The view from the hotel balcony on arrival, at the Royal Kona...surf was up!
I was "digging" the swim start:
Great local flavor on Dig-Me Beach:
Parade of Nations:
Bike course recon pics:
The take from some trick or treating via bike on Alii Drive:
And of course, the underpants run (a required element in such a report):
Nice pre race meal at Sam Choy's overlooking Keauhou and Kailua, incredible menu and view! Bento with Spam!!: (and a Longboard)
Got to hear Macca at the Sports Medicine conference I attended (caused me to miss most of the Slowtwitch gathering though ;(
Race day is here; it's go time! transition pics:
Okay a brief pause in the pics for executive race report
Swim: 1:17 and change for me, about what I expected, took it easy as I didn't want a replay of the TX calf cramps...heard and saw spinner dolphin during swim...very little contact...easy swim
T1 and T2: 6 minutes combined, relatively quick!
Bike: 5:21...felt pretty good the whole way...though not a windy day by Kona standards, there certainly were challenges relative to what I'm used to...held a pretty steady 175W avg, 185 normalized and overall 21 mph...winds out to Hawi directly in face on the way out, working hard for 11 mph, then 37-42 mph with the tail! All on course nutrition for me, mixture of coke, gels, and Perform...aimed for 150-200 cal per aid station
Run: 3:40...ran mostly 8's down Alii and to the energy lab, where the energy suddenly vanishes, then 9's on in and hurting...felt great at mile 21 and awful at 22, laid off the coke and took on some pretzels which helped...last mile downhill a load of fun...I regret that I didn't soak everything in more once down on Alii and really enjoy that last quarter mile
Overall 10:26, very pumped as I had a solid race and beat goal of 10:30...of course I wanna come back and make a bit more of a run for the top once I age up...gotta find a BUNCH of minutes though...incredible fast times at the top of 45-49 and 50-54
Recovery at Huggo's on race night:
The day after the race we went swimming amongst hundreds of spinner dolphins, which were located right off the shore at the energy lab of all places. Absolutely incredible experience!!
This one was close enough to touch:
And then a different type of recovery:
[/img]
Last night's sunset at the Royal Kona bar:
I always thought Kona was about qualifying, racing, and individual achievement...but now that I'm home I realize that's only a small part of the picture. And it's really hard to put into words just why it's such a special event. The island culture and language, the scenic beauty, the rich triathlon history, the pre-race buzz, the presence of so many industry reps, and of so many athletes, spectators and family members who aren't racing all add to the experience. And as a participating athlete, you're absolutely treated like royalty everywhere you go. The volunteers must outnumber the participants, and they are fantastic ( I especially liked the "touch up artist" who followed the race number stamper, assuring that each number was perfect). Oh yeah and the pre race swims and socializing at the coffee boat, watching the scene at Lava Java and along Alii, the world's best cup of coffee (really ;)) at Java on the Rocks (the Three Stone), people with cameras everywhere all week (Herbert!), the Slowtwitch gathering, the Expo...yep definitely a place to return whether racing, volunteering, or just hanging out and spectating.
Coach at KonaCoach Multisport
I was "digging" the swim start:
Great local flavor on Dig-Me Beach:
Parade of Nations:
Bike course recon pics:
The take from some trick or treating via bike on Alii Drive:
And of course, the underpants run (a required element in such a report):
Nice pre race meal at Sam Choy's overlooking Keauhou and Kailua, incredible menu and view! Bento with Spam!!: (and a Longboard)
Got to hear Macca at the Sports Medicine conference I attended (caused me to miss most of the Slowtwitch gathering though ;(
Race day is here; it's go time! transition pics:
Okay a brief pause in the pics for executive race report
Swim: 1:17 and change for me, about what I expected, took it easy as I didn't want a replay of the TX calf cramps...heard and saw spinner dolphin during swim...very little contact...easy swim
T1 and T2: 6 minutes combined, relatively quick!
Bike: 5:21...felt pretty good the whole way...though not a windy day by Kona standards, there certainly were challenges relative to what I'm used to...held a pretty steady 175W avg, 185 normalized and overall 21 mph...winds out to Hawi directly in face on the way out, working hard for 11 mph, then 37-42 mph with the tail! All on course nutrition for me, mixture of coke, gels, and Perform...aimed for 150-200 cal per aid station
Run: 3:40...ran mostly 8's down Alii and to the energy lab, where the energy suddenly vanishes, then 9's on in and hurting...felt great at mile 21 and awful at 22, laid off the coke and took on some pretzels which helped...last mile downhill a load of fun...I regret that I didn't soak everything in more once down on Alii and really enjoy that last quarter mile
Overall 10:26, very pumped as I had a solid race and beat goal of 10:30...of course I wanna come back and make a bit more of a run for the top once I age up...gotta find a BUNCH of minutes though...incredible fast times at the top of 45-49 and 50-54
Recovery at Huggo's on race night:
The day after the race we went swimming amongst hundreds of spinner dolphins, which were located right off the shore at the energy lab of all places. Absolutely incredible experience!!
This one was close enough to touch:
And then a different type of recovery:
[/img] Last night's sunset at the Royal Kona bar:
I always thought Kona was about qualifying, racing, and individual achievement...but now that I'm home I realize that's only a small part of the picture. And it's really hard to put into words just why it's such a special event. The island culture and language, the scenic beauty, the rich triathlon history, the pre-race buzz, the presence of so many industry reps, and of so many athletes, spectators and family members who aren't racing all add to the experience. And as a participating athlete, you're absolutely treated like royalty everywhere you go. The volunteers must outnumber the participants, and they are fantastic ( I especially liked the "touch up artist" who followed the race number stamper, assuring that each number was perfect). Oh yeah and the pre race swims and socializing at the coffee boat, watching the scene at Lava Java and along Alii, the world's best cup of coffee (really ;)) at Java on the Rocks (the Three Stone), people with cameras everywhere all week (Herbert!), the Slowtwitch gathering, the Expo...yep definitely a place to return whether racing, volunteering, or just hanging out and spectating.
Coach at KonaCoach Multisport