Marking the end of the season for many athletes, Ironman Arizona is the last North American Ironman of the year. Four ARX-Sponsored Timex Multisport athletes finished their season in Arizona on November 22. Among them was first-year team member, Eric Bean. Bean, a medical student at the University of Wisconsin, was competing at his first Ironman-distance race of the year. With a tough school load ahead of him, Bean’s goal was to qualify for Kona in this one shot.

The swim being his only weakness, Bean had some catching up to do on the bike. Lucky for him, he is a category 1 cyclist. After a 3rd-fastest bike split of the day, Bean found himself roughly 9 minutes off the lead and sitting in 10th place overall. A strong run closed out the day, earning him a 6th-place finish and a well-deserved Kona spot.

Bean joins a large group of Timex athletes who have already qualified for the 2010 Kona World Championships, including Tamara Kozulina, Brian Schaning, Tim Hola, and Christine Anderson.