Just got back from a swim where the Who’s Who of the local Kona contenders showed up rather randomly (to some extent). All in the pool (not Master’s class or anything), were: Chrissy Wellington, Chris Legh, Belinda & Justin Granger, Jo Lawn & husband Armando, Tim DeBoom (didn’t think anyone would be there at the pool–surprise!) Then Marky V “the Fish” strolled in after that. Talked with a few of them & after spending on average 5-6 hrs on the bike this AM, they jumped in for a 4,000 to 6,000 swim. Not that it is a big deal to many, but just an observation that it was impressive to see the holders of I’m guessing around 30+ Ironman wins amongst these folks? Just a guess. What a rare opportunity to waltz into a pool to see this kind of talent tearing it up, the “regulars” seemed rather intimidated upon walking in & headed to the hot tub instead for the most part (not due to a lack of lanes either). Watching these folks swim sure lets you notice some common technique similarities they all have compared to the majority of age groupers, especially the powerful drive from the hips during rotation. Of note, Chrissy was swimming as fast as any of them–until Marky walked in that is, so knowing she’s a better cyclist than swimmer & even better runner than that, I would bet on Chrissy for the win again if there were a Fantasy Ironman pool I was in.