Behler 2016 Kona Race Report
Hi. My name is Jeremy. And I’m a runner. It’s hard for me to finally admit this. Cyclists are so much cooler. And their equipment is so much more exciting. But alas, this performance confirms what I can no longer deny. I indeed am a runner.
Short Story :
I had a solid performances across all disciplines 1:02:01 Swim 80/246AG , Bike 5:22:14 118/246AG , Run 3:23:17 34/246AG for a total time of 9:54:10 which was 50/246 in M40-44. I raced somewhat conservatively but had a great run allowing me to meet my key goals of a sub-10 finish and running the whole marathon. I missed my stretch goal of a new PR by 84 seconds.
The Long Story Wow…where to start. I’ve just started writing but know this will be a long RR…so much to capture and share.
Week leading up to the race
Arrived in Kona on Saturday 10/1, one full week in advance of the race. This gave me some time to ride/run/swim on the actual course and experience the conditions first hand. After picking up the rental car we got to the condo around noon. We grabbed lunch, did some grocery shopping for the week, and unpacked. After settling in I went to pick up my bike from TBT then knocked out a short 5 mile run from the condo to loosen up after a day of travel.
Sunday we planned a swim and bike on the course. Coach P and Mariah picked me up at the condo, we loaded my bike, and headed into Kona. We hit Dig Me Beach around 7AM. And wow…if you ever are feeling a bit high on yourself show up to Dig Me Beach during IM week. Never have I seen so many abs and so little body fat.
Got in a good swim..just under an hour which gave me a feel for swimming in the swells, how to time sighting, and picking out landmarks in both directions. The water was so clear and the amazing coral and tropical fish made the time pass quickly.
I was able to see that my paces were roughly in line with wetsuit swims and also that my swim skin caused chafing in a couple areas due to the saltwater. Both of these allowed me to make adjustments for race day. From there we drove out to Waikaloa to ride the course including the climb to Havi and back. It was hot, and great preview for the race. The crosswinds were tough and it was good to visualize the climbs and rolling hills to help pace on race day. On the short climb up from Kawaihae I got really hot in the mid-day sun and helped me realize that racing without my helmet visor would be needed for cooling on race day.
Monday it was back to Dig Me Beach for a shorter swim of 2,100 yards and more hard-body elbow rubbing. Saw Freddy Van Lierde and Rinny swimming that morning. From there I ran back to the condos, about 6.5 miles up Ali’I Dr of which the first 5 is along the run course. Capped of the day with a great dinner at Huggo’s on the Beach with our feet in the sand and the ocean just steps away.
Tuesday was a total day off for me. Spent the day touring the island with my family seeing the WHOLE island…waterfalls, rainforests, rocky coastlines, and of course Kilauea, the active volcano on the island.
Wednesday Things got pretty low key by Wednesday. Did a short 20 mile group ride with the Ventum crew. Got to meet Leanda Cave, Kevin Collington, and a host of other Ventum age groupers. From there I went to the King Kam for check in which was so much better than prior IMs. They had no wait, and the swag was top quality (Ogio backpack, Headsweats hat, and high quality swag from sponsors). From there I checked out a few of the expos at the IM Village and then did a short, final shakeout run of 4 miles along Ali’I drive. Had the team dinner that evening at the Condos and got to meet most of the EN crew.
Thursday started out with the obligatory participation in the Underpants Run! It was everything I expected and I did it with my boys (10 and 12) who thought it was one of the funniest things they’ve ever done.
After that I took the kids snorkeling at the nearby beach park and spent most of the day off my legs.
Friday we had our team breakfast at Denny’s where we talked race plans and of course got more swag from our friends at Trisports.com and Nuun. After that was back at the condo with a few sessions in my party pants (Normatecs) and prepping my bike for dropoff at 2:30. Had a lunch of Rotisserie Chicken and white rice before picking up Coach Rich for bike drop. Bike Drop was much more complicated than a normal IM. The line was all the way from transition up Palani to Kuakini Rd (maybe ¼ mile). Check in was kind of like the Grammy’s Red Carpet. They lined us up to enter…and as we approached many vendors had booths with swag for athletes using their product. Instead of “Who are you wearing” it was “Who are you riding?”. Ventum….great, here’s a backpack. Thanks for riding Enve Wheels, here’s a beach towel. Thanks for being a Powertap customer…here’s a trucker hat. In addition, there were people lined up on both sides of the dividers watching everyone entered. Many people were snapping pictures for bike and gear counts etc. Once we got to the entrance it was 1-1 attention from a volunteer. They walked our bike to the rack. Personally walked us through transition, pointing out key landmarks for navigation, hints on how to find transition bags, etc. It was a very special experience.
After checking in we headed back home. I grabbed an early dinner around 5 of spaghetti, marinara, and garlic bread. Had the good fortune of sitting next to Carol and Turby at the restaurant. What great people….I want to be like them when I grow up.
Race Day
Woke up at 3AM and took in a large bottle of Mixed Berry Naked Juice (about 700 calories) with whey protein powder. Went back to bed afterward but never fell asleep, rather just laid still in a somewhat meditative state thinking about my day ahead.
