Another Kona is in the books but was it the same or was it different from previous incarnations of the race. As a Coach of both Pro’s and Age Groupers at this year’s Kona it’s always interesting to observe how the race plays out. Some things remain the same and some things evolve and change.

For the Pro’s we saw a changing of the guard in the women’s race and legendary status being created in the men’s. There was some synergy around how we arrived at both those results. We appear to be in a new era of Pro racing where, if you’re really wanting to contend for the podium, the adage ‘you can’t win it in the swim but you can lose it’ is now true.

In both the men’s and women’s races we had a number of extremely strong cyclists who in previous years, having come out of the water behind the lead swimmers, have been able to bring the race back together on the Queen K. The pure runners have hitched a ride back to T2 in close enough proximity to take the win. This year however, the podium contending athletes who made the front swim pack were also the best bikers and runners leaving the rest to fight it out for the smaller pay checks.

In Kienle’s case he produced an incredible effort to snatch 3rd but was 10 mins behind Jan’s sublime performance. To improve his bike and run time by 10 mins may be too big a goal in which case it all comes back to time lost in the swim. The chances of rising to the top from the 2nd swim group is becoming less and less likely. The same can be said for the women’s race. The fear of Mirinda Carfrae’s run leg in previous years threatened podium placings late in the race but now Anne Haugh is bringing that skillset to the front of the race early on by making the front swim pack. This year and into the future the winners must also be swimmers.

Some of the new Pro’s nailed a great day and some walked away having learnt tough lessons including Pro’s who’ve been to the Island a number of times before. For me it’s amazing that some established Pro’s are still making the same mistakes as Age Groupers. The race takes more casualties than any other IRONMAN event even though there are a number of races around the world with similar environmental challenges. If athletes choose to race above the ability of their fitness then there is always a price to pay. The IRONMAN distance ensures that the toll is extracted well before the finish line. The Pro race has become more variable in terms of intensity over the years. For a minority the late pace fade when viewed alongside the overall race dynamics, the tactics of the majority of the athletes and their superior ability to race a little more stochastically means that it can sometimes be less catastrophic for their result given others have already fallen apart. However, there is still a place for the well-paced race and a result that ends up in the top 10 but these athletes need to be exceptional runners and consistently produce a marathon in the 2hr 40 range which is never easy in Kona if you’ve already conceded 3-4 mins in the swim and/or 15 mins on the bike.

For the Age Group athlete, it still remains that those who SLOW DOWN THE LEAST will have a higher chance of meeting their expectations. If you get to Kona one day here are some observations that might help:

SENSORY OVERLOAD

Kona is Global Triathlon Central for 7 days leading into the event. For new athletes it’s generally everything they had dreamed about and more. You want to soak everything up but the catch 22 is that it’s really more ‘energy out’ than it is ‘energy in’. With the hype comes a nervous tension that increases with each passing day and I believe drains a number of athletes before they even reach the start line. Athletes want the full Kona experience but managing the emotional and physical cost in race week is a challenge. A common quote I heard was ‘I had nothing in the tank from the gun…’

LOOK AFTER THE GUT

Staying healthy. With the local pool closed more athletes were forced into every swim being in the open water. If it rains during the week leading into Kona the Bay takes a lot of run-off water. For some with sensitive stomachs this may have contributed to higher anecdotal cases of GI distress on race day.

WAVE SWIM START – EASIER TO PING THE DRAFTERS

The staggered swim start negatively affected the faster Age Group swimmers who caught slower waves in front but the general consensus was less congestion on the bike. As drafting in Kona is a blight on this race any improvement here is solving a bigger problem than having to navigate slower swimmers. It didn’t solve the drafting issue completely but it did make it easier for marshals to get amongst the groups that formed and hand out more penalties. Athletes need to mentally prepare for a bit of frustration in the swim and may need to navigate through slower swimmers as a compromise for a fairer race on the lava fields.

YOUR EGO CAN’T BEAT THE HEAT

Understanding your own pacing and applying your ‘hot environment’ pacing strategy is still key. Find me the social media post from an Age Group athlete who nailed their pacing strategy and I’ll show you 50 who didn’t. Athletes don’t down-regulate their temperate climate numbers (from the start) to accommodate for a hot day. A friend of mine Dan Plews who broke the men’s age group Kona record in 2017 once said to me ‘The ability to appropriately pace an event comes down to one single factor, the athletes ego’.

THE RACE IS ONLY EVER AGAINST YOUR OWN METABOLISM

Arriving with superior metabolic efficiency and having a finely tuned fuelling plan will supply you with the energy that your perfect pacing strategy requires for you to ‘not slow down’. Combine these 3 things in ignorance of the race that’s playing out around you and you’ll have the best chance of success. Go outside your pacing plan or react to your competitors and you’ll be sharing commiserations with them whilst walking the Queen K. Be a World Class introvert on race day. Eat, drink and watch your numbers until you’ve crossed the finish line.

IT’S OK TO ADD WALK BREAKS ON THE RUN

Be cool, stay cool on the run. Athletes still believe that walking is cheating. In a hot race if an athlete can manage heat stress at each aid station from the beginning of the run by walking to consume more fluid effectively and briefly cooling their head and skin then they have a greater chance of maintaining pace deeper into the marathon. The perceived time loss is not as substantial as a catastrophic deceleration on the Queen K or even worse forced into walking from heat stress. You can still post a great marathon time if you run between every aid station and maximise hydration and cooling through the aid station.

Bevan McKinnon / October 2019

KONA 2019 - A Review