There is only one reason that made me walk those last 12 km’s to the finish today :
So that I never have to come back.
I have invested to much and to long in this race and I can NOT and will NOT do that to myself and my family again. My girls always supported my choices 100% and I have a lot to thank to them and they would be behind me if I wanted to try again but I just can not do this AGAIN, I’m empty !
I always said I would keep coming back if I felt/believed I had a shot and I honestly believed that for a few years. I know this year it was a long shot but I had to try one more time.
This is an immense decision for me to make but I will not come back on it, it’s over.
The next few days/weeks i will set some NEW Targets for the future, some races I still want to do and want to win.
Mahalo
It’s a shame that he won’t race Kona again, but huge respect to Marino for the way he has performed there over previous years. Love the no fear attitude that he portrays in racing and wish him all the best in the future.
He may change his mind once the sting wears off (look at Crowie after 2013). Alternately he may just accept that it’s not a race suited to his abilities and concentrate on killing it on courses more suited to his racing style (ex. Roth, NZ).
I think there are a lot of pros not suited to Kona who still just feel like they have to race it.
Listening to the IM Talk podcast post race with several peoples views on the race it seemed a common thread to me that why anyone does Kona is the challenge be it a bloody hard one on oneself, family and financial resources unles you are a pro at the pointy end it does not pay a pro financially. It is the golden halo but you have to win to make it a payback for what happens the rest of the year. If I recall Crowe and macca both said or have mentioned the same, …you have to focus all year on this one race that is hardly a financial rewarding one given the outgoings
That what I took from the podcast. And perhaps explains a little.
Make me see that if challenge Bahrain does Ross this money to its race one can see a drift in pros.
Think you are right. Cashing in as much as possible for his last 1-2 years in the sport. Financialy it’s a small sport in Belgium. As an example, Marino is sponsored by the Belgian Army. Needless to say it is a very small army…
If he was an American he wouldn’t have to do this.
Big respect for Marino. Always love his racing style and before anyone jumps all over it, he has finished 3rd in Kona previously and like a few others, he knows he won’t run 2:42 and on a good day in Kona will run 2:50+. So he can ride conservatively and go for another top placing or ride aggressively, have a lead and try to make it stick. that has worked at many races worldwide, and he has run really fast too, when cooler temps don’t penalize tall guys as much. Hopefully we will see him ripping it up at other races. It was really nice to see him leading the race this year in Whistler. It is going to be a while before anyone takes his bike course record on that course!
One of my most vivid memories from whistler was near the start of the Callaghan climb. A few minutes in to the climb, we saw Marino come absolutely screaming down the other side sounding like a fighter jet. Even that early in the race, I don’t think we saw second place for several minutes afterwards. That guy can ride!
Yes, he is a talent. One of the best. Kona is very hard, lots of people just never can get it right. It was so cool years ago to see Molina win it. With the depth today, one really has to be great in those conditions.
I would love to see him race and win elsewhere.
Big respect for Marino. Always love his racing style and before anyone jumps all over it, he has finished 3rd in Kona previously and like a few others, he knows he won’t run 2:42 and on a good day in Kona will run 2:50+. So he can ride conservatively and go for another top placing or ride aggressively, have a lead and try to make it stick. that has worked at many races worldwide, and he has run really fast too, when cooler temps don’t penalize tall guys as much. Hopefully we will see him ripping it up at other races. It was really nice to see him leading the race this year in Whistler. It is going to be a while before anyone takes his bike course record on that course!
Aye, and this is the guy who left Kienle in the dust at Frankfurt 2012. Big guy, big engine, big smiles for the crowds.
**I think there are a lot of pros not suited to Kona who still just feel like they have to race it. **
This is the dirty little secret about Kona that no one seems to address or talk about. The environmental conditions are very selective - and, there are great athletes who will never do well there ( When I say “well” I mean perform at there absolute best!). Yes, you can adapt to them over a bit of time, but at the pointy end of the field, little things like not being there by 1 - 2% start to REALLY matter.
Take the same race field that you had in Kona last weekend, and have the race on a similar course, but with weather conditions much more temperate ( highs of say 15C - 20C ie more optimal conditions) and I am guessing the composition of the top-10 would be very different.
The likelihood of this happening is extraordinarily low, but it would be interesting to see, and prove my point above, if the WTC would start to move their Ironman Championship around, like they have chose to do with the 70.3 Championship!
**I think there are a lot of pros not suited to Kona who still just feel like they have to race it. **
This is the dirty little secret about Kona that no one seems to address or talk about. The environmental conditions are very selective - and, there are great athletes who will never do well there ( When I say “well” I mean perform at there absolute best!). Yes, you can adapt to them over a bit of time, but at the pointy end of the field, little things like not being there by 1 - 2% start to REALLY matter.
Take the same race field that you had in Kona last weekend, and have the race on a similar course, but with weather conditions much more temperate ( highs of say 15C - 20C ie more optimal conditions) and I am guessing the composition of the top-10 would be very different.
The likelihood of this happening is extraordinarily low, but it would be interesting to see, and prove my point above, if the WTC would start to move their Ironman Championship around, like they have chose to do with the 70.3 Championship!
Great points Steve.
Marino is a heck of an athlete just not one built for the rigors of Kona. But he is fast as hell elsewhere.
He might have benefited from going all ‘Thunder Bear’ with his gear and cooling. He still has a shot of winning or being on the podium in about any other race he enters. I would have loved to seen him win Kona on top of his IM Austria records.
Cheers to you Marino!
Much like C. Lieto, Sindballe and few others, regardless what race, if you cannot run off the bike, that is a whole another problem. The same problem will manifest at another race, elsewhere. In the end, this sport will be dominated by those that can put a very strong run off the bike regardless of circumstances. I am not convinced he is capable of that. This is not a bike race.
Much like C. Lieto, Sindballe and few others, regardless what race, if you cannot run after bike, that is a whole another problem. The same problem will manifest at another race, elsewhere. In the end, this sport will dominated by those that can put a very strong run off the bike regardless of circumstances. I am not convinced he is capable of that. This is not a bike race.
That seems a bit unfair. He did run a 2:42 at IM Austria in 2010 and 2:39 in 2011. No matter how short you say the course it, that is legit speed.
Plus he ran a 2:51 at Whistler this year.
Much like C. Lieto, Sindballe and few others, regardless what race, if you cannot run after bike, that is a whole another problem. The same problem will manifest at another race, elsewhere. In the end, this sport will dominated by those that can put a very strong run off the bike regardless of circumstances. I am not convinced he is capable of that. This is not a bike race.
Not convinced he’s capable of that? His splits from Austria 2010: S 47:49 / B 4:18:30 / R 2:42:03. And the following year in 2011: S 46:49 / B 4:15:37 / R 2:39:24. Whatever anyone says about that course, he can run.
Sorry, just seen I’ve posted the same thing as you.
No worries. We are defending a great champion. Marino is also 6’1" so that is pretty tall for Kona’s heat & humidity. He is just not built for the island. But he will win more races!
I understand how he feels but in regards to Ironman in general. I did one and swore I would never do another one ever and I never will. My time with my family is too important to invest that much time into training ever again. Shorter races and more time with my children is what is important to me. I personally can’t be someone that puts my kids in someone else’s care while I work out.
I understand how he feels but in regards to Ironman in general. I did one and swore I would never do another one ever and I never will. My time with my family is too important to invest that much time into training ever again. Shorter races and more time with my children is what is important to me. I personally can’t be someone that puts my kids in someone else’s care while I work out.