So we did it!
A four word sentence to encapsulate a two year wait since the universe decided to have a laugh and offer me a place at the Ironman World Championship in Kona this year!
Many will already know the story of my dramatic and lets be honest a fortunate roll down to 99th place in my 50-54 age group at Ironman Wales 2022 and the change of date to 2024 meaning I got the chance to watch the OTCF women race Kona in 2023. Seeing the race conditions that year definitely gave me valuable insight as well as the opportunity to speak to them about preparing the race. More information was gathered from Mel and Becky who raced in 2022 and of course Coach Clark who has bossed this race each time he's done it.
From the beginning my strategy was to arrive at Kona in my best shape - not the fittest or fastest but uninjured. This meant that despite having the time I didn't increase the training hours or intensity and just over thought every twinge tweak cough and sneeze.
The 2023 race season gave me a few memorable race performances so I planned 2024 as just the three races of Outlaw half, Outlaw full and Kona with specific goals for each one. Outlaw half was ok but the full Outlaw went a little awry with a cancelled swim replaced by a 5k run and an overly aggressive bike causing me to walk during the run when I overheated. Following this and conversations with last years racers I started a heat acclimatisation program of post exercise hot baths, saunas and no cooling fans when training indoors.
Equipment wise I was loaned a swim skin by Steve Grocock who aside from Coach Clark was one of the first to KQ. SteveG is a phenomenal athlete and worked hard to get to Kona and put in a strong race. The swim skin was also used to good effect by Sophie H in 2023 and so deserved a more relaxing time. I have a couple of tt bike frames, a conventional Felt B2 and the Falco that due to its design can only be used in Ironman or similar events. In my opinion its a good looking bike and different but needs a lot more attention with maintenance and set up, especially the brakes. Kona doesn't allow a rear disc and I was offered a set of Zipp wheels from Coach Clark and Dan Ellis but I was already using a Hed three spoke front wheel from Phil Binch so decided to use the rear as well. I usually use a compact 50/34 chainset and after using Fulgaz indoor routes to test gearing I decided against increasing the gearing to a 53/36 standard as I planned to coast down the hills on the return leg from Hawi. For me it was more important to be able to conserve energy UP the hills into a headwind than pedal DOWN them. I usually to pass other riders downhill anyway so I'm either in a good aero position, my tyres are pumped up harder or I'm fat. Kona feed stations hand out drinks in normal bottles not cycling bidons and they do not sit securely in bottle cages so i fitted an Profile Designs refillable bottle between the tri bars with a Garmin bike computer mounted on the top.
As mentioned before I tend to overheat so I didn't want to use a trisuit all race especially as the rear pockets are tricky to access so I opted for tri shorts only in the swim and put a cycle top on for the bike. T2 kit bag contained all the options for the run.....running vest, tri top, trisuit and even a tee shirt. Shoes were upgraded from Saucony Endorphin Speed to the carbon plated Pro 4's after getting a promo code making them a similar price.
As the race approached I (unusually for me) became paranoid re fitness, illness, swim ability, bike position and bike reliability. All I could do was check what I could and as said many times in the house the previous year "control the controllable". The bike was stripped and packed into the bike box by itself as hold luggage weight is very strict especially on the outbound flights. Travelling to Hawaii takes at least nineteen hours and one stop in the US then another six hours from there to the middle of the Pacific. Bikes can arrive late but its more important they arrive in one piece! I took the spare rear hanger I had and also removed the rear mech protecting the bike as much as possible. Swim and run kit was packed into hand luggage so if there were any bike box or luggage issues I could still train those disciplines and acclimatise.
Everything arrived with us on Monday 20th of October so the next day the bike was built up in the garage of our AirBnb (which was less than a mile from where I stayed last year) and a short test ride showed a rubbing front brake and several dropped chains off the front ring. Both are less than ideal but I was confident i could sort them. The front brake was due to how the cable was routed and needs to be in a specific sweet spot. I repositioned the cable and opened the clearance up. The front mech needed a couple more rides and each time it dropped I was careful to stop pedaling and not try to get the chain to catch in case it causes more damage or brakes anything. I suggest that everyone needs to learn a little about how to adjust your bike as even if you have your bike fully serviced beforehand the rebuild doesn't always go back exactly the same.
