Kona legacy- Is the one day worth a decade of commitment?

Triathlon Forum
1

Ever since I started triathlon at the ripe age of 20, I’ve always had a fascination with the Kona Ironman.

Now I’m 28, am only just getting back into the sport after years dealing with chronic/adrenal fatigue. I’ve got a soon to be wife and the thoughts of a family on the way.

I’ve always viewed ironman as the ultimate goal, as getting faster at sprint or Olympic distance doesn’t really float my boat. Specifically the Kona ironman.

I figure I’ll never make the split times to Kona qualify by time so my only hope is to get in through the legacy program (doing 12+ races) and I figure this will take me the better part of a decade to achieve, doing 2x IM’s some years.

Is the one day in Kona worth the sacrifice of a decade of training?

2

When training is a sacrifice than probably not.

For an agegrouper I think the journey should be the fun. I like training as much as racing.

3

When training is a sacrifice than probably not.

For an agegrouper I think the journey should be the fun. I like training as much as racing.

Agreed…that one day in Kona should be the outcome of enjoying every workout and every day. It took me 15 years and 13 IM’s before my first KQ (not legacy program, just regular race with a small rolldown). Was definitely worth the 15 year journey. Lots of amazing experiences, friendships and generally healthy life along the way.

4

Decade? More like 16 years for me;) Actually, I didn’t hear about the program till I had 8 MOP finishes under my belt so I knew I wasn’t going through the front door. The program gave me a new goal to finish 12, which I did in 2015, and I got invited to the big show last October. It was worth it for me. If I was sitting at Ironman finish #1 I don’t know if I could make the legacy program a goal.

I have to admit I a little lost now. This year I have done a couple of sprints, and Oly, and just did a 1/2 yesterday (podium finish ;). A couple of weeks ago I was on Active.com and had the complete registration filled out for Chattanooga but I just couldn’t pull the trigger. Not sure if, or when, I’ll do another full. I think finishing (barely) Kona capped my Ironman experience and my desire to go long.

5

NOPE! I give it one good shot once, just about killed me, never again.

I love racing all the time which most cannot do with am IM focus.

My goal is TeamUSA and my wife and I love the different places we race at and the people we meet.

6

Ever since I started triathlon at the ripe age of 20, I’ve always had a fascination with the Kona Ironman.

Now I’m 28, am only just getting back into the sport after years dealing with chronic/adrenal fatigue. I’ve got a soon to be wife and the thoughts of a family on the way.

I’ve always viewed ironman as the ultimate goal, as getting faster at sprint or Olympic distance doesn’t really float my boat. Specifically the Kona ironman.

I figure I’ll never make the split times to Kona qualify by time so my only hope is to get in through the legacy program (doing 12+ races) and I figure this will take me the better part of a decade to achieve, doing 2x IM’s some years.

Is the one day in Kona worth the sacrifice of a decade of training?

depends on the person. i did my first in 2011. never planned to do more, never really planned for a 1 and done. just wanted to do one for the hell of it. did 2 in 2013, again, not on purpose, just happened to work out. 1 in 2014, then 2 more in 2015, just happened to work out that way. i’m also doing 2 this year, 1 was an excuse to travel to europe, the other was that i promised a friend i would do an ironman with her before i moved.

now all of a sudden i’m at 8 (at the end of this year) and have 2 planned for next year. i’d like to go as a KQ, but if i can’t sniff top 6 in my age group by the end of next year, then i can probably live with a legacy slot. it wasn’t “hard” but it surly took some level of commitment.

john

7

I tried to get to Kona through the lottery for 20 years and never made it. I still fantasize about getting there but that dream seems further and further away as I am not taking the steps to do it by completing all of the IM races to try and get a Legacy slot. It is still a dream just not one I think is attainable for me once they eliminated the lottery system.
John

8

That is something only you can and should answer.
Triathlon and ironman distance races are a lifestyle for me, I enjoy “training”, really some people say I am just working out, I enjoy working out every day and the entire race- was Legacy worth it for me YES, really, if you have to ask, then it probably isn’t.

