Ironman Triathlon World Championship: A Kona Preview-Part 3

This morning on Alii drive, athletes get some last-minute training in. Kona Isle condos is where I have stayed for all three world championships I've raced. It's at mile 2 and mile 8 of the run course (we run north five miles on Alii, then turn around and run back through town, then up onto the Queen K highway.) Last year I thought very seriously about turning off Alii right here, to go drink beer poolside.

Run
In 2004, I remember emerging from bike-to-run transition into a
blast furnace of the most powerful heat I’d ever experienced on a
race course. By the time you start running, the sun will be high in
the sky, the humidity will feel like 100%, and the asphalt will be
radiating even more heat. It takes time to acclimate to that kind of
heat after swimming 2.4 miles and riding 112. The good news is that
first half of the course provides many opportunities to run in the
shade, while soaking yourself with ice and sponges at well-stocked
aid stations.

After heading east out of town on Alii Drive, the course takes you
to an oceanfront turnaround near the 6 mile point. You’ll do a 180
degree turn and head back toward town. The run course is mostly flat
for the first 12 miles or so. Then you’re back in town, facing
Palani Drive. A friend and consistent top age-group finisher in Kona
tells me: the race begins at Palani Drive. For him, he’s been
running the first half of the marathon smartly. He turns it up a
notch or two after he runs the 200 yards up Palani, then heads west
on the Queen K.

Kona 2006. I'm smiling because I got through the rough patch back at mile 8. After the climb up Palani Drive, I finally started to feel good, for the first time all day.

If you want to be competitive in Kona, he is indeed right. The last
13.1 miles in Kona are where the best crack wide open. You are
completely exposed to the sun. There are long inclines to wear you
down. And yes, for some reason, the several miles into and out of
the Energy Lab can suck the life out of you. The competitive racers
will use those challenges to their advantage.

The Energy Lab may not seem as rough as it does in Ironman broadcasts; it is survivable. Once you’re past that, 21 miles complete, just 5 miles to town, and
you’re an Ironman. The next four miles have never been easy for me.
They seem to be constantly uphill, and they go by so slowly. But
when you reach Palani Drive, and make that right hand turn after the
25 mile markers, your best moments are ahead.

Finish
Savor that last mile. You will have trained and raced thousands of
miles over the years to get there, For the first 1000 meters of it,
you will probably be alone. Most of the spectators are at the finish
line. In that relative solitude, reflect on all you’ve done to get
to that point. Two right turns later, and you’re on Alii Drive.
Sacred Ground. At first you won’t see the finish line, but you’ll
hear it. You keep going. Then you see the bright lights, you hear
Mike Reilly welcoming home the athletes ahead of you.

Then it’s your turn. The best 100 yards in endurance sports. Slow
down. High five spectators., cross the line with your favorite
gesture as Mike Reilly say it:

You are An Ironman!