Kona Race Report: Part 2 "Race Day"

The World Championships branded the sidewalks of Kona.

I don't know why I even set my alarm for race morning.  It was set to go off at 3:45, but I found sleeping after 1:30 to be difficult.  I had that nervous energy you get when you've prepared so much for something, and its almost time to put all that work on display.  I was so excited to experience everything I had read and heard about Kona!

After the body marking and weigh-in, I made my way to transition.  There were TV cameras, volunteers, and athletes all over the place.  Even at 4:45 in the morning, the buzz of race morning was in full swing.  I entered transition and started walking passed the sectioned off area for the pro triathletes.  Of course, all the big names were there preparing their bikes and gear just like the rest of us.  I spotted Beth Shutt, my good friend and mentor, who is now a pro.  I yelled, "let's go Beth."  Her attention turned away from her bike, and she came over and gave me a hug.  We wished each other good luck and parted ways to finish our preparations.  This was a brief but special moment.  Beth introduced me to triathlon six years ago.  I used to ask her all the awkward questions about the sport.  Things like, "what do you do when you have to go to the bathroom on the bike or the run and there's no port-a-john around?"  Over the years, I went from getting dropped by Beth on training rides to becoming one of the strongest cyclists in the field.  Beth has seen me grow from a first-timer to an Ironman at Kona.  It was fitting for us to be competing on the same day at the World Championships.

Transition on race morning.

Go Beth!

Everything was set in transition.  I had over an hour until the race start.  I met up with Laura, and we met up with Matt, Jason, and the crew on Ali'i Drive.  The streets were quickly filling with spectators as they were positioning themselves to see the swim start.  Spectators climbed onto the walls of Kailua Bay and lined Ali'i Drive.  The coffee shops, restaurants, and even the bars were open for business and filling fast.  Shortly after 6 am, the National Anthem was sung, two sky-divers parachuted into Kailua Bay, and two helicopters with big cameras on the front were circling overhead.  It was AWESOME!

What a morning!

The best view of the race was from above.

They lined the bay.

My number one fan.

From left: Laura, Kristen, and my Laura

The boys are ready to race.

The Swim

The pro men went off.  Next, the pro women began their day.  Finally, it was our turn to enter the water.  It took about 10 minutes to get all the age-group men into the water (about 1500 of us).  Finally, after a Hawaiian blessing from the announcer, the canon blasted and the race was underway.  I eased my way into the swim trying to keep a steady, strong, but comfortable pace.  I was being much more conservative than usual.  Being that this was my first ocean swim, I didn't want to put myself into a bad spot.  Looking back at it now, I was probably a little too conservative, but that's ok.  As the swim continued, I could feel my body rise and fall with each swell of the Pacific.  The taste of salt-water would become the worst part of the swim.  With each unexpected sip along with the occasional gulp of salt-water, my mouth and throat became more and more dry.  It was terrible.  I would much rather drink the "dirty" Allegheny River water any day.  By the time I hit the turn around buoy, I felt like I had been in the water for a long time.  But, I stayed calm and kept swimming.  For the entire 2.4 mile swim, I was bumping bodies with other competitors.  In fact, I got kicked in the face shortly after the turn around buoy.  The bumping usually only happens in the first several hundred yards of a race, but, I guess swimming with 2000 other competitors at the World Championships is a little different.  It didn't bother me though.  After an hour and twenty minutes of swimming I climbed the stairs out of Kailua Bay excited to have completed the swim that I've see on TV so many times.  There were hanging hoses as you entered transition for athletes to rinse their bodies.  I, like many others, took a swig of that fresh water to try and get rid of the salty taste in my mouth.  Then, I headed to my bike.

1 down, 2 to go!

Yes, some of the ladies caught up with me in the water.

The Bike

I quickly made my way through transition and headed out on the bike.  I caught a glimpse of Laura as I rode up the small hill out of transition before turning right onto Kuakini Highway for the quick out and back loop through Kona.  This first loop was crowded as cyclists maneuvered in both directions at speeds exceeding 20 mph.  A mistake by one cyclist could have caused a dangerous pile-up.  I was fast, but safe and quickly found myself climbing Palani hill and out onto the Queen K Highway.

Headed out of transition making a quick chinstrap adjustment.

Caught a glimpse of Laura with this quick head turn.

Flying down Kuakini Hwy

Climbing Palani hill.

The first 30 miles of the bike were fast!  I found myself riding amongst many riders.  I was passing a lot of riders, but there was no doubt the level of cyclist was much higher.  A group of 5 or 6 of us seemed to be trading places back and forth for the first twenty miles, until finally, I pulled away.  At mile 30, I looked at my watch and thought to myself, "I am going to crush this bike course if there isn't any wind."  I couldn't believe how easy the first 30 miles were.  Then, it was like somebody switched on a fan.  A big, huge fan.  A headwind hit us that almost stopped us in our tracks.  It felt like you were riding up a hill even though it was a perfectly flat road at times.  I kept thinking about that Mark Allen (6 time Ironman Champion) quote that goes something like.  "A tailwind is always welcome.  A headwind can be endured.  But, crosswinds are treacherous."  I stayed tucked low in the aero position to stay out of the wind as much as possible and tried to keep a consistently strong cadence without trying to muscle through the wind exerting unnecessary energy.

