The weekend here in Kona was just prime. Saturday we rode with the boys, and Sunday T and I ran out to the energy lab and back. The Saturday ride consisted of Hamster, Josh, Ross, T, Paul and me. We rode 3 hours and change, and it was very enjoyable. The rain christened our arrival back into Kailua on the return, but as all things in Kona go, even that was wonderful.
Having six of our athletes here is an absolute gas. We roll out as a tribe everyday and the energy is better than fantastic. I will give you a quick rundown of the boys…and of course, Rosie.
I have written plenty about my bud Paul. Paul qualified at Brazil by going 9:40 and placing third behind two legit big boys in this sport. Paul had a brilliant effort there and save the broken wrist in August is locked and loaded. I expect big things from him here in the lava this year.
Ross Hillesheim has only been with us for a few months. As a long time friend of one of my navy buddies, Ross contacted us out of the blue and was at our July camp. Ross got a lottery slot to Kona and is fairly new to the sport. Ross is a friendly, warm and fun 28 year old guy from Carmel, California. Ross works in his family business and was clearly raised right. T and I have taken to him straight away and we love having him around. It is fun to see Kona through his eyes this year and appreciate things we have taken for granted because they are new to Ross. Ross is a very gifted triathlete. I love coaching him and he will be a regular here at this race very soon. He is as pure an endurance athlete as I have met. I look forward to watching him progress over the years.
Josh Vincent has been part of IMJ Coaching for a few years. Josh came to me broken and over trained and we have struggled with his injuries for awhile, but is finally healthy and it is showing in his racing. Josh blasted out a 10:19 on a brutal day in Louisville and rightfully earned his slot to come to Kona this year. It is a very short turnaround from Louisville, but I would not be surprised to see this young South African bust out a great one. Josh lives in the city in San Francisco and is a technology guy. He is also the designer of our logo and is a classic renaissance guy. He, too, was at our July camp and is a phenomenal swimmer and strong both on the bike and run. This will not be his last visit to the lava.
I wrote about Hunter “Hamster” Hobson last year in my Kona blog. Hamster is back as the Marine Corps athlete. Hamster just belted out a 10:21 in Canada and is determined to do the same or better here. Hamster is not just an IMJ athlete; he is quickly becoming a very dear friend to T and me. His wife Margy, along with Hamster, were with us in St. Croix in the spring. It is the friendships that you build up in this sport as you march along on your journey that really become the real treat in this sport. Hamster is back for his second Hawaii Ironman. Having last year’s experience under his belt will be huge for him as we go at it Saturday morning.
Lee Boyer is a friend and navy teammate. Lee is the Executive Officer of a Navy squadron in Florida. Lee is primed to bust out a huge effort here in his first trip to Kona. I have seen Lee power through to some impressive race results and I don’t expect anything different here on the 9th. Lee has no weaknesses. He is a legit Kona player and his fast swim, strong bike and a genuine runners run could bode well for him on Saturday. I am excited to see how he goes. He is not only a great athlete; he is a super human being. I am proud to race with him and even more proud to be his friend.
Kristen “Rosie” Barnes is both an IMJ athlete and my navy teammate. Rosie and I go back a few years. Rosie is an F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer by trade and is good at just about everything. I first met her at a CpC camp I coached back in 2007 with Chris McCormack and Mitch Gold. I first noticed how tough she was back then when we were swimming heinous sessions that included 6-7k swims and 6-7 hour bikes. There is no quit in Rosie and she motivates me every time I open her logs. Rosie just got back from a year in Kuwait where she was working with the Army. Rosie emailed me out of the blue and asked if it was possible to start laying down serious training even though she was in isolated duty with not much for training venues. We worked it out and she has been laying it down since then. Whenever I need to get motivated, I look to Rosie. She gets me fired up for sure!
Having this crew here with T, me, as well as our coach, Kristian and his wife Charlotte has made this week wonderful. The daily sessions with each of us meeting up every morning is a great way to start the day. If you sometimes get down, just surround yourself with positive people. It will help every time.
Tomorrow, the Vulcans will start to arrive en masse. Let the games begin!
Jonser
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