My 12th Ironman and my 6th Kona are
now in the books. This race, as I wrote
in my last post, means so much to me and I respect this course and the talent
that races here like no other. The athlete
experience here is wonderful. It all
starts when you register. There is no
line, the volunteers are really wonderful and know exactly what they are
doing. When you put your bike in
transition, it is like parading in front of the grandstand like a thoroughbred
horse prior to the start at Pimlico. All
the industry guys are lined up on the side and are taking copious notes on what
bike you are riding, what shoes you are wearing, what handle bars are on your
bike, etc. They really do their homework
on their products here. Once you get to
your first volunteer, they inspect your helmet and bike and then you are
assigned your own personal volunteer to escort you through the entire
transition area. The volunteers are
wonderful. I have always had great chats
with them as they walk you over to park your bike, tell you any changes in the
rules and then hang your transition bags in T1 and T2. In the morning when you walk into body marking
the volunteers are super attentive. You
wait for very little time. My volunteers
yesterday were from Brisbane, Australia.
They know our friends Robbie and Susie, so we had a great chat. I asked if they knew my wife, Teresa. They looked at me as if I had two heads and
said you aren’t allowed to call yourself a triathlete in Australia if you don’t
know the name Teresa Rider. I smiled with
pride.
I got in the water and paddled out to the start. I decided to go far to the right up against the
pier. It was crowded everywhere and I
thought I would at least be on the buoy line.
I am a big believer in the shortest distance between two points is a
straight line.
Mike Reilly, the race announcer, does a fantastic job in
keeping the swimmers in place prior to the start. It is more challenging than one would think
with the swells moving us in and out, up and down. Imagine 2000 bodies treading water in close
proximity awaiting the cannon to go off.
Being on the inside line the whole way, I marveled at the terrific job
the kayakers and surfers did to keep us from swimming out to sea, which would
have happened, as we tried our best to avoid the contact from the frenzy of swimmers
to our left. The water was choppy and the
swells large. It was a big boy
swim. I enjoyed it.
The first transition and the bike mount are always crazy. Luckily, I spent seconds in the transition
vs. minutes. Not much to see in
there. The tent is filled with naked
dudes doing all kinds of unmentionables with their get ups and electronic whatever’s
as they get ready to go ride for half a day.
The ride up Kuakini was as dangerous as ever. I had some clown drive me straight over an
orange pylon as “on your left, excuse me, come right” meant nothing to him. I hit the pylon at about 27 mph. My front wheel popped up and I was thinking
that this was not a good thing. I threw
all my weight aft like a mountain bike jump and just thought about staying
upright. Luckily, my front wheel only
slid a few inches when I landed and I stayed on my bike. There is a lesson here for my athletes- do
not overinflate your tires. Just because
your tubular can be inflated to 150 psi, don’t do it. If I had done that, I can guarantee you that
I would have touched the floor when that overinflated wheel bounced off the
asphalt. So I pulled back up to this guy
and let him know I was less than pleased, and for him to calm down and not be
such a knucklehead. Actually, that is a
lie- I wire brushed him (navy term) rather harshly, drawing freely from the
Jonser lexicon. He told me to relax. He didn’t care that he almost took me out. Some triathletes are absolutely terrible bike
handlers. If you are going to be a
terrible bike handler, stay right so you don’t endanger others. To his credit, he apologized when I passed
him on the Queen K and we had a pleasant exchange. So the bike ride was brutal, windy, and
everything Kona is supposed to be. I
survived.
This run course is by far my favorite. The crowds in town are unbelievable. It was great to see the smokin’ hot wife and
my sister from another mother, Kaye Hert, in their lime green bikini tops and
short zebra skirts. I am motivated by chicks
wearing next to nothing- its how I roll!
My buddy Paul was cheering at the top of his lungs, and always ran
beside me for a few seconds when he would see me to offer words of
encouragement- very much appreciated.
Bob Korock was all over the course and he had great things to say when I
made the turn to Hawi and when I came back the other way. He and Mark Pietrofesa were out on the Queen
K when I went running by. It helps a ton
to have your buds out there, as the Queen K is a rugged stretch of
running. Bob was also there when I
popped out of the Energy Lab. Thanks
Bob! The run was long and hard, like it
always is, and when I did finally get back into town, it was wonderful to see
so many folks I know. Simon Ward, Scott
Greene, Sergio Borges, Denny Meeker, Linda Rahal, and a host of others were
cheering their guts out for me. A number
of current and former military guys stepped out of the crowd, saluted me and
cheered me on. I saluted back and worked
hard to keep from getting emotional when a young man saluted and said “well
done shipmate!” He was standing on two
prosthetic legs. It was this visual that
reminded me that my challenge was for only a day…
So there it is.
Another Kona is in the books. We
enjoyed a fantastic vacation here in paradise with two of our closest friends,
Paul and Kaye. I am rejuvenated from
taking a mental break from work and seeing so many friends that I have gotten a
chance to reunite with here on the island.
I go home renewed in a trust in myself that when things get really
difficult that I won’t fold -that when tested there is absolutely no quit in me. This stuff bleeds into your real life. If you can muster the courage to persevere in
the lava on the hard days, and you can endure the suffering that comes with
that challenge, you can do the same in other aspects of your life, whether it
is work, a challenge in your personal life, or any other aspect of your life
that requires you to cowboy up and grind it out.
As the vacation comes to a close, I now will get caught up
on work and flying. This afternoon I get
the honor of presiding over and reading the oath of office, as we promote my
navy teammate Cam to the rank of Lieutenant.
I love administering this oath to junior officers. In my mind, I always recommit to that oath
myself.
I plan on taking a
few days off to reflect on what I can do better next year and then stand by- I
am coming back stronger and fitter next year!
Train with joy or not at all!
Jonser
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