By Special to the Town Crier

With a strong performance in Ironman Canada, Los Altos High graduate Steven Woo has qualified for next month’s Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii.

Woo placed 13th in his age group (25-29) and 99th overall out of 1,985 triathletes participating in Ironman Canada. The race, - which included a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run - was held Aug. 26 in Pentiction, British Columbia.

Woo’s time of 10 hours, 18 minutes and 54 seconds was a 20-minute improvement over his time last year. Woo came from behind on the running portion, which he ran in a personal best 3:39.55.

Woo, who has competed in four Ironman Canada races, is a 1989 graduate of Los Altos High.

This is the first time Woo has qualified for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, set for Oct. 6 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Some 50,000 triathletes from more than 50 countries annually attempt to qualify for the world’s most famous endurance event. The field is then narrowed to 1,500 contestants.

“As you can imagine, I am extremely exited and I look forward to going to Kona for the race on Oct. 6 and soak up the entire experience,” Woo said. “Thanks to my training partners, friends and family for supporting me. You know who you are. You all helped me do it.”

Woo, who grew up in Los Altos Hills, has been participating in triathlons since 1990 and was a member of the cycling team at UC Santa Barbara.

In May, Woo competed in the Half-Ironman in Kona and finished in the top 10 percent.

Ironman Canada is one of 14 official Ironman triathlon races that qualify athletes for the prestigious Ironman Triathlon World Championship. To get to Kona, athletes race at qualifying events around the world.

This year’s qualifiers were held in Canada, three locations in the United States, South Africa, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The training for these multi-sport events involves long workouts, making these athletes some of the fittest in the world. Athletes typically train 18-24 hours per week for six to eight months prior to the race to develop the stamina and endurance needed to complete the 140.6 mile event.

The Ironman Triathlon began in 1978 with only 15 competitors. Its explosive growth required race organizers to implement qualifying procedures in 1983.