It is one thing to have dreams but it is something else to have one of them realized. Some dreams can come true by sheer luck while others can come true with some luck mixed with a lot of determination and so it is that my dream of racing in Kona was answered by the new Legacy program. I had been overly confident I could qualify for a Kona spot after my first half ironman in Peterborough in 2000 but I have been humbled repeatedly ever since. Making it to Kona was much tougher than expected.
Fast forward 12 years and Joanne and I are in Kona. First thing I noticed is that contrary to the impressions I had of this place, Kona is not flat. Second is that the people of the Big Island are very nice and this was consistent for the full 17 days we were there.
Pre-Race days
Since this may be my only time racing in Kona (but not the last time going) I figured I better make sure I do whatever I can to ensure everything goes well. I had all my gears, my bike was mechanically 100% (hopefully no bad luck like Mark Allen had in 1982). I checked the bike course with Nigel to get to know where the famous Big Island winds could be a factor and how to cope with it. I swan at the Pier a few times and ran some of the run course. I also met other Legacy athletes and they also were so happy to be there.
The one thing I was not quite prepared for though was the intimidation factor. All the best triathletes in the world in this one small town all looking extremely fit and so I also had to put my game face on. I was also going to play the game. I am here, therefore I am.
Race Day
As usual, I slept well (sorry, don’t hate me for that) and woke up at 3:15 AM, had breakfast and reviewed for 1 last time my morning clothes, bike needs and run needs bags. Check. We drove to Palani and Kuakini to park the van and walked down to the body marking area. Other races do this step very well but the process here was even better. The stamped numbers is a very nice touch. Very professional. There were so many volunteers with many coming from all over the world.
Time to proceed to the bike and this is where I have to give Joanne one last big hug and say our goodbyes. I know I won’t get to see her again until later in the day. This will be a long day for her as well. I stuffed my bento pouch on my bike with 3 hrs worth of gels and 2 bottles of Gatorade, inflate the tires and do a last bike check. So far so good. The bike check-in volunteer said yesterday that it could be dark in transition but I found the whole bike compound fairly well lit. Still a headlight can be useful just in case.
I am pretty much ready to go at 5:45 and I managed to find Nigel, Brandon. Joe, Tim Shannon & Andrea. Nigel gives me his last “list of things to check for and do during the race”. He also reassures me that my Nineteen skin suit is legal after I mentioned I did not see it on the approved list. Great. I sat against a fence inside the bike area close to the swim start and watched people milling around getting ready and realized that many are way more nervous than I am. And there are many TV crews following different athletes.
I am good to go and feeling RRRRReady…….
The swim
As we proceed through the swim start arch I see an official telling a woman that her skin-suit is not legal and that she has to take it off. Holy crap, maybe Nigel was wrong and mine is not legal either and so I got away from that spot and got into the water ASAP. I need that skin-suit. I remembered later that Nigel said that not all skin suits were on the list and so I probably was OK. Phew….
I had 1 power bar plus 2 gels in the last 60 min and my energy level is perfect and so is my stomach. I positioned myself to the far left of the swim start and about half way from the front. As it happened in Tremblant, the cannon start does not go off on time and we hear Mike Reilly cry “GO, GO, GO” and off I went. The start was not as bumpy as I had expected. I swam well and have enough water for the first 500 m and even more later. It seems I had someone drafting from me for at least the first half which always makes me smile. I don’t mind so much as long as they leave my toes alone.
After swimming for quite a while I managed to see the first turn boat and for some reason it seems to get away from me. I know I am not a fast swimmer but still, there must have been a current because it took forever to get to it. The return home past the second boat seem to go a lot faster ( I guess there was a current after all) but my lack of swimming volume this summer starts to show as I am more tired than usual after an ironman swim. Out of the water and through the famous shower area, through the change tent and finally on my bike. The volunteers are great and are everywhere.
The Bike
Now it was time to turn on the engine as the bike is my stronger suit. Right out of T1 you go up Palani, a short hill and turn right onto Kuakini for a short loop before heading out of town and this is where I can already hear Nigel’s voice in my head “GILLES, don’t start so fast, keep watts below 165”. Well my legs are not feeling so fast and it takes me until I return to Queen K to start feeling good again. A few gels did the trick.
Queen K is a fantastic road to ride on. It has long rollers you can see go on for miles. It is never flat but a very fair course. I stuck to my nutrition plan for the whole ride: 1 gel every 20 min with Gatorade or water. My energy level was pretty decent for the whole way and my stomach was the best in any Ironman I have done. Everything went well until maybe 10 Km from Waikoloa.
