Tim DeBoom, 36 (#12 in hat), from Boulder, Colorado, shown with his buddy Greg Mecca (far left), his brother Tony and wife Nicole. (Finish Time: 8:22:33) DeBoom came to Kona with something to prove. As a two-time champion in 2001 and 2002, he hadn’t really been a factor in Kona since 2003 when had to be pulled from the course, having fallen ill due to a kidney stone. “A lot of people felt that I wouldn’t be a factor here this year,” says DeBoom. After pushing the pace on the bike and running a 2:48:29 marathon, resulting in a fourth-place finish, he and his family and friends would have to disagree.

 Mia Richter, 25 (#1786), from Iowa City, Iowa. (Finish Time: 11:41:16) Richter was on her way to Kona in 2006 and happened to meet Jon Blais on the flight over from Chicago. Blais — aka Blazeman — was returning to the Ironman after finishing the race the year before despite having Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He and Richter became fast friends, and he called her his angel. “We sat at his hotel and talked about anything and everything,” Richter recalls. “He couldn’t hold a glass or the straw with his hands, so I helped him drink his Coke. I spent my entire race thinking of Jon.” She hugged Blais at the finish last year, and it was a moment she will never forget. “It was the best hug I have ever had.” This year, she came back to Kona to honor Blazeman’s memory. “This is about Jon,” she continues. “ I carried his picture with me all day, and I didn’t even bring a watch. The high point of the day was rolling across that finish line for Jon. I looked up at the sky and said, ‘We did it, buddy. We did it!’”Mia Richter, 25 (#1786), from Iowa City, Iowa. (Finish Time: 11:41:16) Richter was on her way to Kona in 2006 and happened to meet Jon Blais on the flight over from Chicago. Blais — aka Blazeman — was returning to the Ironman after finishing the race the year before despite having Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He and Richter became fast friends, and he called her his angel. “We sat at his hotel and talked about anything and everything,” Richter recalls. “He couldn’t hold a glass or the straw with his hands, so I helped him drink his Coke. I spent my entire race thinking of Jon.” She hugged Blais at the finish last year, and it was a moment she will never forget. “It was the best hug I have ever had.” This year, she came back to Kona to honor Blazeman’s memory. “This is about Jon,” she continues. “ I carried his picture with me all day, and I didn’t even bring a watch. The high point of the day was rolling across that finish line for Jon. I looked up at the sky and said, ‘We did it, buddy. We did it!’”