From time-to-time, I made sure to take notice of the spectacular views along the Queen K.  There was very little in terms of people or houses or resorts.  However, the views of the lava fields and the Pacific ocean were beautiful.  I continued to battle headwinds and crosswinds often, staying as low as possible during a headwind and leaning right or left into the crosswinds.  I could see other cyclists doing the same.  The profiles of cyclists ahead of me were no longer perpendicular to the ground, but rather slanted into the wind.

As I climbed the final hill before the turnaround at Hawi, the winds were treacherous.  But what was a headwind became a tailwind minutes later.  This was when I realized how dangerous things had gotten.  Of course you want to go fast, but riding down a hill with a tailwind is scary.  My thoughts were, "it's better to be safe at this point then to be fast."  Although, you couldn't help but be fast.  There were several instances where I gripped the wide handlebars instead of staying in aero to ensure I had as much control of my bike as possible.  I had to pick my moments to pass competitors carefully because I didn't want to crash.

Stretching the legs a little.

Riding strong.

As I passed a road sign that said, "Kona 30," I realized I was on pace to break 5 hours on the bike despite the treacherous winds.  Of course, I wanted to do this.  I decided to make it somewhat of a 30 mile time trial.  The field of cyclists had thinned somewhat, and I used each small group of cyclists ahead of me as motivation.  I wanted to catch every group I could.  As I passed Waikoloa about 20 miles from Kona, I hit a flat stretch of road with a nice tailwind.  I was flying!!!  There were spectators at this point because there was a nearby resort.  As I passed them I must have been going over 40 mph.  I pounded my pedals effortlessly and took full advantage of every second of that tailwind.  I stood up out of the aero position on every little hill and was completely focused on breaking the 5 hour mark.

A focused effort up a small hill.

Passing another competitor.

As I turned off the Queen K Hwy and down Palani hill, I knew I was close.  I cruised into transition and dismounted my bike with a final bike time of 4:59:48.  Just made it!  I moved up 89 places in my age group alone from 180th to 91st.  Not bad for a first timer on the Queen K. :)

The Run

Somewhat surprisingly to me, I felt good leaving T2 as I headed out onto Ali'i Drive for the 10 mile out and back.  The streets were filled with spectators cheering us on, and the local landscaping provided some coverage from what was still a stinging sun.  I was being very aware of my pace; trying to stay around 7:40/mi even though I was feeling so good.  After hitting the turnaround down the street from St. Peter's by the Sea, my thoughts turned to my late grandmother.  She passed just a couple days before I left for Kona, and I had dedicated my effort at the World Championships to her.  As I was running along Ali'i Drive, my eyes filled with tears for a moment.  Her memory filled my body with a strength I didn't expect to have at this point in the race.  I felt as though I had skipped the swim and the bike.

St. Peter's By The Sea Catholic Church

As I finished the first 10 miles along Ali'i Drive, I passed Laura.  It was great to see her!  Shortly after, I made the turn once again up Palani hill to head out onto the Queen K.  I allowed myself to take Palani very slowly and even walked through the aid station on the hill to ensure I took in some good nutrition.  I knew I was headed out to the famous Energy Lab and the suffering would take place.

Headed out on Ali'i Dr.

Coming back on Ali'i Dr.

The stretch from Palani to the Energy Lab was just over a 7 mile stretch.  As I hit the Queen K, I was feeling strong, but by mile 16 I started to struggle mentally.  At one point, I said out loud, "this road is one constant incline."  Shortly after turning down Natural Energy Rd, I saw Beth headed back the other way.  I was still feeling pretty good, but after hitting the turnaround and climbing the small hill back to the Queen K about mile 19, I was really starting to hurt.  I managed a couple more solid miles around 8:00/mi and even 7:45/mi as I was running with other competitors on pace to break 10 hrs overall.  But, by mile 22 I was tired.  I was physically and mentally tired.  I thought back to Ironman Louisville just 6 weeks earlier, where I needed to dig as deep as possible to earn my qualifying slot for Kona.  But on this day in the "Super Bowl of Triathlon," that motivation didn't exist.  I wasn't racing to qualify, and my thoughts were, "I can put my head down and hurt myself to break 10 hrs, or I can ease up a little, look around, and enjoy the last 4 miles of racing at the Ironman World Championships."  I chose to enjoy those final miles.  I thanked some of the volunteers at the aid stations as they handed me water, sports drink, and even chicken broth.  Yes, chicken broth.  After eating energy gels all day, that chicken broth tasted so good.

I exited the Queen K, turned down Palani, then, made a left on Kuakini Hwy.  A half-mile later, I turned onto Ali'i Dr. as I entered the finishing chute.  I had seen so many athletes on TV run down this chute.  From Ironman World Champions like Craig Alexander to the most inspirational age-groupers like Dick Hoyt pushing his son Rick in a specially made wheelchair.  Now, it was my turn.  My stride quickened.  I passed Laura and thought about all the training hours she endured for me.  I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was coming, and I approached the finish line.

I wish I could say I had some unique finish.  Some people dance.  Some people jump.  Some people click their heels.  But, truthfully, that just wouldn't have been my style.  I strode right through that finish line with arms in the air for a brief moment and a quick double fist pump to put a small exclamation point on a yearlong mission completed.  I finished the marathon with a time of 3:34:23.  Just four seconds slower than I ran at Louisville six weeks earlier.  Overall, I missed the 10 hour mark by 2 minutes and 8 seconds.  But, you know what, it just means I have something to shoot for if I ever go back. :)