(editor's note: Evan Malone, a Pensacola-area triathlete was selected to race in the Ironman World Triathlon Championship at Kailua-Kona Hawaii this October. We asked him to write his impressions of this renowned event - his synopsis follows) |
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Evan Cycling On The Queen K Highway
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For the purposes of a somewhat concise newsletter share of the Kona experience I will lay out a few observations of each part of my trip and race day. In summary, this is certainly an event of a lifetime and I really do consider it to be a "one and done" opportunity for me. I "qualified" by way of the Legacy Lottery Program wherein athletes finish 12 or more full-IM events and are also currently competing in the sport. This means I was not fast, rather persistent. From the beginning I knew I was going to be out-classed as far as athletic ability so I made sure to remind myself (many times) to check my ego and remember that this was all about finishing successfully and to do so with pride (and not ending up in the medical tent). I was never treated like I did not be log (quite the opposite, in fact) but there were times when some self-doubt crept in, which I only attributed to the "normal" pre-race jitters.
RACE WEEK OBSERVATIONS:
- after 2-3 days the novelty of mingling with professional endurance athletes wears off (a bit), or perhaps it is because it becomes difficult to tell the difference between some of the of the age-group athletes and the pros
- the town of Kona is overtaken by everything triathlon, some of the local souvenir shops even "convert" to triathlon-specific retailers
- shipping my bike via Tri Bike Transport (though not real convenient on the main land) paid dividends on the Island (less time at the airport)
- swimming in the Bay (on the course) every morning of the week was quite an event -- all makes and models of swimmer out there -- and the Coffees Of Hawaii coffee boat is about as unique an experience as you will find
- everyone on the Island was interested in "are you racing?" and they were all very thankful for your business and in awe of your accomplishment
- the gear check-in process on Friday was akin to what I imagine the red carpet of an awards ceremony must be like, great way to forget about the race for an hour or two and an awesome chance to grab some quality handouts from the many industry reps
- truly an International affair, I found myself trying to communicate with many athletes who did not speak English, but everyone understood the common courtesies of the sport and sportsmanship
RACE MORNING OBSERVATIONS:
- this event uses the industrial strength TriTatz body numbers, these things are BOLD and apply somewhat like tar
- once the athletes enter the body marking area, that is basically the last time they will see family/friends since there are many other tasks to complete but in a somewhat locked-down area (load nutrition to bike, bathroom, etc...)
- floating in the Bay just prior to the swim start was oddly peaceful, I elected to begin in the "back of the pack" for the male start wave
- I would later (jokingly) curse the Hawaiian elder who offered a blessing of the athletes by calling for the "sky to open and the winds to blow us" -- he didn't specify which direction to blow
SWIM OBSERVATIONS:
- I am very comfortable with open water swimming, but I knew I was out of my league with many of these swimmers who likely swam collegiately or perhaps are past Olympic-trials competitors
- the first half of the swim flew by, just flowing along with the draft of the other athletes
- the second half of the swim was a bit more of a challenge with 6' - 8' swells backwashing from the pier, at times it felt like swimming in a flume (not going anywhere)
- a great distraction during the swim is all the coral reefs and fish which can be seen for a large portion of the course
T-1 OBSERVATIONS:
- it is just as seen on the network broadcast -- fresh water hoses hanging from the tent followed by rows of gear bags hanging in numerical order
- I was proud to see that my bag was still surrounded by many other bags, meaning I hadn't swum that slow relative to the field
- one big change for me in this transition would be focusing on a good application of SPF, something I would normally let Mother Nature have her way with
BIKE OBSERVATIONS:
- if I felt a bit out-classed in the water, I was certainly going to be one of the slower athletes on the bike course, the trick was to be ready to stay right and ignore the hundreds of cyclists who would hammer past me
- the first 20 miles of the ride are nearly non-existent in the mind due to adrenaline, excitement, "loops" in the town of Kona, and ample spectators
- when the wind came, it was like someone literally flipped a switch -- it was between two mountains and it was funneling directly as a headwind
- the hottest parts of the bike course were where there are "cut-throughs" in the lava where the road treks (basically with a tall wall of rock on each side of the road), pretty much felt like a convection oven in there
