Kona Blog

Kona Blog

With another Kona in the body, it’s always an inevitable moment for reflection & self evaluation. I’m constantly evaluating myself throughout the season, you have too, even when you’re going well, perhaps it’s even more important to do so when you’re going well. However, when you face off against the best of the best on the biggest stage of the sport, regardless of the results I’ve had over the years in Kona, you find out exactly where your stand. Once again in my case, what you have to do to try & close the gap. 

What to me is most intriguing about my effort in Kona this past Saturday is that it’s the closest I’ve been to the winner of the race. So what that means is that at the age of 43, I’m finally starting to close the gap to the top of the sport. So if the young guys are evolving the sport at the rapid rate as everyone claims, then there’s an even older guy evolving at an even faster rate!  I feel most qualified to comment on this as I’ve been racing for 10 years now. I didn’t decide to start training hard in the past 12 months. 

Absolutely training information & practices have evolved, as has technology. The athlete itself however is exactly as it’s been for as long as I’ve  been in the sport. A point worth noting, there’s more guys that are very good now than perhaps there were in previous years. This added dynamic to races means that yo can easily slip down the placings due to the density of the guys finishing so close to each other. 

Before i go on about me i want to highlight the incredible performances of Vincent Luis & Taylor Knibb. I was asked in the days leading in what i expected to happen on race day. I made it clear that despite all the hype of how fast & prepared everyone was for the race, Kona would show its teeth & put everyone in their place. The winners were always going to be the ones that could deal with the inevitable adversity they’ll experience better than everyone else. For Taylor to shrug off the demons of 12 months ago, the challenge she faced from Solveg on Saturday, and find a way to win, incredibly inspiring. When you look at her recent performances, across different distances & sports, I’m sure we can agree Tadej Pogacr is at the top male athlete in endurance sports right now. Taylor i would argue is quite possibly the top endurance female athlete on the planet right now. How lucky are we that she’s from our sport!

Back to the men’s race. I suggested atleast 20 men could win the race on Saturday. Considering the guy whom won was not someone expected to do so, i certainly stand by that claim. For me, Vince was absolutely in that 20 & he won as he was the best at dealing with everything the island & race dynamics could throw at him. A guy of that class with all that experience, the highest highs, & the lowest of lows, decades at the top of the sport, it was beautiful to see it all come together for him on our sports biggest stage. And if it truly is the last race he does as a professional, it’s absolutely a fitting memory for us all of a man that’s dedicated his life to entertaining us all in the sport of triathlon.

Now back to me hahaha. My buildup. I got to everything that I wanted to in my buildup. My goal was to focus on one race for the year, Kona, if i raced outside of that it was purely as a catered training day & opportunity to test things i wanted to test in a race environment. This included the Ironman in Maryland 3 weeks prior to Kona. My logic was that I believe I feel my strongest the week after an Ironman when I recover correctly. Tag another 10 days of high quality training onto this more resilient body & I’d be in my best possible shape. I felt amazing in Maryland & knew if i could win comfortably it’d mean I’m in the conversation for the top contenders in Kona. Post Maryland my plan was to travel to Big Bear Lake in California for final 2 week altitude block before arriving in Kona 3 days before the race ready to go.

Everything in the this preparation went totally according to plan, once i arrived in Kona however, i could feel the wheels falling off. The first issue i had was I’d forgotten how much i love being in Kona & seeing everyone. I believe I’m a man of the people & in those final few days when recovery should be the focus, i was absolutely more concerned with ensuring i give people as much of myself as possible. The second mistake i made was deciding to change frame sizes in the final week. I consequently finally rode the bike 2 days before the race & while deep down i knew it was a mistake to change anything at that point, I fatefully didn’t follow my gut instinct. You only have to look at a photo of me on the bike to see that my position was far from my usual self. I feel terrible & incredibly embarrassed for looking so hideous on such a beautiful bike. I pride myself first & foremost with looking fast even if i don’t have the legs to back it up haha. On race day, i consequently didn’t look good, nor did i have to legs to drag myself into the race, in that hideous position. 

