Kona Review - short version

Good afternoon, I am sitting on the beach eating a banana the size of my forearm, and sweating profusely. (It's a local banana, go figure!) Fortunately I have a cooler full of Bud to slake my thirst. Bud and bananas, yum!

My feet are so swollen I can barely get them into my crocs. Do I care? Not a bit. My next race is the Boston Marathon in April. Lots of time to recover and decompress.

Here is the short version of race day:

Swim:

I started about a third over from the very popular left side. The first 200m was a thrash-fest, but the water opened up once the better swimmers got by me (which was almost everyone!)

I chased some feet pretty much the whole swim. My swim cap came off at the turn, so I just tucked it into my skinsuit and kept going. I did a quick time check and was on pace for a 1:16, but the current was outgoing, goodbye negative split.

I had an awesome set of feet to follow on the return trip, the guy was wearing white and had a nice tight kick, so he was a great pace bunny. If not for chasing him I probably would have swam well over 1:20.

Out of the water, up the steps and into the shower: a very weak 1:19 but a Kona swim PB. Great way to start the day!

Bike

Before the race I talked to German pro Thomas (Hell on Wheels) Hellreigel about his choice of shallow rims. He felt we were in for a return to the typical Kona conditions, ie: windy as hell. Good call Thomas, Madame Pele delivered in spades. We had a head or crosswind all the way up to Hawi, then the same treat going back to Kona.

The only change from a typical Kona sufferfest, was the wind came off the ocean all day, so it had somewhat of a cooling effect. Somewhat.

So it felt like a headwind about 80% of the ride, the only breaks being the delirious descent from Hawi, and the last few miles into town. Otherwise it was a freaking grind, but I felt good, passed a ton of people on the climb to Hawi, and even more on the way down. Then I chipped away at some riders on the homeward leg.

I was really impressed by the strength of the athletes around me, young and old, male and female. When I got passed, I just reminded myself that these are the best triathletes in the world. No shame there.

I hammered it hard in the last few miles, and nailed down another Kona PB of 5:40, nowhere near my best of 5:08 at IM AZ, but pretty darn good for a tough day on a tough course. The best part was, my legs felt great for the run.

Run

I have never felt so good going onto an Ironman run course. I was suicidal only for the first mile, when I took my split and realized I was running a 7:20 pace! Ouch, slow down. I dialled in my desired 8s and churned down Alii Drive, feeling quite solid. I even knocked off a few sub-7:40s to put some time in the bank. (Sorry Coach!)

When I got to the climb at Palani Drive, I started out running at an easy shuffle. Then I power-walked the rest of it. A guy and a gal passed me on the way up, but I re-passed them on the Queen K and put them behind me for good. So that was a 9-minute mile.

It looks so weak walking up Palani, but I think it is a good strategy. There are 16 more hard miles at this point, so it makes sense to conserve some energy. Hell, also known as the Natural Energy Lab, is just a few miles away!

I blitzed the aid stations, doing sponges-water-gel-ice in the hat-sponges again. I probably passed two or three athletes per aid station by not lingering.

At mile 15 we turned off the Queen K and descended into the 4-mile inferno of the Natural Energy Lab, also known as Hell on Earth. As I headed down the gates of Hell, a somewhat cool breeze greeted me. WTF, I thought, are we catching a freaking break here or what? Yes, my 3:30 marathon was within reach!

I got thru the timing mat at the turnaround point, and wondered how soon that would register with whoever was following the race. Only 7 miles to go, that's an easy jog back home in Fish Creek Park. Except, this is the Ironman World Championships, it is now time to go kick some ass!

I had a very serious swoon at the last turn down in the Lab. Problem-solving time. I slowed to a walk, and thought, WTF is happening? I am not walking the last seven miles in Kona. F)ck that! Then I realized I didn't get any calories at the last aid station. I reached into my shirt pocket for my bailout gel, inhaled it and bounced back immediately. Way to go, Powerbar!

A couple of guys who passed me while I was regrouping were quite surprised to see me rise from the dead, and put the boots to them.

I got the bit between my teeth and leaned forward, keeping the hands high and tight, continuing to blitz the aid stations. I kept thinking of Coach Kev's advice: Great marathon=great Ironman. Also Jill Hunt's two easy words: Hold Pace. Then my two easy words, for hot days: Stay Wet!

The run back to Kona was just awesome, I felt bulletproof and chewed thru the field pretty well.

With about three miles to go, I came up to a couple of really tall guys, one wearing US Army and one wearing US Navy togs. I recognized Navy guy as Geoff Cleveland, one of the best Ironman swimmers on the planet, who beat me for the age-group win by a mere 4 seconds on his home course at Ironman Arizona. I made a point of re-introducing myself, then showed him the heels. I have the utmost respect for Geoff, don't get me wrong, but scores need to be settled. I took a few seconds of pleasure, and passed on to complete my mission.

Even the long climb just before Palani felt easy. Once I turned onto Alii, there was a guy on front of me. I entertained the idea of coasting in easy behind him, but the blood rose up to my eyeballs and I found yet another gear. I had Alii Drive all to myself for about 20 seconds, high-fived to the right and the left, and nailed the finish photo. Then I became a helpless mass of dehydrated flesh. Off to the med tent for chicken soup and ice packs!

So I finished 33rd in the world, in the 45-49 age group. Got the Boston spot too. Not bad for an old guy who couldn't lift my left arm over my head back in May! This race is something else. Stupidly tough, but very satisfying. My apologies if I seem rather cutthroat about this whole experience, but I've had a tough year and have a bit of chip on my shoulder, right where my left AC ligament used to be. It's all good now, though!

Mahalo, and thanks for following,

M G