To say that I was surprised to crack a slot for Kona this year would be an understatement so it was quite a surreal experience looking out the window after 36hrs of travelling and watching the island come into view. I had a smile on my face like no other, and I hadn’t even hit the island yet. A lot of this is going to sound a bit clichéd, because I guess most people experience some of the same things, but Kona is Kona, so here goes… I was lucky enough to get there 10 days before the race, so I really had a chance to acclimatize and enjoy the actual Kona “experience”. It really is an amazing place. It pretty much turns into an athlete village with sports shops taking over normal shops for the weeks. It’s amazing to see. And let’s not forget the “freak show” as coach Lucie Zelenkova calls. Kona is not the place to be if you have any insecurities about your own body… I did feel brave enough to show some saffa pride at the world famous underpants run though… Thanks Des Reilly for organizing the skivvies…
I could go on for days about the trip itself, but at the end of the day it’s all about the race… Preparation had been decent and I was happy with my form. I had been quite vocal about what I wanted to achieve, (schoolboy error or just happy to have a crack at a goal… you choose). Conditions seemed decent to start, so I was looking forward to a good day. The swim start is Hectic to say the least… jostling for position, creeping bunches, and more than one kick… and the canon hasn’t even sounded yet… Game on…. Swim itself was decent, pretty much close to what I had hoped for, but then I experienced a first for me in triathlon, and realized very quickly that I was mixing it with the best in the world… I arrived in transition, and there wasn’t space for me to change it was so full… Being an above average swimmer this brought things home very quickly to me, I had swam 61 mins in a non-wetsuit sea swim and the transition tent was FULL… As I said Game on… The bike…. Contrary to what Lance said, for me Kona was all about the bike… Brutal conditions is still the best description I have heard… Hot like you can’t understand, and a headwind all the way home… The strength of the cyclists out there is phenomenal. I thought I was biking out of my skin, but I had no fear of a mistaken drafting penalty because I literally couldn’t keep up with anyone… What an awesome place to ride a bike though even in the hectic conditions. Sadly, I was actually biking out of my skin and there is a small crater next to the road somewhere at about 160km on the bike… The run was going to be interesting… I started the run positive thinking that I could recover and get into it. I was very wrong. Back to the heat, it’s unrelenting. No matter how much ice you put in your hat or how much cold coke I drank, I was destined to walk a lot of that run. BUT then the good part started… Realising my race was done, I chose the next best thing… support everyone else… Hell, I was in KONA, this is hallowed ground… make the most of it Craig. I joked to the spectators and volunteers… Managed to steal a hug form my roomie Desi Dickinson and shake hands with my Team mate Desmond… Couldn’t catch Corinne Berg because she was too focused, but managed to shout for her and cheer on Annah Watkinson and James Walsh to their amazing podium positions… It was awesome even in my darkest hour… To the Saffas I missed, apologies I was suffering at the time…. Alii Drive really is something else purely because of the mystique it holds… Small punt for Paul Wolf and his team, our local spectators in PE are probably even louder and more encouraging and you realise how good we have it back at home, BUT Ali Drive is Ali drive… What does Annah say??? Those last 8 seconds… She is so right!!! That feeling crossing that specific finish line is indescribable. I didn’t have the race I wanted, but it was undoubtedly one of my life experiences. A lot of people sacrificed plenty and supported me unbelievably to get me there and I appreciate this like you will never believe. Too many names to mention but they know who they are. Thank you for allowing me to experience a dream come true. Kona… Till next time ;-)
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Authors:Where Trifactri athletes get to tell their side of the Swim, Bike and Run Archives
May 2018
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