Kona Shakedown .... uhhh MELTdown

Another year, another Ironman World Championship in the books. It was a tough one, but not because the wind got out of control ... it was bloody hot and oppressively humid. Hawaii is already hot and humid enough but this reminded me of 2002 when you cold cut it with a knife ... though a chainsaw would have worked better. (I'll add some pictures as I get them ... and not ones of me)

Big congratulations go out to Chuck Sloan and Dana Chance who put together really well executed and gutsy races. Special shout out to Eduardo Sturla (who I was able to help in a small way) for constantly moving up thru the day in the pro field when it would have been easy to shut it down. It was a day for those who were willing to fight the demons and the elements ... especially over the last 10 miles of the run. These three did just that, fight!

Dana ... a second go around in Kona and she bested her previous effort from 2006 (an easier weather day) This year was a huge load of races on Dana and she performed admirably EVERY single step of the way in the big ones ... St Croix (3rd), Austria (2nd), Canada 5th, Kona 14th ... WOW! It's been a great year for Dana and I have enjoyed finding ways to not only challenge her but make positive changes in her racing. Three years of patient progression went into those results.

Chuck ... his first shot at Kona and only his second Ironman he actually managed a PB for the distance. Pretty impressive when most of folks went the other direction. Chuck did mention that the race broke him a little bit ... but it lit a fire underneath him, you see Chuck likes a good challenge. For someone who was born and fueled on going fast, the patience and strength of Ironman has challenged him (us) to flatten the learning curve and come back smarter and stronger.

Eduardo Sturla ... a classy, quiet pro from Argentina Eduardo showed true courage when it may have been easier to back off or shut it down on the day. Over an 8+ hour day you wonder why 90 seconds might matter so much? At that level the swim doesn't win the race, but it sure can put you out the back door much too early. Eduardo managed to ride hard and up into the top 30 by T2. He then kept pushing the run and fought his way up to finish 19th ... not bad for a big guy who doesn't look like a runner :) I look forward to supporting Eduardo in the future.

Final Takes On Racing in Kona?

- Why is it, for the most part, that the poeple who execute / race well here are the people you never (or rarely) see around town? It's not that they are or need to be hermits, they are simply better about managing their energy. (managing energy pre-race is another topic in itself)

- At Kona everybody looks "fit". Considering most athletes on the island have done an Ironman within the calendar year, great fitness is never that far away for these folks. I believe alot of the athletes feel like they need to do more and different training in their preparation just because it's Kona. Should the training be different? yes! ... More? for most, no. It's not a race you want to go in to a bit little crispy ;)

- At this race, in this place, you are going to get exposed and significantly challenged at some point. It's important to train for the worst possible and humbling scenario you can think of so you are prepared race day. The reality is the race starts to put a chink in the armour right out of the gate with a non wetsuit, ocean swim, full of talented folks. These little attacks at your outer shell keep coming, and if you aren't prepared mentally and physically, it's about 9-10 mile mark into the run (or maybe even sooner) when the bottom starts to fall out.

- On the run course there are a lot of things that change for the athlete about the 9-10 mile range. 1) You get a true indication of how well you paced, or didn't pace, the first hour of the run. Massive emotional control is needed to keep the pace sane AND to keep your core temperature down. 2) It's about the time frame most need to realize how hot it is, if one hadn't figured it out already 3) Finally, there is about a mile stretch of road here that has an upward trend moving away from the ocean that includes Alii'Dr , Hualalai, and the Kuakini Hwy. THEN this stretch ends with the biggest hill on the course up Palani Rd! Not only does the uphill trend take the bounce out of your step, any sea breeze that exists is now at your back ... yuck. The amount of walking, and those who gave in, up Palani hill this year was astonishing. It was a true indication of how the race can deal it's joker card if not careful

- The last item I wanted to touch on is the heat. No matter what it's hot in Kona, this year was EXCEPTIONALLY hot and humid. If you are racing here it is imperative to plan on how to deal with the heat. This plan should include: pace control, fluid consumption AND absorption, electrolyte consumption, proper clothing choices, and proper placement of ice as needed ;)

OH, and finally ... whether you want to qualify to race there OR you are shooting for a lottery spot, be VERY careful what you wish for! It's not a race to do as a holiday, it simply tends to be way too hard a day and 2009 was a perfect example.

Until next time ... DL