— SPORTS NEWS photo cindy Goodman "KIM Leviton, left, will try to keep pace with her father Rob when the pair of North : Vancouver athletes compete in the Subaru Canadian lronman triathion on Sunday. ” Jan-Christian Sorensen “Sports Reporter feorensen@nsnews.com KIM Leviton is following in her father’s footsteps. ee - The North Vancouver substitute teacher will race alongside her father Rob when the starter pistol signals.the ! beginning of the 18th annual -140.6-mile: (226.3-km). Subaru Ironman . Canadian miathion this Sunday. *-The annual event combines a 2.4-mile (3.9 km) swim,'a 112-mile (180.2 km) cycle and a 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run. Participants have 17 hours to complete the event. z_ year the 24-year-old completed the course “in 13:36, an improvement over her 1998 posting of 15:53. “> Kim, a member of the’ North Shore Track ch b, trains six days a week on a year- round And while she jokes that she's looking to top er.old man, she has him to thank for getting er involved in the sport.” She ‘said she initially had doubts about tak- ing part in the often-grueling fitness test, though. “saw the look on his fice when he crossed ¢ finish line: sometimes and I would think hat is he doing?” she said. It’s a huge ‘accomplishment, though. -You put one foot in front of the other arid you ct to the finish line. It’s ccally a race against reel” Bebe 51, said he realizes Kim i is hot on his who said he usually averages between 1] and 12 hours. He said the key to completing the event is knowing cnough to maintain a steady pace. - “A lot of people go out very fast and then (drop off). You have to know how far you can push yourself that vou can complete the whole thing,” he said. “You don’t want ta go crazy on the bike and then get Gif and not be able to run a step and then you've blown a year’s maining.” “I'ma not going to be the guy who wins the race. I'm going out there for my own fin, real- ly. You want to be able to finish and not have your wife looking for you in the medical rent.” The toughest part of the course general! -depends on the weather conditions at ‘the time of the race, said Kim. “In 1998 it was about 35 or 40 degrees and there was a headwind for mast of the bike (por- ton). It was hot and everyone was tired and that’s why a lot of people's times were slower that year.” Thirty-one cthletes from North Vancouver will try for the $12,000 first prize, while West Vancouver will field a slate of eight. The top fin- ishers qualify for the Hawaii Ironman world charnpionship on October 14. Brendan Brazier, also of North Vancouver, will be one of the competitors racing for a first- place finish. Brazier finished 20th at last year's championship with a time of 9:33:28 Also returning to the course. is North Vancouver’s Mark Bates, a four-time Canadian short-course triathlon cham In 1997 he raced to a second-place nish at his first ‘Tronman triathlon with a time of 8: 46:16. WEST VANCOUVER 922-2271