January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
McMullens qualify for world championships
The sisters finished just 32 seconds apart in the gruelling Eagleman triathlon in Cambridge, near Baltimore.
On a flat, fast course through towering fields of corn five-time world champion Natascha Badmann set a new world record for the 1.2mile swim, 56mile bike, 13.1mile run - 4:08:17.
With 19 other pros in a women's field of more than 500 the McMullens excelled to finish 25th and 26th respectively (2nd and 3rd in the competitive 35-40 age group). Kim clocked a 4:48:11 with Dee right on her tail in 4:48:42.40.
It was a successful weekend, too, for the rest of the Bermuda contingent with Ellen Charnley coming in 25th in the same age division.
All three women qualified for the Half-Ironman World Championships in Florida in November. The McMullens were also offered places at the Ironman Worlds in Hawaii but were forced to turn them down because of prior commitments.
A men's team, of the three girls' significant others Riian Naude (swim), Garth Thompson (bike) and Donald Bowman (run) won the team event.
Kim said it had been a strange feeling to finally beat her sister - reversing the trend of recent results in local triathlons.
"I only overtook her right at the end - she was miles ahead of me. I was in the last mile of the run and I saw her up ahead and I realized I was going to catch her and it was sort of mixed feelings.
"When she beats me I never think 'damn, I've got to beat her next time', so when I had the chance I almost didn't want to go past her."
It was the run where Kim made up most of the ground on her rivals clocking an amazing time of 1:32:33 off the bike.
"I had a really good run. My time was only a minute slower than I ran on May 24."
She said the Eagleman had been the focus of the year and had turned out to be one of the best races either of them had ever run.
"I would say this is as good as I have done in a race like this. I placed really well at Panama City a few years ago but Eagleman is the biggest in the U.S. You've got more pros and more of the top competitors coming to this event so it was really satisfying to do well."
She said Ellen Charnly had helped complete a successful weekend by booking one of the qualifying places for the 70.3 World Championships in Florida where the trio will compete in November.
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