For anyone who has raced in Kona before, what is your best piece of advice for each leg of the race?
1 tip or something you wish you would have known for each segment; swim, bike and run!
Thanks in advance!
For anyone who has raced in Kona before, what is your best piece of advice for each leg of the race?
1 tip or something you wish you would have known for each segment; swim, bike and run!
Thanks in advance!
Any time I caught myself going “hard” on the swim or bike I told myself, "I want to feel good “coming” out of the energy lab. And I managed to pull that off and have never been able to repeat that feeling at that point in any other IM race. Ran an IM PR run (not saying much, but still). Just enjoy the day. If it gets tough, repeat this line in your head that I passed onto a fellow competitor having a tough time at mile 106 of the ride, “A bad day at Kona is as good as any bad day in your life can get. There are 100000 guys back at home ready to take out a 2nd or 3rd mortgage on their house to exchange places with any race in Kona having a BAD day”. Somehow, that quickly puts the pain of race day in perspective. It gets hard for everyone, but hey, “it’s Kona”. If you’re gonna feel bad, it may as well be in the lava fields with 2000 of the fastest guys on the planet. How many other times in your life do you get to do ANYTHING with the top tier of humans hand picked to congregate with you in the same place at the same time do whatever the activity is. Chances are we never experience that in our professional lives but can in Kona.
Swim- there will be somebody swimming your pace, ride on their hip and save some sighting.
Bike- there will be somebody riding your pace, settle in the legal distance back and take advantage early in the ride, don’t push until later if you still feel good.
Run- just keep moving. Of all the IM run courses I’ve been on, this was the easiest to keep running on, not because the course is flat or temps are cool, but cheesy as it sounds, there’s something magical about this race that inspires.
For the swim: It’s a super-broad starting line, during practice swims in the days before, get a feel for which direction the current will push you and choose your starting location to get it to help you on your way.
For the bike: The wind comes blasting through the cutouts on the uphill road to Hawi and it’s going to push you toward the curb, then you pass into a sheltered point and you’re riding kind of normal again. To not get thrown, just hold on and pedal hard. Slowing down in the wind just makes it more difficult to hold your line.
For the run: Not advice, just information. It gets a lot more cheerful once you reach the special needs bags in the Energy Lab, especially if you put something in there that you like. Also, it’s really dark out there in the Lab and on the Queen K highway between aid stations and street lamps, if you’re finishing after dark. It’s also somewhat cooler.
It’s hotter and more humid than most are accustomed to. You might need
almost twice as much to drink as you need in other races.
How you deal with things that ho wrong can make or break your day. Something will go wrong, just accept it and deal with. Keep moving.
Checkout Capt Cook Monument. It’s worth the paddle over, not sure about the hike. I’d say it was my favorite non-race thing.
For the race, I got squat. I showed up spent and suffered like never before. I guess my advice is to quit if it really starts hurting early!
You needed a good race ( qualify) or luck (lottery) or money (ebay) to get there. Unless you have a chance to win / podium you AG, HAVE FUN. See and Do everything involving the race. Underpants run, dinners, practice swims, people watch, do the ST party and have some beers while you are there. Check company sites for Kona Deals. Rudy usually has some a pretty good promo for glasses / helmets and other places do too. I injured myself (1st time ever in 10 yrs) 2 days before we left. Was feeling super bumbed until my wife said what the hell are you worried about, the challenge was to get here. 100% correct. I ran into Mark Allen sitting along Ali’i drive brake wall. When I got enough nerve to say hello, my daughter asked who it was and when I told her how many times he had won etc… she looks right at him and says “Well your not the world champion now.” He looked at her and says “no young lady I am not” cool dude. Get out experience it. Did I mention HAVE FUN.
Swim- unless you are a sub hour guy, line up far right.
Bike- be pay rodent and calm with the drafting the occurs for the first 25 miles.
Run- it is blazing hot on Ali’i the first 10K but once you get up to the Queen K there is a nice breeze.
ENJOY IT !
Consider it a long training day on the biggest stage with the world’s best athletes… take time during all three to soak up the surroundings… its really a fantastic experience.
Good luck, I will be out there for the second time. I did what I’m suggesting for you two years ago, this year I have a couple performance goals ( not that it will matter on AG placing 
Look up heat acclimation online and follow the protocol. Start now.
Swim: they load you in the water pretty early. The people who hung on buoys or the floating Ford (rather than treading water) got cold. Shivering cold.
Bike: it’s hot. Really hot. Also, you don’t need to carry much stuff. Aid stations are spaced well and fully stocked.
Run: I felt so happy to be off my bike that I blasted the first 8 miles of the and paid dearly coming out of the Energy Lab.
Also, you’ll see people running and biking and swimming and hanging at the pier having a giant pose off in the days leading up the event. Try not to get too caught up in that.
Swim: Enjoy watching the fish . . . you may get dolphins too
Bike: The vistas are incredible. In fact on a good day you could see Haleakala on Maui
Run: Soak up the last few miles…you may never be there again!
Congratulations and enjoy!!
do whatever you can to get ready for the heat. I spent half an hour in a steam room at lunch.
Make a sacrifice to Madame Pele.
Do whatever worked for you on your qualifying race again.
The last 5 minutes is worth the whole day, and everything it took to get there.
Enjoy it and thank your family and friends for putting up with you.
KS
If you’re fortunate enough to finish the swim with a celebrity, such as Hines Ward, SMILE!! 
Drink lots of coke on the bike, because you can. And it tastes good!
Don’t get discouraged if there’s a bit of a headwind on the Queen K that wasn’t there when u were heading out. Everybody else is also working, suffering and going under 14 mph. It’s a very demanding part of the day. Enjoy it, it won’t last
Enjoy every step of the run on Ali’i. The crowds, the ocean, the writing on the road. Queen K is a bit more of a “get in your zone” test.
Take in everything you can heading to the finisher’s chute. Don’t look behind you during this final push to the line unless u wanna look like a doofus like I did checking behind you
If you get in a hurry, you’re doing the wrong thing…
-bobo
This:
.
for your first kona, realize that it’s a different race to any other ironman, and treat it as a learning experience. It’s almost like you need to get to know the island before you can really execute a good race.
- swim: enjoy watching the fish!
- bike: save your energy for that return leg on the queen k - always headwinds / cross winds / some kind of winds that sap your energy
- run: don’t take my advice, I haven’t nailed that part yet! But I can tell you that this year I’m pacing differently. At home I’m very comfortable running sub 7 min/mile, but in kona I’ll be targeting around 7:30
as with all im. the race is more mental than physical. if your at kona, the physical is assumed. so just get your head in the right place and have fun.
Swim: Check it out a few days or a week in advance. As you know, it’s 1.2 out and back. The last 1/3 of the out is a strong current helping you. The first 1/3 of the way back the current is at your face (until you pass the Royal Kona Resort). Save your hardest effort for that part.
Bike: you most likely have family there to cheer you on, and they are probably in town. Know where they are and wave and smile. They are suffering for your self centered journey, at least look like you are having fun. The guys who ride right past their poor wife looking ultra intense are total jack wagons. Plenty of time to get intense after you make it up the top of Palani.
Run: Remember what you and your coach have planned for the run, and then set your timer to calculate how long it takes for you to throw that out the window.
Enjoy the week, not just race day.
These tips are from an admittidly low level participant, who just happened to get lucky enough to get a local lottery slot last year.