A bit of sightseeing, merch shopping and finally registration on the Thursday. All kit was laid out and packed in to the relevant bags and race numbers added prior to racking on Friday. I'd done a few sea swims including a long swim of the full route and found that tinted goggles were definitely needed due to the brightness of the sun. Unfortunately I'd not put them back in their bag after the last swim and they were scratched to buggery when I went to add them to the race kit. As always it pays to pack spares.
Race day morning was a 3am alarm and 4am depart for the usually 15min drive to the start. Race info said there were shuttle buses in Ali'i drive but social media said they were unreliable. On the way we saw a racer stood at the end of our road waiting for the bus, Given the recent reports of poor bus service, that we had room in the hire vehicle and good karma Craig from Australia joined us. The bike was checked over and water bottles frozen overnight were added to the bike. Plenty of time left to go see the pros racking and keep the fluids and carbs up. Age Group waves were assembled on the finish chute before being led down the steps onto the beach. As we were the second to last wave we were unable to see the pros exit the water but could follow the race on the big screen. Lots of volunteers line the entrance to the water and with a big group I positioned myself at the back of the start, but made sure I didn't waste time swimming to the deep water start. I had about five seconds of treading water before the start horn went and others were still swimming to the start or entering the water behind me.
Reports of jellyfish didn't worry me, Tenby has them the size of dustbin lids and we'd swam with them in Majorca so I concentrated on staying on swimmers feet and passing when comfortable. Calm conditions meant sighting the buoys was easy and clear water helped seeing swimmers ahead. At three quarters into the swim out to the turn the last wave were on us and three swim strokes later they weren't! Very little chance of a draft off them! As we turned around the Body Glove boat and then started the swim back more white/silver swim caps came past and I found I could stay with them, either because they were tiring or I had paced my swim better. The last 4-500m seemed to take as long as the previous 3.3km but very soon I was alongside the iconic pier and feeling the Dig Me Beach sand beneath my feet. No dramas standing up and going up the steps and pics show how happy I am with things so far. A decent rinse under the freshwater hoses and I walked to the changing tent. Volunteers were there with vinegar in spray bottles for anyone who got stung by the jellyfish and there were a lot. I asked what it felt like and a volunteer replied "if you've been stung...you'll know". Pics appeared later on social media of some big allergic reactions from athletes who got stung.
T1 was slow and steady to make sure I had everything sorted, helmet and shoes were left on the bike, Garmin started and big gulps of carb drinks taken on from the now melting on bike bottles. Sue was just before the mount line so easy to stop for a quick chat and update. On the bike with a goal of doing an easy a ride as possible around 180w and keeping the heart rate effort below 140bpm as much as possible. Each feed station was the same......finish off the carb drink and lob the bottle, grab the first water bottle and rack in the rear cage, then grab a carb drink and hold in my mouth whilst I grab a gel, banana or bar to transfer straight to my rear shirt pockets. Last bottle offered was water to pour as much over myself as possible. I tried to pour as much carb drink into the front bottle as possible before exiting the trash zone as a DSQ for littering would be hard to accept. Coach Clarks final bit of advice was don't miss a water station and feed stations were taken slowly to ensure this was done.
The ride out went by fairly quick, I had a checkpoint time in mind from riding the section on Full Gaz and it was just after then I saw Sam Laidlow coming the other way with a huge lead from a couple of other riders and then the large pack of chasing riders. Seeing the battle for a World title at the birthplace of long distance triathlon was very cool The climb to Hawi is known as the first test and as said the plan was to take things as easy as possible, I was still passing people though and that made me ease up and coast on the descents. As usual in these events you get to see the same competitors around you with the occasional hero flying by as they overcome a poor(er) swim or a mechanical.
The return leg on the bike was back along the Queen K highway and the long descents have the added elements of gusting crosswinds of up to 40km/h. I saw many riders sat up however I felt confident in the aero position and it allowed me keep drinking from the front bottle. Ironman rides are tough no matter what and mentally I was ticking off the distance and making sure each gear shift went smoothly and it wasn't until I saw planes coming in to land at the airport I started to relax a little. Many races are ended with mechanicals and accidents and I was genuinely relieved to see runners already out on the course indicating the ride was nearly over.
