I don’t typically write race reports, but when you are on the most storied course in triathlon you should. This race is filled with history, tradition, and amazing feats of endurance. I was that kid who saw ABC’s Wide World of Sports with Julie Moss crawling to the finish line. Professional sports have always tugged at my heart and when I took up triathlon almost 12 years ago, I fell in love with this race, the venue of Kona, Hawaii.
The Sunday before the race was a 2.4-mile training swim in the waters of Kailua Bay. The swim gave me a lot of confidence for the event swim. Waters were calm and I could tell the salty water was different than any other ocean swim I have done. Finished the practice swim in 1:32:32. I felt very strongly that this swim helped me on race day. And it was fun hanging out with SuzE to watch the pros start, we saw Lucy Charlie-Barkley, Taylor Knibb, and Anne Haug.
I picked up my packet on Tuesday. This was the earliest I have ever checked in for an Ironman. But it gave me more time to organize my gear and ensure transition times would stay under ten minutes. This race was unique because my helmet had to stay on my bike and my transition bags were smaller than other races. So planning was essential to success. At packet pick up, I visited with Cydney Thomson. She too raced Kona.
Several mornings we would swim to the coffee boat or just swim to the buoys and back. The morning I was heading to the Legacy Breakfast to meet other twelve-time Ironman finishers was also The Underpants Run. It was going to be a crazy morning surrounding the venue, and I almost scratched my swim. However, I am glad I didn’t, a surprise was waiting for me under the iconic banyan tree. As we were rushing to the pier to swim, SuzE informed me she had invited a “friend” to swim. The friend turned out to be Bryan McPherson, a fellow Legacy athlete from Huntsville. He flew into Kona to surprise me and Cydney by being the best on course cheerleader in Kona history.
Legacy breakfast was amazing! It was hosted at Hulihe’e Palace which overlooks the swim course. I would estimate there were over 50 other Legacy athletes there to meet each other and take selfies with previous champions. I got to talk to a few of the champs. The best conversation I had was with three-time Ironman World Champ, Craig Alexander. He said, enjoy race day – everyone wants to be racing Kona, both athletes who have raced the legendary course and athletes still trying to make it to the Big Island. He wishes he was still racing. He followed up with even a bad results day is a good day in Kona. Thursday evening finished with the welcome banquet and athlete briefing. It was very well done, and I learned a lot about the race course, but it finished past my bed time.
Friday was the most chill day of the week. No swimming or workouts, just rest and reflection. I was ready for bike check-in. More trips to the bike shop here in Kona than I care to talk about and two calls to Garmin support in the wee hours of the morning. It was time to get ready and race. I probably looked like the country bumkin visiting the city for the first time. When I walked on the carpeted transition area it was magical. My bike and bike helmet were tucked tightly into place and my transition bags hung carefully on their rack. I walked the entire transition area to plan my route for race morning.
Race morning arrived and my nerves didn’t hit me until CK dropped us off on Ali’I Drive for the short walk to transition. The enormity of the race and all the checks and security could be overwhelming, but I had plenty of time to walk through, prep my bike and find quiet time. I work hard on not getting caught up in the last-minute chaos of race morning. I was lucky to have Casey, Karen, and SuzE working inside transition. It is always nice to see friendly faces. After I finished in transition, I walked to find King of the Sherpas, CK. I handed everything off to him and put on my swim skin. Water temperatures in Kona are always above wetsuit limits. Morning water temperatures was 78°F. Once I was ready, I had almost an hour before the pros started the race.
Pro start was at 6:45 AM. I made friends in the swim staging area with two ladies from Great Britain and we chatted about Lucy Charles-Barkley and her potential of finally winning the race. My heart swelled with emotion and pride when they sang our National Anthem and shortly after, the canon fired. Now, I had 55 minutes until I started. Being in the last wave does have its benefits. I got to see the pros exit the water. I was right at the top of the stairs when Lucy exited and then the second pack of swimmers almost 90 seconds behind her. I was able to see Casey and Karen near the showers before I walked down the stairs to the water. At the base of the stairs was SuzE working swim start. I hugged her and made my last mental prep for the day ahead of me.
When I entered the water, I only had two minutes to cross the 100 meters and get to the buoy to start my wave. From all the swimming prior to the race, I was calm and started with zero anxiousness when our horn blew. The swim was fun. There were more buoys out on race day than on the training swim. I didn’t need to sight very much because of the number of swimmers and buoys made the swim easy. There is a permanent Ironman marker at the turn around and it is marked with two massive boats. The water seemed calm except for the thousands of ladies in the water. Every athlete made the swim cut off. One lady swam 2:19:41, she finished the race!
I jumped out of the water and started peeling off my swim skin. I was excited to be finished and headed on the bike. Changing tent was chaotic and I should have practiced putting on my tri top while wet. I did my very best Chris Farley impression of “Fat Man in a Little Coat” while changing. I pushed through and headed to Hawi. From riding the course a few times, I knew getting to Hawi wasn’t the challenging part. The challenging part would be navigating the head and crosswinds. I allowed myself to look around from time to time and enjoy the majestic landscape of lava fields and the ocean line. The most excitement for me was when I spotted the helicopter videoing the race leaders approaching me. The lead car followed by Lucy Charles-Barkley passed, the ladies around me cheered. I did tear up at the turn around in Hawi. It was emotional but I still had miles to go until T2.
I finished the bike with a desire to run well for the remaining 26.2 miles. I was encouraged to see so many friends scattered around the course and down Ali’I Drive. They gave me an update on the Pro Women’s race, Lucy, Anne, Laura, Taylor, and Daniela were the top five women. I was trying to manage my body temperature, but my stomach and gut also started rumbling. I did ok through town and up Palani. The wheels on the bus didn’t come completely off until I was in the energy lab. It was nighttime and it still sucked. The theme of the race was Holomua, “move forward” and that is what I had to do. Darkness engulfed me and the head lights of cars and from the runners’ headlamps made me feel dizzy. I kept reminding myself to rally. It didn’t matter if I had to walk some miles, I only had to finish and enjoy the day. I reached into my bag of tricks and started making friends or encouraging the other ladies that were suffering as I was. I talked to two ladies for a while, one named Hrefna from Iceland and another named Leslie from Chattanooga.
As I approached the city, I did manage to do a little more running and a few less potty breaks. I finally made it back to Palani and saw Chris Erickson and his girls, Maddie and Katie. I was finally running when I turned on to Kuakini. The rest of the gang was there with CK and I only had two more turns to the finish line. And there it was, the most iconic finish line in the world for a triathlete. The lights, the carpet, the cheering fans, the moment was mine. The years of triathlon, the friends I had made along the way. Knowing my friends and family where at home tracking and cheering or me. It was time to savor the moment.
I got into triathlon to get fit. I learned along the way to be healthier. That includes savoring moments like this with the people you love. I crossed the finish line and teared up in reflection of this year and this journey. In the Ironman videos it appears like the finish line lasts for far longer than reality. The volunteers who caught me were kind but whisked me away through a tunnel. Interestingly, you must go through two or three checks before they give you your medal. I guess they don’t want people passing out from the weight of the medal. I didn’t have to worry with all the medical checks, I had two personal nurses to give me fluids at the rental house. Nurse Maddie and Nurse Katie treated me with care like a loved one. I even skipped the post-race food and massage to reunite with my friends and CK. Shockingly, CK was more emotional than I was. He has been an excellent sherpa and maybe now he can reflect on how far he has come too!
Thanks to all that cheered form me, both on the island and back home! I can’t wait to see you all and share more of my fantastic adventure. Mahalo!