I see one Ken Shirk - AKA Cowman - on the DNF list at Kona. It raises many questions with me; not regarding how his race ended but how he got there in the first place.
The last I heard of Cowman was 2 or 3 years ago when, according to Steve Locke, Charlie Crawford was instructed to find Shirk and serve him with a hearing notice. He'd been nailed banditing IMH several times and USAT was taking steps to permanently bar him.
So did he get booted out of USAT? If so, how did he get re-instated? Then how did he get a legitimate entry to IMH? Did he qualify? Where?How does someone with the reputation of an athletic drifter afford 2 Ironman races in one year?
Cowman is a colorful part of Ironman history. In fact, he's probably the last of the Ironman characters. But he and the others were pushed over and out by cutoff times, qualifying requirements, regulation, and increasing costs. So I'm curious as to how he's getting through the hoops since jumping through them isn't his style.
Who knows the latest chapter in the Cowman Chronicles?
The last I heard of Cowman was 2 or 3 years ago when, according to Steve Locke, Charlie Crawford was instructed to find Shirk and serve him with a hearing notice. He'd been nailed banditing IMH several times and USAT was taking steps to permanently bar him.
So did he get booted out of USAT? If so, how did he get re-instated? Then how did he get a legitimate entry to IMH? Did he qualify? Where?How does someone with the reputation of an athletic drifter afford 2 Ironman races in one year?
Cowman is a colorful part of Ironman history. In fact, he's probably the last of the Ironman characters. But he and the others were pushed over and out by cutoff times, qualifying requirements, regulation, and increasing costs. So I'm curious as to how he's getting through the hoops since jumping through them isn't his style.
Who knows the latest chapter in the Cowman Chronicles?