I looked at the results for 23 ea 2002 IMF finishers, under 10 hours, who went on to complete 2003 IronMan Hawaii in under 10:30. 19 were slower by an average of 24 minutes; 4 were faster by an average of 3 minutes. The average swim, bike, run, and total for the 23 athletes for IronMan Florida vs. IronMan Hawaii were: 1:04:17 to 1:03:07, 5:00:46 to 5:13:09, 3:21:33 to 3:29:25, and 9:32 to 9:52.
I also looked at the average splits for groups of athletes finishing with the same total (average) time, say 9:20 to 9:50. At Kona, the swim is about the same, the bike 10 minutes slower, and the run 8 minutes faster. One explanation is that the “9:48” guy at Kona is really the 9:25 guy at Florida, who is able to come back with his faster run.
Besides the obvious, that Kona is tougher than Florida - and that I have too much time on my hands this vacation, are there other insights into these observations?
Also, what’s key in training - going from ohter IM’s to Kona? I’ve heard of some over acclimating to heat, and arriving beat.