Umeke #3 - 2019 Ironman World Championship Race Report

A coveted Umeke Bowl from the Ironman World Championships

Well, it was certainly an honour to win another Umeke Bowl for winning the military division at this year's Ironman World Championship.The camaraderie among the Armed Forces members is always so great and it's such a pleasure toeing the line with some truly amazing folks.

Anyways, race day was an early morning. I had set my alarm for 0340hrs but by shortly after 0300hrs I was awake, so at 0330hrs I got up. I had my standard race morning breakfast: a cup of coffee with cream, a glass of orange juice, a bagel with jam, a couple eggs, and a banana. In addition to my breakfast I made sure to drink a bottle of F2C Nutrition Hydra-Durance.

At around 0440hrs we loaded up the vehicles and headed down to the pier. Claudia dropped Vince and I off at the corner of Kuakini and Palani. Getting through special needs drop-off, body marking, weigh-in, and onto the pier was a breeze as the masses had not yet arrived. I quickly found my bike, pumped up my tires, placed my starting nutrition on my bike (1 x 400 Calorie bottle of F2C Nutrition Glyco-Durance and 1 x ~700 Calorie concentrated bottle of F2C Nutrition Glyco-Durance). Once my bike was set I headed out of transition, did a quick port-a-potty stop and then headed to the starting corals. The start corals were new this year as the race was doing wave starts instead of the previous male mass start and female mass start.

All set for the swim start!

And we are off!

At 0655hrs, the M18-39 Wave (the first age group wave) was off. I had lined up about three-quarters of the length to the far left and had planned to try and sight the diagonal to the turn. When the horn sounded we were off and the mass of bodies quickly spread out. There was minimal contact until we neared the turn-around boat. I was a bit concerned with the swim as the M40-44 and M45-49 waves were starting 5 and 10minutes behind my wave respectively. I figured that some of the faster swimmers in those waves would be swimming over us slower swimmers. That proved to be the case, but it wasn't too bad as there seemed to be lots of open space for the most part. I wasn't expecting much from the swim as I had honestly not put a lot of time into swimming this year. I didn't bother looking at my watch as I exited the water. Actual swim time 1:12:10 (very comparable to the previous year)

Climbing up Palani to the Queen K (photo credit: Argon 18)

Then it was quickly through transition and onto the bike. I figured I would go a touch harder in the opening section of the course and then settle in once back onto the Queen K. The wave starts had surprisingly done their job and it was quickly evident that the field was more spread out. This enabled folks to ride legally and it seemed like an endless line of athletes strung out on the Queen K with required ~6 bike lengths of separation between the riders. I had just settled into my rythm on the Queen K when I felt something hit and then start causing a burning sensation on the palm of my right hand...kind of like when you have a hot piece of metal from a grinder hit you...except this kept burning/hurting. I opened my palm and there was a wasp with his stinger in me just below my ring finger. I flicked the wasp off and then did my best to pull the stinger out all the while thinking
...get through a little adversity and it'll be fine. For the entire ride out to Hawi it seemed like I was passing other riders. That being said it made it significantly easier to ride my race and avoid the surges required to pass packs of riders. As much as I like the mass start, I think this may be a better option. Once we hit Waikoloa, the wind started to pick-up and the ride up to Hawi was quite windy. I was happy to hit the turn-around at Hawi and stop at special needs to pick-up my second concentrated bottle of F2C Glyco-Durace (700 Calories) and my two cans of Red Bull which were frozen in another bottle. Unfortunately the volunteer who was supposed have given me my bag didn't go get it. So I had to stop at the end of special needs and wait for them to find my bag and then bring it to me...oh well! The descent was a bit sketchy at times due to the cross wind that was gusting through some of the open sections, but the speed on the descent is always fun. Once back onto the Queen K, I reminded myself to watch my power numbers and to hold ~200W or a little more. I felt very strong on the return trip back into town. Bike Time 4:48:10. Power 201W Avg, 213W NP.

Heading out on Kuakini Highway

It was through T2 and onto the run or where the race really begins in Kona. You know it's going to be hot and humid, it's always just a question of how hot and humid. I had passed Vince on the return leg on the Queen K and knew Matt Davis and Davis Frease, both U.S. Military Athletes, were ahead of me. As I headed out towards Ali'i drive, Claudia told me that Matt was about 1.5 minutes ahead of me (she wasn't tracking Davis). And as per normal, I pretty much just ignored my watch and ran. I kept my effort in check and by the turn around on Ali'i drive I had significantly closed the gap to Matt. On the return leg I caught and passed him. I was happy to run by Claudia again on Kuakini Highway as I headed out to the Queen K. This year however, I was feeling a lot better. The climb up Palani always sucks, but thankfully it's not too long. Once out onto the Queen K, I just settled back into my rhythm and just tried to enjoy the running. It was uncomfortably hot and humid and the cold water and ice at the aid stations were a welcome relief. I passed Davis about half way out on the Queen K. He was struggling with some cramping, so I checked that he didn't need anything and then continued on. Thankfully as I headed down into the Energy Lab, there seemed to be a light breeze. I was certainly feeling the effects of the heat and humidity. In order to keep my body temperature in check, I started to walk the aid stations to make sure I was getting fluids in, but mostly to ensure I could dowse myself with water and get some ice down my trisuit. The last 10 kilometres were a bit of a sufferfest as I tried to keep my pace up (you never know who is hunting you down). Run time 3:03:52.

Final Time 9:11:03. A new Kona PB. 104th Overall, 53rd Age Grouper, 19th M35-39, and 1st in the Military Male Division. 

Military Division Winners: Emma Wardall and I with our Umeke Bowls

Going in my target was a sub 9:10, a finish in the top 100 overall, and finish in the top 50 age groupers. I just missed each of those targets, but I gave it my all and that is all you can do. No regrets!

Posing with the Pro Champions: Anne Haug and Jan Frodeno!

Kona 2019 was a blast and it's likely my last or at least my last for a while. This race is always so special, each year it's a challenge, each year it's different, and each year you have to dig through the adversity to achieve your best on the day!