Race Coverage
Jellyfish, Vinegar & Shoulda Couldas....
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Friday, 22 November 2024 00:10
By Tim Brown
2024 Ironman World Championship Race Report - We arrived 6 days before the race in order to acclimate to the heat and time change. It seemed to me that the local community was much more appreciative and welcoming than my experience in 2019. The Covid, non-race years hit this tourist community very hard. I have to say the atmosphere among fellow racers was rather chilly. There was lots of pre-ride/run traffic on the course leading up to race day but everyone seemed to be all business. Not much Minnesota nice practiced here, or perhaps, just a lot of nerves in play. There was a definite sense of excitement in the air.
RACE DAY
Walked by the pre-race interview stage on my way to transition where the pros were in the spotlight sharing thoughts and predictions. Met Bob ("Breakfast with Bob") Babbitt on the way to transition. Bob is a super nice and gracious guy. Our conversation was a welcome diversion from the race morning jitters....
The line-up to the swim start is always the worst part for me. You inch your way through the corrals zipping up the swim skins of fellow races (Kona is never wet suit legal), making nervous small talk, anxious just to get started. Our group finally entered the water and swam to the floating start buoys. While treading water, I kept feeling a pinching sensation on my left leg only to realize that I had received my first sting. Jellyfish were a concern as they migrate toward shore in conjunction the lunar cycle and it just happened that peak cycle coincided with race morning. The two more stings on my right leg. Crap! Thankfully, we were saved by the starting horn and were underway. I think I got spoiled with time trial starts resulting from Covid. The Swim start was congested and we really got jammed up in the last few hundred yards from swim exit. It's tempting to try to stand near the end but you need to make sure you are clear of the lava, corral, and sea critters and make sure you are on clear sand before standing. But, other than these issues, the swim went pretty well. Right on pace. Lots of folks were getting sprayed with vinegar in T1 to ease the effects of stings received in the swim.
The bike went as expected. Although it was hot and humid, there was intermittent cloud cover and the famous Kona winds were not as strong as I experienced in 2019. Even so, you have to respect this course. It's SO easy to bonk. The hills and wind on the return can make the last miles of this course feel like you're riding on glue. But I paced, fueled, and hydrated pretty well and came in 10 minutes under my PR.
It only took about 20 yards out of T2 to realize how hard this run was going to be. The heat and humidity were oppressive. I managed to stay near goal pace until mile 16 where the wheels began to fall off. By mile 19 my stomach had shut down, I felt nauseous, lightheaded, was no longer sweating, unable to run in a straight line. My heart rate monitor was buzzing, warning I was 30 beats over my maximum heart rate. I started to panic thinking I might be literally dying, or perhaps, going back to Kailua in an ambulance. Calm down...Walk... Started on potato chips and coke at the aid stations. By mile 22 I had started to sweat again and was able to run to that magical Kona finish line. Although I was hoping to be in the top 10, I finished 15th out the 77 in my division. After all the shoulda, coulda post race wrangling, I'm pretty happy with the result in what might be my last full IM. Time to heal up and start focusing on next season.