9

NOPE! I give it one good shot once, just about killed me, never again.

I love racing all the time which most cannot do with am IM focus.

My goal is TeamUSA and my wife and I love the different places we race at and the people we meet.

Wait a second…I am unsure if you gave it a good shot. You may have put decent hours in, but both your swim and bike training from what you have posted is no where in the correct vicinity of someone trying to Kona qualify. Qualifying for Kona is only a running race when you have optimally gotten to T2, which you clearly did not do in your Ironmans given your aerobic capacity. You could have gotten way faster to T2 with proper swim and bike prep and execution. Nothing wrong about not giving Kona a good shot, and I would say there are few IM’s where I really gave Kona the optimal shot, because of the sacrifice it entails. There are lots of workouts that I I have chosen to not do because I don’t enjoy them. But the times I qualified, it was really “few stones left unturned”. It was worth it, but not everyone has the genetic starting point or the family support and the luck. So the legacy program is a much more viable path where you don’t have to do everything like KQing from the front door, but you have to enjoy the lifestyle for a fairly long time (like 5-8 years in general)

10

There was a time I really wanted to go to Kona but the closer I get, the more I realise I dont really want to go that much. I have done 11 IM, but my interest in Going to Kona has sort of gone. Too much money to go there, too much hype, too many dopers, too much narcissism.

Edit: If I was actually fast enough to qualify I might feel differently.

11

When training is a sacrifice than probably not.

For an agegrouper I think the journey should be the fun. I like training as much as racing.

Agreed…that one day in Kona should be the outcome of enjoying every workout and every day. It took me 15 years and 13 IM’s before my first KQ (not legacy program, just regular race with a small rolldown). Was definitely worth the 15 year journey. Lots of amazing experiences, friendships and generally healthy life along the way.

I’ve joked before about how easy Dev had it. I first KQ’d after twenty years in tri, and after 17 IMs in 17 years (also before the legacy program was established).

There is no way in the world that one day is worth 10 years (it is not worth 1 year) unless you enjoy the process. If you love training, love being fit, love racing, then having an ambition like Kona can be an added incentive, but you have to enjoy the lifestyle or I really can’t see the point.

12

I think one major thing to take into consideration is that in the time it takes to qualify for the legacy program, the goalposts could easily have moved.

As you say, it’ll take most people the better part of a decade to work their way up to 12 IM finishes; over the *past *decade, global IM participation numbers have been steadily rising, yet the number of spots on the pier remains (roughly) the same. Given the pressure on the organisation at Kona, I don’t think it’s a safe bet to assume that the legacy program will exist in the same form in 10 years time, or even that Kona is in the same format.

I’d look at it as a bonus rather than a goal.

13

NOPE! I give it one good shot once, just about killed me, never again.

I love racing all the time which most cannot do with am IM focus.

My goal is TeamUSA and my wife and I love the different places we race at and the people we meet.

Wait a second…I am unsure if you gave it a good shot. You may have put decent hours in, but both your swim and bike training from what you have posted is no where in the correct vicinity of someone trying to Kona qualify. Qualifying for Kona is only a running race when you have optimally gotten to T2, which you clearly did not do in your Ironmans given your aerobic capacity. You could have gotten way faster to T2 with proper swim and bike prep and execution. Nothing wrong about not giving Kona a good shot, and I would say there are few IM’s where I really gave Kona the optimal shot, because of the sacrifice it entails. There are lots of workouts that I I have chosen to not do because I don’t enjoy them. But the times I qualified, it was really “few stones left unturned”. It was worth it, but not everyone has the genetic starting point or the family support and the luck. So the legacy program is a much more viable path where you don’t have to do everything like KQing from the front door, but you have to enjoy the lifestyle for a fairly long time (like 5-8 years in general)

Was talking to the wife again last night and told her I was SO glad I never got the OCD for Long course stuff. For the races I did, to leave her for 12 plus hours was way too much me me. I am probably racing 20 races this year and she goes to all of them with me. We are gone by noon, and neither of us are burned out.