A non flashy dismount and steady walk to my racking point - again no need to raise the HR unnecessarily. Racked and a quick pat on the bike thanking it for behaving I made my way around the perimeter of the pier. Many other athletes were running past me and as I entered the bag racks volunteers already had my bag ready to pass on. I'd packed a lot of options for the run and decided to keep the tri shorts on and use the running vest. Sophie Hedges had donated a cooling scarf that could be loaded with ice and a volunteer started to fill it. As he brought it back I'd dried my feet, thrown lots of powder on them (and everyone else as I'd sat in front of a large cooling fan!) and had my shoes on. I tried to tuck the ice scarf into the back of the running vest and after a few attempts decided to change in to the tri suit. T2 time........ 26 mins. Oooops.
Last year watching the women exit T2 and start the run showed how tough things can get. Many were walking, being ill or being talked into stopping/not stopping. Plan was to start steady, tick off 5km at a time and build to the Energy Lab then reassess. A quick chat with Sue as I walked up the climb from transition to the traffic lights and a roadside rendition of happy birthday from Wendy and Chloe Crossland (supporting Johnny Strong of Real Fitness) was a welcome start to the run. At the turn point just before Magic Sands Beach we got the first drops of rain and by the time Id got back to Kailua Kona town there were full on rivers of water running in to the roadside drains! I got to the Palani climb and Jan Frodeno passed me a drink, by this time I'd learned Patrick Lange had won and mentioned to him how cool it was. Jan agreed, we bumped fists and were now clearly best friends.
I made my way to the top of the Palani climb and started to run again but the legs seemed to be heavier. A process of run/walk started depending on feel, if I was approaching feed stations, spectators or other athletes. Reviewing the race afterwards and re reading this now I did feel moments of regret I walked so much. It didn't feel like I was fatigued or similar it was more a mental battle of assessing if the effort was "worth it". Ultimately the goal was to finish and I can remember after a brief run looking up the road expecting to see the Energy Lab and all I saw was another climb and a long line of runners. This and another line of tired looking athletes running towards me made the decision to walk easy.
Mentally........I was done.
This didn't mean I was in a bad place, quite the opposite.
A long time ago I was chatting to a bike racing team manager I was working for about how I was throwing so much time and money into that season and not getting results. His response of "define results" made me realise we all have different ideas of a result. For some it is about race position, race times, achieving a perceived effort or as I discovered its about enjoyment.
I was racing at the World Champs in Kona, I had loads of time to complete the run, the volunteer stations were full of energy and I had seen Billy Monger on his way to break the record. I thought back to last year being out on the course with Gemma and Craig and the post race vibe with everyone back at the finish.
I kept up with adding fresh ice to the neck scarf, sipped on drinks at the feed stations and chatted to other athletes about what we wanted after we finished. With about 5k to go I did the mental arithmetic what I needed to ensure the run was faster than the bike, grabbed as many of those super expensive Maurten gels as I could carry and started trotting. The nearer I got the finish the more the crowds grew and the less I felt like walking. As i approached the red carpet there was an athlete sorting a flag for his finish line celebration which reminded me to look for Sue. As I looked up I saw a Union Jack and indicated to the guy next to me to go ahead. After 14 hours I wasn't too bothered about taking a minute to find an empty section of finish line for a decent pic for the toilet wall.
So here we are.....the Kona red carpet. The scene of epic victories, dramatic finishes of athletes crawling over the line, memories of watching live feed of friends completing the race and now its my turn. A chat to Sue and a check over the shoulder and I was on my way.
I crossed the line and took in as much as I could. After pausing for a Frodeno style pic I made my way down the ramp and was greeted by two volunteers either side of me. With a towel wrapped around me and a quick wave to the live feed I was ushered to the cool down area for food, my post race bag and my medal. I was tired but walking so did n't hang around too long, met with Sue and sorted getting the bike and kit bags back to the car.
Post race reflections unlike the race and this report are short.
Enjoy what you are doing.
Stay hydrated.
Be patient.....Jan will call.
David Hinch
Kona 2024
Norseman 2023
Alp D'Huez 2023
Ironman Austria 2016
Ironman Wales 2014/15/22/23
Challenge Roth 2012/13/14
Outlaw 2019/21/22/24
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