So with all these reality checks racing through my mind i knew i was vulnerable to a mediocre day. When you’re not on-top of things in Kona, Kona will exploit your most vulnerable weaknesses. For me, my biggest vulnerability in Kona has always been my swim. Surprise surprise, despite having had what I believed to be my best ever buildup with my swimming leading into Kona, i mentally lost the plot & subsequently lost contact with the main field. I’ve had experience with this from 2024 so i knew there was hope to salvage something from the day. The saving grace was being with Sam Long out of the water & we shared an equal determination for the race to not leave us further behind. We kept each other very honest setting the pace where we had our strengths. Sam on the flats & downhills, myself on more climbing sections. It was really nice to share the bike leg with Sam. Unfortunately when you’re back there in no mans land you’re just not with the momentum of the race. I’m qualified to say this as I’ve been in front & know how much easier it feels up there. Best case scenario was to hold our own, which we did, & bank on doing something special on the run when it’s Mano  o Mano.

Once on the run i had high hopes of a decent finish. I adopted the same strategy as 2024 holding myself back the first 15km until i got out onto the queen k. This time around however the pop i had 2 years ago wasn’t there. Instead of the adrenaline rush of running through the field, i was battling to maintain whatever position i was currently in. I ran the same pace as 2024 but it felt so much slower which is perhaps a good sign. It reminds that if i get the preparation right in the buildup to the race, manage the effort on the bike, I’ve absolutely got the potential for an improvement in my Kona Marathon time. So that was the race. Not really much to say about it, pretty flat would be the best way to describe it from my perspective. What i will say is with the situation i found myself in during the race, i never gave up hope nor the desire to race as best as I could. With what i had on the day, it was absolutely the best possible result i could manage at the 2026 Ironman World Championship, 12th. 

By 2:30pm, I was sitting in the bar at the King Kam hotel watching Alabama play Georgia in the college football. 8hrs earlier I’d obviously had dreams and aspirations of how my finish line experience was going to play out that year. Nothing i imagined actually transpired. To me this highlighted a problem. I’ve been so fixated on a result & outcome. It’s no secret my dream is to become the Ironman World Champion. However, instead of wondering where the work I’m doing in the swim would get me, I should’ve been focusing solely on the process of swimming as-well as i possibly could. Instead of thinking a smaller frame size would magically give me free speed without actually testing it, I should’ve been focused on consolidating the excellent position i already had on my bike & getting stringer legs to pedal it. Simply put, instead of worrying about the result I wanted to achieve I should be totally committed to competing to the best of my ability. The result then takes care of itself. 

The one thing I’m happy with & executed to best of my ability on race day was my run. Not running as fast as I believe I’m capable of running on race day is a trickle down effect of not being adequately prepared for the swim & bike. This is the reality i have to face & there’s absolutely nobody to blame other than the guy i see in the mirror. With this being the case I’m actually very fortunate. It means i’m 100% in control of rectifying these mistakes moving forward. 

There’s no doubt I’ve had an up & down month. On the one hand my preparation went totally according to plan, until i arrived in Kona atleast. Winning Maryland meant I’ve already qualified for Kona in 2027 & that gives me the best possible start into next season. I wonder if in the back of my mind my sub conscious pushed me to do that race anticipating this years kona wouldn’t be as successful as I envisioned. My son even told me the night before the race, that after this Kona is finished i should continue training so that i can beat the really good guys next year. He obviously didn’t feel like I’d be with the really good guys after the build up he’d witnessed through his 6 year old eyes. Aren’t kids just priceless. So who knows, maby this year was all about setting myself up for next year. There’s certainly no other way to look at it now.

I’m unsure if my season is finished or not. I certainly feel quite fresh 4 days after the race & already itching to get back into training. Perhaps there’s another Ironman in me before 2026 is over. I also know i have to make a significant shift on the swimming front. It’s critical i setup a structure for myself that enables me to have the belief i handle whatever is thrown at me when we lineup at Kailua-Kona pier next October. I’m confident that doing the simple things right & consistently, will have me where i need to be on the bike. Also the run trajectory is where I believe it needs to be & I’ll continue to trust that process. Sport at this level is monotonous. Do the work, day in, day out, week after week, year after year, & you’ll give yourself the best possible chance of fulfilling the goals you set for yourself. 

I’ll go back to what I said in the opening paragraphs. I’m the one closing the gap on these guys, they’re not getting away from me. Ontop of that, i have swam well in the past compared to them, I’ve also ridden very well compared to them. It’s just finding the formula to execute that on the one day that matters most in our sport, to give myself a chance of truly challenging them. I absolutely love what i do & cannot wait to see what more i can extract out a guy in his mid forties over the next twelve months. One session at a time, one season at a time. Until the wheels fall off. 

CJW

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