To see the thread, AGAIN, about a person’s wife leaving him and then he talks about his IM training. To see others say the same thing. Now, I know most do not have this issue, but Dev you know for many how much training an IM takes.

Was again talking to the wife about my IMLT 2013 effort. I put in the many 6 hour bike rides, many in the smoke since we had fires again. I did the 2.5 hour runs. I did the long swims in the lake. It was breaking me both physically and mentally. After the long bike the I was worth nothing the rest of the day. My swim was terrible, never wear booties in a swim! I stopped on the bike like 10 times to pee because I had hypothermia. I had a flat tire. Even without these, the guys who get to Kona can bike like the wind. It is not in my DNA which many just do not understand since biking for them, they got the genetics. (I ask why most cannot run worth beans!!) Even though I had the fastest run in my AG, passing 400 on the run, I only beat the winner by like 3 minutes.

I have zero desire to put all the eggs in one place again. I love to race. I still have speed in the run. I love my wife is not sitting around for an entire day for me to do my thing.

But, this is just me. So for me, the answer to the OP’s questions is a total total NO WAY.

14

This is a personal question… if that’s your real goal and your only path to it… that’s probably how you’re going to be able to realize it.

15

I have completed 1 x IM for the last 13 years, I have a legacy spot for 2019.

For me it is a lifestyle. I enjoy the training and spending time with my training partners. Post going to Kona I will still do 1 x IM for as long as I enjoy the training.

16

I’m in a similar bucket, but it all depends on how much Kona means to you. For me, it means a lot given that the big island is my original home, born & raised in Hilo. However, I was lucky to decide that when I was single and was able to pack in 7 fulls within 2 years, now that I have a fiance, I’ll be lucky to do 2 a year from now on. While I never actually attended one before I moved to the east coast 9 years ago, most I’ve read online about the experience and what I’ve heard from the people who have been say that it is just as magical as you’d imagine. If the WC were in like Nice or something and not Kona, I might feel differently about it but who knows. People generally love the experience so if IM is your thing, yeah its worth it. Kona is the reason WTC has such a massive share of the market.

Regarding your speed, I truly think with meticulous planning, tailored & training consistency, good all-around nutrition, choosing the right race and quite a bit of luck, almost anyone can KQ. it just takes that dedication and then some luck. which would be good for you to do sooner rather than later before you get up to 30-34 (and it only gets worse from there until like, the 50s). Me, I like eating tacos once a week and I also am no fan of training for more than 4 hours one any given weekend so I just put more strength training into my schedule than most to stave off injury and slog through the fulls. Also, if you start the legacy path now, as someone already said, who knows if it will still be available in 10 years.

17

When training is a sacrifice than probably not.

For an agegrouper I think the journey should be the fun. I like training as much as racing.

Agreed…that one day in Kona should be the outcome of enjoying every workout and every day. It took me 15 years and 13 IM’s before my first KQ (not legacy program, just regular race with a small rolldown). Was definitely worth the 15 year journey. Lots of amazing experiences, friendships and generally healthy life along the way.

I’ve joked before about how easy Dev had it. I first KQ’d after twenty years in tri, and after 17 IMs in 17 years (also before the legacy program was established).

There is no way in the world that one day is worth 10 years (it is not worth 1 year) unless you enjoy the process. If you love training, love being fit, love racing, then having an ambition like Kona can be an added incentive, but you have to enjoy the lifestyle or I really can’t see the point.

