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 It's a wonderful life: Alexandre Ribeiro

Before talking about this year's strategy that brought him a record fourth Ultraman World Championship, Brazilian Alexandre Ribeiro wants you to know what his life is like. "I'm very happy to win this race," he says. "But more important for me is to be a good model for my children Kailani, Kaipo, and Maila. When the kids say 'Go father!' it's so good for my mind. It's the greatest inspiration."

After a divorce, Ribeiro is a single father and he's proud of it. "I wake up at 5 o'clock. Make the breakfast, put the kids on the bus to school, go to training. Take my car and drive an hour and half away from Rio to the hills, It's safer there and I train five hours on the hills. When I get back, I make lunch and then I take the kids to soccer and gym., After I go to do personal training and have spin classes at the gym. Then I come home and make dinner for the kids and put them to bed.

"On weekends, I train more - nine hours riding the hills on Saturday. And five hours run on Sunday. And on weekends I hold a training camp on the beach with 50 people. I must give them good energy to inspire them to swim, bike and run at the beach. Very nice training."

Like almost all triathletes in Brazil, Ribeiro has to work hard to maker a living so he can do the sport he loves. Unlike Brazil's champion soccer players, auto racers, beach volleyball heroes, basketball and tennis pros, there isn't any luxury for the triathletes. With one exception. "In Brazil, no one makes a good living from triathlon, except Fernanda Keller (the six time Ironman Hawaii third place finisher). She is like Pele in Brazil. And now maybe Reinaldo Colucci will make good money. The rest of us do it for love."

And for this year's strategy? Ribeiro faced a healthy Peter Kotland, the legend who ran a stunning 5:33:27 double marathon to win this race in 1997, Marathon des Sables veteran Mike LeRoux, and old friend Miro Kregar of Slovenia, a fellow father of three who ran with Alexandre last year as they set the two fastest double marathon splits.

"This year I train very hard for the bike because I don't train too much for the run or the swim," he said. "In 2007, I learn a lot about pacing the bike from Jonas Colting. He didn’t go hard on the first long downhill on Day 2. He stay back when we ride on the beach at the Red Road. He start to push a little riding past Hilo and up the coast. But he take off on the big hill to Waimea and up the Koalas to Hawi. Last year I rode that way, and I do it again this year and get the lead."

In fact, after a middling 2:53:42 swim, Ribeiro set fastest first and second day bike splits, coming within two minutes of the two-day bike splits record set by 2000 champion Uros Velepec of Slovenia. This charge on the bike bought Ribeiro a 23-minute lead on Mike LeRoux, 38 minutes on Kotland, and 40 minutes on Kregar going into the final day run. "This year, I push hard up the first hill on Day 2 and I am alone. It feels good while I'm riding, but the next day I pay." While substantial, his lead wasn't a sure thing if Kotland could unleash the 5:33:27 beast of 1997. So Ribeiro thought it would be a goods idea to run with his old pal Miro while Kotland chose to start slowly and build into a negative split.

"But Miro push very fast from the start on the run," recalls Ribeiro. "For the first 10k -- 38 minutes! Hey, I'm not short distance. But Miro says he needs to go fast to beat the man who races the desert (LeRoux) and Peter Kotland. I always run so good with him, I say 'OK. Let's go!'"

Kotland was trying to stick to his plan to start slowly and come ion strong with a negative split, but he, too, got sucked into the speed and clocked 40 minutes for the first 10k. "I thought it was faster than I wanted to go," said Kotland.

While they run very close together, it's a little funny to observe how Ribeiro and Kregar get in synch. Kregar takes big strides, while Ribeiro has shorter strides and faster turnover. Kregar offers another reason why their odd couple running works. "I run on heart rate, Alexandre runs by pace," says Kregar. "He pushes the uphills, I push the downhills. And so we keep each other honest, always pushing hard."

At 21 kilometers, almost half the first marathon, Miro's watch said 1:24. "Today the wind was is behind and the run starts fast," said Ribeiro. "When they hit the halfway point, official time was 2:59:03, but Kregar's Garmin said 2:57." Kotland was lurking 5 minutes back, 3:04 on official race time.

By the three-quarter mark, Kregar and Ribeiro had synched their toilet stops - while one man urinated, the other unloaded number two, then vice versa. By the 39-mile mark, they had slowed a little to 4:39, 10 minutes over six hour pace. Meanwhile, Kotland found he didn’t have the negative split speed he anticipated, and was 12 minutes back.

Then Ribeiro's stomach stopped growling and he started hurling in the lava.

"Miro, you wait for me?'

"No, I have to make time on the man who runs in the desert -- and Peter (Kotland)."

Sorry. Bye.

At a point where his beautifully conceived race plan might unravel, Ribeiro's mind was strongest. By this point, the slender, sleek Brazilian's stride was labored and he was leaning crazily to the right like the Leaning Tower of Rio.

"I lose capacity in my legs, but I can finish," said Ribeiro. He gave up 8 minutes to Kregar and 5 minutes to Kotland, but the record 4th win was safe. For half the run he seemed on pace for the 6:01 double marathon that would have broken Holger Spiegel's 1998 course record, Ribeiro intelligently settled for a second-best 6:30:38 run and 22:10:12 overall time, 29 minutes in front of Kregar and 54 minutes in front of Kotland and 57 minutes in front of Le Roux.

"I love this race, but what makes it very special is that my boys Kailani and Kaipo were on my support crew," said Ribeiro. "Now, Kailani knows when I need a gel or a drink
and he gets it to me and I don’t have to tell him."

Ribeiro thanks his own father for giving him the model for his own impassioned fatherhood. "When I was 10 years old, my father showed me football, skateboard, running - all the sports - and I am inspired, When I saw Abebe Bikila win the marathon on TV (a documentary history), I go on the beach and run 10k like I am Abebe Bikila. I am excited to run, so I run my first half marathon at age 13 in 1:24. And so in the same way I want to pass on to my children the excitement of sport."