Ode to Joy

Second in a series of finish line photographs by Timothy Carlson. The thrill of victory comes in many flavors and goes not only to the triathlete who crosses the line first.

It can be an answered prayer, a cessation of torture, an embrace or an unambiguous exultation for which only Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony Hallelujah chorus can do justice.
With all due respect to Leo Tolstoy, his opening lines of Anna Karenina – “Every happy family is the same, but unhappy families are all different” – do not cover the range of joyful expression at triathlon’s finish lines. For Welchy and his heir to triumphant Aussie air, Robbo, their exuberant leaps offer a robust, balletic denial of Pheidippedes’ fate. For Sian Welch, Barb Lindquist and the kneeling Brazilian, the first impulse was to give thanks. For the blond Aussie tiger, the finish banner was a tasty eland on the veldt. For Peter Reid and Lori Bowden, that winning moment was pure passion. For Belinda Granger, a well done day on the Queen K merited hoisting a merry inflatable Roo over head at the finish. For the tall, strong, swift and enduring dad at Ironman Wisconsin, the finish line faint and tumble offered a story his three children can tell on him for the next 50 years. Modern mud men and mud women can share primitive joy, an elite German athlete can feel the joy of flight, and an otherwise deskbound scribbler can feel like Muhammad Ali at the end of the Thrilla in Manila thanks to a little Ironman jaunt on the wild side.

The Louvre has Nike of Samothrace aka the great Winged Victory sculpture. Triathlon and Ironman has this classic Welchy Leap to celebrate his one and only Ironman Hawaii victory in 1994. Perhaps Welch should have parked his celebratory urge after this masterpiece. He broke a collarbone in a private post-awards victory celebration.

Greg Welch was the favorite to earn Australia’s first men’s Olympic slot for the home country Sydney Olympics. But in October 1999, Welchy suffered a terrifying episode of ventricular tachycardia at Ironman Hawaii, ending his competitive career. In April 2000, Welch and wife Sian were honorary finish line ribbon holders as Aussie longshot winner Peter Robertson earned that Olympic slot and paid homage to the Welchy Leap.

In 2001, Robertson earned the first of three ITU World Championships at Edmonton and celebrated with a supercharged new version of the Aussie victory leap.

Although she later returned to Ironman as an age grouper, Sian Welch saw her second place finish at the 2000 Forster Tuncurry event in Australia as her farewell to Ironman.
The emotion behind this finish line prayer was magnified as this was right in the midst of her husband’s struggle with tachycardia.

Aussie age grouper offers his variation of the Aussie victory leap at the 2007 ITU World Championship in Hamburg.

A blind woman’s face is full of wonder and bliss at the finish in Hamburg.

A Brazilian age group competitor sinks to his knees like a Wimbledon winner.

Daniel Unger of Germany exults in his back-from-the-dead, home country comeback win over Javier Gomez at the 2007 ITU World Championship in Hamburg.

Barb Lindquist looks to heaven to offer thanks for making the 2004 Olympic team – a piece of redemption after her 2000 Olympic misadventure.

An Aussie roars like a lion catching its prey at the finish line of Ironman Australia.

The epitome of passion — Ironman Hawaii 1999 winner Lori Bowden embraces then-husband Peter Reid, who finished second, after cashing in on Alii Drive.

Gregor Bucholz of Germany in ecstasy after winning the Under 23 World title.

Belinda Granger hoists an inflatable Roo, a totem of her native Oz, after a top 10 at Kona.

Part 1of 4: Family fun at Ironman Wisconsin. Dad celebrates a fine 10:44:22 finish at Madison by walking his three young children across the finish line.

Part 2: Oops! The pillar of his family gingerly puts down his youngest child as he starts to faint on the rug.

Part 3: Whoa Daddy! His three children react with surprise, amusement and dumfounded shock as their Ironman papa is down for the count.

Part 4: An early case study which may have eventually led to the WTC's 2009 ban on crossing Ironman finish lines with the family.

The closest thing to five year old idiot glee is conquering the final crawl through the ooze at Muddy Buddy.

Stefan Vuckovic of Germany feels like he can fly after securing Germany’s first Olympic triathlon slot at the 2000 ITU World Cup at Sydney. He took silver in September.

Inside Triathlon editor TJ Murphy’s raw, carnal look of victory could well serve as the Encyclopedia Triathletica illustration of the Ironman Caveman syndrome.