Ironman Triathlon World Championship: A Kona Preview-Part 1

I would write my own article to preview the Ironman World Championship, but when I read the following article by Ray Britt on Xtri.com, I thought, "That's what I would write, if I were as good a writer as Ray." So I asked him if I could repost his article, and he said OK. Please visit Ray's website at http://runtri.blogspot.com/. I have added pictures and course maps, and the comments in italics are mine. Enjoy.

In the third week of October, many of the world’s best long-distance triathletes on flights from all over the planet will descend into Kona International airport. During that landing, the athletes will get a glimpse of the course they will race on October 21, the day of the 2006 Ironman Triathlon World Championship. Many athletes will be returning to the Big Island, they know what to expect already. But for hundreds of athletes who earned their starting slot at qualifying races in the previous year, race day will be a new experience. If you’re one of the rookies, what can you expect in Kona in race day?

Read on. I competed in Kona in 2002, 2003, and 2004. I had dreamt of earning my spot to Kona for years, then diligently trained to get there. After finally earning my slot at Ironman USA Lake Placid, the excitement I felt about just going to Kona was enough. The excitement builds as race day approaches. The Carbo Load dinner joins the community of athletes under the stars and you feel as if there is no other place you should be at that moment. It’s almost enough, just being there. The reward is picking up your bib number. The race might almost seem an afterthought. But there’s still an Ironman triathlon, on of the toughest ones in the world, to complete.

Race Day – Pre-Dawn

The Kona Ironman morning routine will be much like your other pre-race experiences, but this one will have a couple of differences. First. you will have to line-up to get formally body-marked – it’s a real process -- and the line does not move quickly. It you are the kind that needs plenty of extra time in the transition area to feel relaxed, get to body-marking very early.

Second, there will be television camera crews surrounding the athletes, focusing specifically on the pros and a few pre-selected age groupers. It’s the beginning of everything you’ve seen on the television broadcasts of the race. There’s Natascha Badmann . . . there’s Tim DeBoom . . . It will strike you at that moment: This is Real, I am Here. The fun begins.

Above centre, Aussie triathlete Shane Gibbs gets ready for the swim start. Shane and his father were my neighbors at the Kona Isle condo in 2004. Shane was the first age-grouper out of the water, beating most of the pros. He turned pro the following year, and continues to lead the race out of the water.

There’s only one thing to worry about: getting in the water before the cannon fires at 7am. The very narrow stair entrance to the ocean at Dig Me Beach mean that it’s a single-file process. The line can extend even farther than the bodymarking line did. If you’re the type that needs to be in the water comfortably a few minutes before the race starts, get there early.

Dick and Ricky Hoyt get ready to enter the water. Ricky was born with cerebral palsy, but that never stopped this remarkable father-and-son duo from completing 23 Boston Marathons and six Ironman triathlons, not to mentions dozens of other races. In Kona, Dick will pull Ricky in an inflatable raft through the swim, then ride a special bike with Ricky up front, then push Ricky's wheelchair through the marathon. If you don't already know the Hoyts' story, check it out here, and keep the kleenex handy. http://www.teamhoyt.com/

Last year in Kona, I got a nanosecond in the pixelated spotlight, by being caught in the same frame as 1995 World Champion Karen Smyers, number 79. The 45 year old mother of two has survived such misfortunes as a severed hamstring, a losing battle with a semi-trailer, and thyroid cancer. She finished 12th among the 55 pro female triathletes. (I'm number 613 on the left, in the grey Speedo skinsuit.)

The Swim - 3800 meters/2.4 miles

There is no Ironman swim that is as enjoyable as the one in Kailua-Kona Bay. Unless rough water conditions have churned up the sandy bottom, as happened in 2002, the water is clear and the views are spectacular. When you’re in the water before the start, just look around. It’s an amazing moment. You are really there. It’s everything you expected it would be. Then . . . boom! And cheers. Off you go.

Above, swimmers move up to the start line while the sun rises over Mauna Loa. Wetsuits are not allowed due to the warm water, but the underwater scenery can't be beat.

As you work your way into a good rhythm in the water, you’ll start to notice that you’re among a good, even polite, group of swimmers. Maybe this is more true for the slower swimmers, like me. In other Ironman races, with up to 2500 people in the water at the same time, the congestion can be unreal, the constant contact frustrating.

Above, the swim gets underway. This is one of the least-stressful mass swim starts in the Ironman world: Only about 1600 souls, and plenty of ocean to share.

But in Kona, you only seem to be around good swimmers, ones who know where they are going, who don’t bang into you. You’ll find the swim experience enjoyable because you’re really swimming with a group of swimmers like you. It’s like a group run, you’ll enjoy the company of others around you. It will be a new experience.

Kayaks and surfers keep a close eye on the athletes. Despite the dangers of open water, Kona has one of the lowest dropout rates of all the Ironman swims; due in part to the smaller field in a larger area, and a stronger field of triathletes who had to finish at or near the top of their age groups to be here.

And make sure you look down often to take in the scenery. It can be wonderful, and even distracting. But worth it. That’s the part of the swim you’ll remember most.

Others who know better tell me that the Kona swim is typically breezy out to the turnaround, followed by a tougher return. The return to shore has been likened to a ‘water treadmill’; you don’t move forward as fast as you think. No matter, you’re there for the experience, enjoy it.

Above, the pointy end of the swim in 2004. The swim finish has since moved to the other side of the pier, at Dig Me Beach where the swim also starts.

Yours truly last year, exiting the "water treadmill". Due to an earthquake the previous week, the ocean was still stirred up enough to reduce touristy visibility underneath, and large swells made sighting on the surface pretty difficult.

Next: The Bike. Wind, heat, hills, humidity. It's all there!