This is interesting because I have not raced in 2 years, yet I am training 800 hrs per year. No Ironman, nothing…just training at least 2 hour per day cause I enjoy it. Now, I am mainly a swimmer and do weights/core work and on days when my body allows it, some jogging or riding. A colleague taking up tris asked me if I find it tiring. I said, I have been training or competing 2-5 hours per day since I was 12 years old, but through my teens it was team sports and track. When I became an adult, triathlon filled that. In my mid 20’s Ironman filled it. Now it is swimming. I am really enjoying becoming a better swimmer for no reason that the process. There are no plans for a swim competition, but I may do a self timed 10K swim next month. No WTC logo on that. Just something self generated. In college I heard these guys race 23 days around France, so I bought a touring bike, camping gear and bags, got on a plane and rode around France-Germany-Switzerland for the same time riding 100K to 250K per day. I had no cycling background, I just wanted to explore what I could do since there were pros apparently who could do that. This is just how I am wired. I don’t think you need that extreme wiring, but you need some wiring that results in some buzz and excitement about attacking every workout to survive the multi year grind of the legacy program.

When Messick established the legacy program it was really about awarding Ironman lifestyle. He actually was at awards at Frankfurt and they brought up all the 15 guys or so who did all 10 years of the first 10 years of the race. He looked at the stage and in his words said, “None of those guys will get a whiff of the pier in Kona. They are doing it, because they are totally into the lifestyle. I want to reward people like that”…and I believe in them Messick saw people like himself. Professionals in something else, totally into this stuff. That is who he is rewarding anyway. Not people trying to do 12 cause they hate training and racing and are only doing it for a Kona finish checkmark.

18

When training is a sacrifice than probably not.

For an agegrouper I think the journey should be the fun. I like training as much as racing.

I also agree. Kona is, first and foremost, a celebration for those of us who love to train!

19

Not a chance!

If I could just enter Kona for the same entry fee as any other IM, I might do it.
Mostly because I’d quite like to go to Hawaii and so would my girlfriend, so it would be a good destination race.
But I don’t see why it’s the big deal lots of STers consider it.
If the goal is simply to race at Kona and you’re not able to qualify on time (I wouldn’t either) then it seems silly to set your hopes on a loyalty rewards programme for a single race opportunity. What if after 10 years or whatever of training you end up missing the race due to illness or other circumstances outside your control? No, find a new dream. What’s so special about Kona if you’re not there on merit.

20

Your story is similar to mine. I was getting married at 24. ( now 39) i just got into tri’s my wife was not hot on the idea at first to the point she was crying that i would always be training and would never see me we would never have kids…fast forward 16 years, we have 2 kids and thanks to tri’s we have been to St Croix, Wiesbaden Germany, Calgary, Louisville…you get the point, WE notice the capitals, have made it work. I wanted to go to Kona too and was clueless on how hard it would be. It took 10 years and 4 IM’s before I KQd in 2013. Literally the day before heading there i got hurt, pulled a massive amount of tendons in my leg. Could hardly walk. Felt sorry for myself, but finished Kona after 2x flats and a lot of walking. Took 4 years off but THOUGHT i wanted to go back and give it my best. Trained the last year for Whistler ( same course i kqd at before). Knew we were going to go to Kona either way as i turn 40 this uear so we booked everything last Oct. After several skipped beers and burgers all last football season and lots and lots of early mornings race day here at Whistler rolled around yesterday. In the past races i have done there has always been a love / hate feeling. Times i loved it and times i hated it. This year it was all hate. I was thinking the whole time that i didnt want to race Kona. I want to go and enjoy the vacation, not worry about traing for the next 3 months or there the week before the race. I want to drinl beer, not set an alarm and sit in a chair aling Ali’i drive. I finished in what i think will be a KQ spot but plan to turn it down and feel 100% at ease with that. I looked up the guy behind me by 1:20 something and he has not been. I am hoping he will go if he wants. I know this does not really answer your question but ehat i am getting at is your heart needs to be in it and the future Ms’s needs to be with it to. If you are, sell it as a way to travel stay in shape, hell get her into it too, i convinced mine to do a 70.3…st this point i think i am done with IM’s. My heart isnt in it anymore and it feels like a chore…

Good luck to you, whatever you decide to do