Then it all changed. I had never seen a bike riding on an angle before. The famous trade winds, ferocious and intermittent coming from my right on an angle had me slow down and wary of being tossed over. Ok now I understand the “terrible trade winds”. Even trying to have a gel when passing-by a rock barrier, like Nigel told, me was difficult. Last time I rode this section with Nigel and Shannon we were flying. Not so much today. Most riders were not riding smoothly at all, struggling against the wind. I kept focusing on my nutrition and tried to pedal as smoothly as possible.
It was great seeing Nigel and the gang at the left turn in Kawaihae. Going West and in the climb towards Hawi was easier for a while as I was sheltered from the wind but they eventually returned with rain this time and it was also much, much colder. While I flew down from Hawi the Sunday before the race, I once again had to contend with the side winds and I was much slower and had to push hard to go downhill. The rain and winds subsided past Kawaihae but returned around Waikoloa with a straight on head wind and I was doing only around 13 Km/hr all the way into town. One would think you would benefit from a tail wind on the way back, but not here. I stuck to my nutrition plan and never missed a feeding and I was feeling the better for it.
The Run
Although I love to ride, I was very happy to hand my bike over in T2. I was glad to start the run, I was so happy to be here but at the same wanted the day to unroll not too fast. I had been looking for Joanne all day and I finally saw her in front of our condo twice, on the way out and back on the Alii loop. I stuck to my nutrition to the letter and it was amazing how much of a difference it made and how much better I felt energy wise than any previous Ironman. It is never too late to learn something new; gels over bars.
I was so looking forward to hitting Queen K and being in the lava field section. I saw Brandon and Shannon as they were close to turning right onto Palani and towards the finish. I could still do math in my head (which meant my nutrition was pretty good) and they were way, way ahead of me. Oh well, must keep moving.
And then the sun set (around 6:15) and this is where things really changed. By 7:00 PM it was really dark and as I got to a few Km from the airport it was pitch dark, so dark that I had to wear a glow stick or 2 to make sure runners coming the other way could see me. I have raced in the dark before but never where you cannot even see the pavement or your hands which means you really cannot run fast even if you wanted to.
Finally into the Energy Lab section where it is a 2 miles down and 2 miles back to Queen K. This section was treacherous as the pavement is uneven and it is even darker (if that is possible). The goal now is not to trip, make it out safely back to Queen K and keep working on my nutrition. Check.
Back onto Queen K and heading back into town, Yeehaw…. It can be very quiet and still pitch dark in between the aid stations but after a while I hear; HEY GILLES, IS THAT YOU????
Holy crap, I know that voice, it’s Nigel. Nigel has that quality where you never know where he is going to pop up during a race but you can count of him to be there for you when it counts. Running became easier as we started to chat but I reminded him that I saw a runner being told about 5 minutes ago by an official that he was not to have a friend run with him. Don’t get me DQ’ed Nigel. He stays with me all the way to Palani where he sends me off to the big Alii finish.
Turn right onto Palani and this is where I saw Dave Taylor and Tara Norton on the way out and I see them again on the way back. Nice.
And then things changed again. Everyone was cheering me on down Palani, left onto Kuakini and right onto Hualalai. There were so many people around and my pace picked up, running was easier than before. And then the big right turn on to Alii where there were no barriers and no clear path for a while to the finish where people want to high five you and be close to you. Unreal.
The Finish
I had been thinking about the finish for a long time. I think that every triathlete hopes for it, thinks about it at one time or another. Most want to be here but can’t. I can see the big lights in the distance and the familiar voice of Mike Reilly. Well suddenly I am in no rush to get to the finish line. I am going to enjoy this. This is where Joanne grabbed my arm as she realized I may not have seen her and she tells me where to meet later. I was high fived by so many people along the way and there were still so many people cheering. I eventually got to the finish line, stopped, turned around and went back to high five more people and then finally back to the finish line.
This is the best finish area ever. Good job WTC. I stayed in the finish area for a while with my 2 catchers. I wanted to soak it all in, the sounds, the people, the energy.
Conclusion
This was my slowest ironman by a lot but certainly the most special one. It was a tough summer trying to recover from my June cycling accident. Nigel never hesitated when I asked him to coach me with only 6 weeks to go before Kona when I realized my training was not where it needed to be. I could never have done as well as I did without his guidance and the best part is, he NEVER once said “WHAT DO YOU MEAN COACHING YOU WITH 6 WEEKS TO GO!!! ”. He knows how to get it done and supports you all the way. That is Nigel’s magic.
This is a big race and it has a world wide appeal but I never realized how special it was and how electric the place is during race week. I am immensely thankful that the Legacy program allowed me the chance to finally race in Kona.