holder for the 2005 Ironman Canada, with a time of 4:25:26. [5] K-Swiss is Lieto's primary sponsor.
Lieto currently resides in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii with his wife Karis, son Kaiden, and daughter Kayah. [6]
Results
2009 Results
2nd Ironman World Championships, Kona Hawaii
2nd Nautica Malibu Triathlon Classic
1st San Jose International Pro Challenge (course record)
2nd Ironman Boise 70.3 (new bike course record)
2nd Ironman Hawaii Honu 70.3 new bike course record
2nd UVAS Triathlon
7th Wildflower 1/2 Ironman
3rd Miami International Triathlon New Bike Course record
2008 Results
3rd Miami International Triathlon (bike course record)
1st Nautica South Beach (course record)
3rd Wildflower 1/2 Ironman (new bike course record)
1st Columbia Triathlon (course record)
1st San Jose International (course record)
2nd Ironman 70.3 Boise (bike course record)
23rd Ironman World Championships Hawaii
2nd Ironman Arizona
Additional Results
1st Ironman Japan 2006 (new bike course record)
1st Ironman Canada 2005 (new bike course record)
1st Ironman Wisconsin 2002
1st Ironman 70.3 Vineman 2002
1st Nautica Malibu Triathlon 2003
1st San Jose International 2007
2nd Ironman USA Lake Placid 2003
2nd Ironman Malaysia 2006 (new bike course record)
2nd Ironman 70.3 Florida 2004
6th Ironman World Championship 2007
8th Ironman World Championship 70.3 2006 (2nd American)
9th Ironman World Championship 2006, Kona Hawaii (1st American)
13th Ironman World Championship 2003
18th Ironman World Championship 2005
3rd Kemah International Triathlon 2010 (new bike course record)
US National Ironman Champion 2003
Ranked 5th in the World 2003 by Inside Triathlon
[7]
Chris is now retired from professional triathlon.
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a 2.4-mile (3.9 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.2 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile (42.2 km) run completed in that order, a total of 140.6 miles (226.3 km). It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.
Katherine Jessie Jean "Kate" Allen is an Australian-Austrian triathlete. She won the gold medal in the women's triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Andrew Robert Potts is a triathlete from the United States. He competed in triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics and is the 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Champion. Prior to triathlon, Potts was a swimmer where he won the bronze medal in the men's 400m individual medley at the 1995 Summer Universiade and earned a spot on the USA Swimming national team where he would place fourth at the 1996 Olympic Trials in the 400 IM.
Normann Stadler is a retired professional triathlete from Germany. He is the winner of the 2004 and 2006 Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii.
Natascha Badmann is a professional triathlete from Switzerland. She is a 6-time winner of the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005 ; in 1998 she became the first European woman to win the Ironman Triathlon World Championship.
Lisa Marangon is a Sydney, Australia based professional triathlete.
Christine Ann Wellington is an English former professional triathlete and four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion. She held all three world and championship records relating to ironman-distance triathlon races: firstly, the overall world record, secondly, the Ironman World Championship course record, and thirdly, the official world record for all Ironman-branded triathlon races over the full Ironman distance.
Jan Frodeno is a German triathlete who is the gold medal winner in men's triathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, 3-time winner of the Ironman World Championship in 2015, 2016, and 2019, and 2-time winner of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in 2015 and 2018. He had set the world record for the long distance in Roth, Germany in 2016 with 7:35:39 hours. In 2021, he broke his own world record during the Tributtle in Allgäu, Germany against Lionel Sanders, with a time of 07:27:53, setting a new world best for the long-distance triathlon.
Cameron Temple Brown is an ironman triathlete from New Zealand. He is a twelve-time winner of Ironman New Zealand held in Taupo, New Zealand. His best placing at the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii is 2nd in 2001 and 2005.
The Ironman World Championship is an ultra-triathlon held annually in Hawaii, United States since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. It is owned and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. It is the annual culmination of a series of Ironman triathlon qualification races held throughout the world.
Dirk Bockel is a professional triathlete originally from Schwaikheim, Germany. He holds Luxembourgish nationality and raced for Luxembourg in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Jason P. Lester is an endurance athlete, the author of the book Running on Faith, and the 2009 ESPY Award winner for Best Male Athlete with a Disability. He is the first disabled athlete to complete the Ultraman World Championships. He is the Founder of EPIC5 Challenge, EP1CMAN and The NEVER STOP Foundation est. 2007.
The 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship was held on October 10, 2009, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It was the 33rd such Ironman Triathlon World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The champions were Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington. The championship was organised by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).
Scott Neyedli was a full-time professional Ironman triathlete (2007-2011), winning British and multiple Scottish Triathlon Championships. He is a 2 x Ironman Champion winning Ironman UK in 2007 in a marathon and course record time and Ironman Wales in 2013 with the fastest bike and marathon run splits of the day. More remarkable Scott won Ironman Wales whilst working full-time after resuming his oil and gas engineering career full-time at the start of 2012 due to sponsorship pitfalls. Scott has represented Great Britain at Elite level ITU Championships, placing Top Briton and 9th place at the ITU World Long Distance Triathlon championships in 2011 along with Top Briton placings at the World Ironman Championships in Kona Hawaii. Scott also won European Team Silver at the European Championships in 2007. Scott is still ranked one of the fastest British Ironman athletes and at the top of GB's best medal tally at Ironman Competition and still holding the current WTC Scottish Ironman record at 8hrs 17 mins 47 sec.
Mirinda Carfrae is an Australian professional triathlete and an Ironman Triathlon world champion. Carfrae has achieved podium positions in six of her seven attempts at the Ironman World Championships: 1st-place finishes, three 2nd-place finishes and a 3rd place. She also won the 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
Linsey Corbin is an American triathlete who races primarily in non-drafting, long-distance events. Her career includes a third place at the 2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship and eight Ironman race wins.
Kelly Williamson is an American triathlete who races in non-drafting, long-course events. In 2012, she took 2nd place at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
Frederik Van Lierde is a Belgian professional triathlete and 2013 Ironman triathlon world champion.
Britta Martin is a German born, New Zealand based professional triathlete and multiple winner of Ironman distance races all over the world.
Trenton Joel Tollakson is a US triathlete, ironman champion and North American champion (2014).
