Ironman World Championships 2010 - Kona Hawaii

The lead up to my race hadn't been perfect; I'd qualified in Wisconsin the previous year. Since then I'd had to pull out of both IM Lanzarote and IM Nice due to injury. I had torn ligaments in my left ankle which had affected my running for the rest of the year. My early plans of a sub 3 marathon were slipping away...



Kona would be my first Ironman of the year, with this came the uncertainty of how I would race. I arrived earlier this year than I had in the past, this was to be a very special couple of weeks for me and few weeks that would shape my future. Mette and I were married in St Peters Church, Kailua Kona - Hawaii on the 3rd October. It was a very special day for both us and made even more special by all our friends and family who were there


My race didn’t have a perfect start I had positioned myself two rows back in the middle. As the cannon sounded the paddle boarders were too close to me and blocked my swim. I had to go sideways before I could go forward and this wasn't easy with around 1500 other athletes behind me. From that point onwards I tried to relax in the 'melee or thrashing arms and feet' that was the swim. Exiting the swim, I felt good, relaxed. I hadn't been any where close to the red line; I was conscious that this was where I could make up some time.



I ride to watts and quickly settled into a rhythm passing the faster swimmers. I’ve recently been Retul’d by Freespeed and my position felt strong even in the Trade winds at Hawi. This gave me confidence and a sub 5 bike was the result!! my first ever in Kona…..... I put this down to having a plan and sticking to it. I use a concentrated Infinit Speedfil on the down tube and have a profile torpedo with water on the bars. This is all I carry, no bars, saltsticks or any other nutrition.




The run was hot, and although I was just off my target pace I felt like was just hanging in there...At the turn point I saw Declan Doyle was about 200m behind me and Tim Bishop was a little further back. Both looked strong. I train with both Dec and Tim and know how capable and talented they are, I wasn't sure if I could hold my pace. I saw a sign at the side of the road that said ’ Pain reassures you that you’re alive’ I was alive alright… and hurting!! From the start my run felt hard, I didn't remember 2008 being like this. But this year I was shooting for better than 21st in my age group and it came at a cost. Richard Hobson, my coach, was just ahead and it spurned me on to see familiar faces. I could see that he was hurting too, thank goodness for that as Tim and Dec still looked fresh. Heading out onto the Queen K into the lava fields, I felt alone and strangely took strength from this, my race was in my hands and it was mine to let slip away. I took solace that I was still passing more athletes.

I was so glad to see the finish, there’s nothing quite like the finish on Alii Drive and I will cherish that forever. My friend’s from Disney Tri were there cheering me on and for the first I shared the finishing flume with no one.... It was mine and mine alone.



My fastest race to date in Kona, 89th overall including all the Pro's. 36th Amateur and 10th in age group. 1st British Age grouper again

Swim 1:06.21
T1 3.03
Bike 4:55.30
T2 3.10
Run 3:09.15

The joy of open water swimming!

Not having a swim background puts me at at disadvantage at the beginning of every race. At school I was far too interested in too many other sports to worry about swimming....

I'm not a natural swimmer, but one attribute I do have is the ability and propensity to train hard and put myself on the limit. Essentially I'm resigned to the fact there is only so far that technical coaching can take me unless I was to start all over again!! I try to make up for this by making myself strong, using both paddles and a band in my sessions.

Now that the summer has arrived it brings with it the opportunity to swim open water and this much more fun!!

There are three lakes that are close enough to London and enable triathletes or just swimmers the opportunity to swim open water. They are dependent on seasonal temperatures and normally open May through to September. In the early season they're still a little cold, but normally by July you'd be comfortable swimming without a wetsuit.

My favourites are both Liquid Leisure and The Princes Club. They're are both Water ski lakes but they open up the whole lake for a limited time for athletes....Brilliant!!

So which is the best?? as they both have their own merits.

Firstly Liquid Leisure, I've been swimming here for the last three years, its located out at Dachet and its Superbly managed by Mike Trees and his team. They were the pioneers in turning open water swimming into a safe, fun and secure experience. He was also the first to offer athletes the opportunity to try before they buy his full range of 2XU wetsuits. Although this sounds such a simple thing, Mike was the first to do it. There are a number of different distance loops and the main 800m loop can be extended out to add a little more distance, but most athletes will swim repetitions of the 800m. There's a great atmosphere created by the buzz of athletes. A coffee shop and breakfast shack provide a good post training snack.... bacon sandwich or a Latte?

I've only just started swimming at Princes, but at the moment I'd say it was my favourite. Its in Bedfont, a much shorter drive from my house in Kingston. They open from 6-9am at the weekends and on Monday evenings from 5-8pm. The loop is 1500m, a 750m out and back. I've heard in the past that's it been a little weedy, but not this year as the lake was nice and clear today. The Princes Club is a very established water ski club and has all the amenities associated with this. There's a coffee shop, restaurant and even a bar. The manager, Glen walker, who runs the lake is always on hand and creates a warm friendly atmosphere taking time to chat and offer advice. Incidentally Glen runs Sippery fish swim school and is a Hawaii Ironman finisher!!

Both offer a secure monitoring system counting athletes in and out, but Princes Log all your details online when you arrive the first time, making registration quicker on your second visit.

The going rate is a £5 at each, which to be fair on a beautiful day like today, was money well spent.....