- the climb to Hawi was what I thought would be the most humbling part of the day (5-8mph, uphill, into the wind)
- the descent from Hawi (35+ mph without pedaling) would later prove to be humbling, scary, and exhilarating due to the strong gusts of cross winds battering the cyclists and challenging them to stay upright and on the road; humbling because as much as I wanted to take the "free speed" I admit to having tapped the brakepads a few times (out of fear of falling off my bike)
- in all, I estimate I went through about 30 liters of water (drinking and dumping on the body) and my 6 full bottles of electrolyte mix
- during the final 10 miles of the ride I could see the helicopters following the lead male/female pros, and during the last 5 miles of the ride I was actually riding past the male pros who were at miles 20-25 of their marathon
- this would end up being what I consider to be my most difficult bike ride (ever); mainly due to the winds which I believe to be impossible to prepare for unless of course you reside on the Island
- the heat was a challenge but nothing which made me question my nutrition plan, I feel I coped well with the conditions and listened to my body (dump water, hydrate, salt, calories)
T-2 OBSERVATIONS:
- not nearly as many bags hanging on the rack this time through, many of the athletes had passed me on the bike
- focus of this transition was making sure my nutrition and hydration was in range, the heat would not be as much of a problem since the sun would set around mile 16 or so
RUN OBSERVATIONS:
- due to the tough event and a lingering achilles strain, the plan was for run-walk from beginning to end
- coming right out of T2 was a walk up the first segment of Palani Road (steep hill)
- the Ali'i Drive segment (5 miles out and 5 miles back) was perfect for me, great ratio of walk-to-run and legs coming around nicely
- the hill at mile 10 (the remainder of Palani) demanded a prolonged walk segment and a chance to reset the electrolyte replacement
- once on the Queen K, it was about 15 miles to go and it was beginning to turn to dusk
- the aide stations of this event were the most organized and cleanest I have ever seen, I was afraid to drop a cup on the ground since there were no others on the ground (basically the volunteers were continually cleaning up)
- spectators (including Mindi) were able to ride their bikes out on Ali'i Drive and the Queen K such that they were 1-2 traffic lanes adjacent to the athletes, made for great interactions and support on this otherwise desolate part of the course (even some pro athletes are out there cheering others along)
- the Energy Lab is regarded as one of the most well-known landmarks of this course, for me it featured setting sun over the Ocean (and cooler temps), was fun to reflect on what the pros must have felt like a few hours earlier in this same location
- once back on the Queen K, it was DARK; so much so that I had pulled out a headlamp I had stowed into my pocket and used it to prevent other athletes from running into me
- the final turn onto Palani Road (and downhill) is pretty much where the finish experience begins, despite there being about 1.2 miles to go
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| Evan Finishing The World Championship |
FINISH OBSERVATIONS:
- it is just like as seen on the network broadcast -- for about 0.5 miles it is a narrow path (chalked with names and encouraging statements) for the athlete to follow while surrounded by spectators on each side
- the final turn onto Ali'i Drive is difficult to describe other than, "this is what I have been waiting to do for YEARS"
- I made an effort to separate myself from other athletes for "MY" run down the finish chute
- the chute felt like I was floating, wouldn't do it any other way: smile, arms in the air, glad to be done but also soaking in every second
POST-RACE OBSERVATIONS:
- same as the pre-race secure area, so mostly athletes and race personnel here, won't see the spectators for a little while (chip return, medal claim, t-shirt claim, post-race photo, claim gear bag)
- I was able to chat briefly with Ken Glah (30 years straight of competing at Kona) and he basically said the conditions (wind) of the day were tougher than he could recall over the last 10 years, that made me feel some amount of "I had an extra hard day and still finished"
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS:
- if you ever get the chance to experience this (spectator, volunteer, athlete) go for the entire week (Monday to Monday) at the very least
- take something which can serve as grocery bags, Hawaii has a "no grocery bag" law
- be prepared for the first morning on the Island to be "off schedule" and when you are awake at 4:00am (9:00am CST) take advantage of that time to go load up on groceries at Safeway
- rent a car EARLY, like as soon as you know you are going on the trip
- be prepared for no air-conditioning in most of the rental properties, a great way to begin acclimation for race day