Alarm went off at 4, 45 minutes ahead of the EN Van departure. Took a quick shower to wake up, had a powerbar, gathered my nutrition for the bike, etc. EN van picked me up followed by Dirk and Rick. We arrived in Kona around 5:10 and parked a few blocks away. Finally met the man, myth, and legend Dave Tallo as we walked to check-in. By the time we made it to the back of the King Kam it was a zoo. Big lines, moving slowly. I was able to shoot the breeze with Dave and pass the time as we eventually made it through to body marking. Once we finally made it into the tent and got our numbers I thought it would speed up but then you have to have the numbers (Tritats) applied which was another cluster$&%#. All said and done we probably spend 40 minutes. I don’t know why they don’t just put the tritats in the gear bag and have us apply them. They can then check our tats and bracelet as we enter to confirm everything lines up. Was pretty frustrating and thankfully we had plenty of time to spare. I made it to the bike rack, installed my Ventum hydration bladder, filled my Torhans BTA with water and Nuun, and situated my helmet on my bars. Checked my gear bag in and headed to the team picture at 6:05 which I barely made. Snapped the team pic, listened to the national anthem, and made my way with Rich to the water.
After the pro women went off they allowed the AG men to enter. Rich and I found a seat on the seawall for a few minutes and around 6:40 (15 minutes prior to the start) we headed to the start line. He went a bit further left and I lined up in the middle, one row back. It was pretty empty, but with about 5 minutes there was a mass of people that made their way up…most pushing/positioning themselves further up. By the time the 1 minute warning was announced I was probably 4-5 people back which was fine as I knew I wouldn’t be as FOP here. As the final seconds ticked down, I took a moment to appreciate where I was, what I was doing, and everything that led up to being there. I looked up at the sky, over at the volcanos, across to Ali’I with thousands of fans and felt incredibly grateful and fortunate for the opportunity to be there. I reminded myself to have fun, embrace the suck, and remember that thousands of people would like to be here and I shouldn’t take it for granted.
The Race
My race plan is here > http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aff/25/afv/topic/aft/21922/Default.aspx
The Swim - 1:02:01 Swim 80/246AG, and most importantly faster than Rich 
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1397170920
As the cannon went off it was crazy. I’ve been in many mass starts (IMAZ, IMMO) but this was more aggressive than I’ve ever experienced. At no time in the first 5-700 yards did I have any space in either direction. I was pushing relatively hard, but felt good and knew if I slowed up it would likely create more issues and slow me down significantly as I was run over. It broke up a bit around 1k yards, but was by no means clean water until after the first turn buoy around the halfway mark. Surprisingly the turns weren’t congested like they have been in other races. After the turn back to the pier I had pretty clean water most of the way. I saw Rich a few times (he was the only guy in a red swim skin with a beard) and felt good as I know even his intended ‘soft pedal’ swim is a good swim by my standards. As I approached the pier I could hear the announcers and crowd. As I approached the stairs I looked at my watch and saw 1:01;XX and felt good as it was right where I expected to be. Interestingly enough as I look at my Garmin file I averaged a 1:24 pace for the first half and a 1:37 for the second half so it looks like the current was actually helping us on the way out. I rolled down my swim skin, grabbed a hose to rinse the saltwater, and headed into the changing tent.
T1 –
Very simple transition….just grab by bag that only had arm coolers, strip my swim skin and put it, with my goggles and cap in the bag and off. Easy right? Not so fast. In Kona a 1:02 swim is very pedestrian. The tent was packed. I could barely find a seat. I ended up finding one and made my way out quickly. Ran the perimeter of transition to my bike. Helmet on. Sunglasses on. And that’s it.
The Bike - 5:22:14 118/246AG
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1397204024
Mounted the bike and slid my feet into the shoes. A quick twist of each shoe and I was ready to go. Initial climb out on Palani is short but steep and then the left to begin the initial Kona loop. Immediately after turning off Palani my tube of Nuun popped out as I was getting situated. Knowing hydration and electrolytes would be key to the day I calmly pulled to the side, leaned by bike against the wall, and walked into the street to retrieve the tube. Bikes passing on both sides and made a point to stay calm. Took maybe 20-30 seconds. From there I settled in, focusing on eating and hydrating immediately. Took in some GU Waffles and GE. As expected the traffic was heavy. There were large packs which were really unavoidable given the congestion. No intentional drafting that I could see but certainly some unintentional as well as legal drafting as you passed. The congestion led me to largely be in my hoods to the turnaround. I also made it a point to enjoy the moment. While the winds were brutal and temperatures hot I was racing in freaking Kona!!! I remember reading in “Born to Run” how the Tarahumara Indians would always be smiling when they were running, and there some that believe that there the act of smiling can have psychological benefits by disconnecting the body’s physical pain and fatigue from the mind. As you can see I was fully embracing this as I flipped the gang sign!
As we got to the Queen K things spread out a bit and I settled in. As usual, my watts were a touch on the low side for my HR. I tried testing during training with a RR swim first but the race day experience continues to baffle me. Regardless, my HR was right where I wanted it so I accepted my power for what it was. I knew it would be a long day so I forced myself to be patient. Along the QK the drafting was ridiculous. I was passed by huge pelotons…sometimes, 3, 4, even 5 people wide. Again, with so many pointy end dudes it’s bound to happen and honestly I don’t know what they could do as there is no way they could practically penalize the entire group.
When I was passed by them I made it a point to sit up, soft pedal, and signal to any marshal that I was not drafting and attempting to drop back to legal range. The motos did a pretty decent job of monitoring and I did see a number of penalties being handed out. It was frustrating that some of the motos were Harleys and you could hear them approaching from a distance. More than once you could see the actions of riders change as they heard the approaching marshal. The headwinds were pretty brutal. I wasn’t seeing the speeds I hoped for, but was hopeful this meant we’d have a tailwind for the ride home. I was loving my new Ventum. It handled the crosswinds great and the integrated hydration allowed me to fly through the first few aid stations. I was on plan, feeling good, and having fun. I continued my nutrition plan…GU Waffle and GU gel alternated every 30 minutes. And targeted 24oz of GE every 30 minutes, with Nuun as needed. By mile 45 (15 miles before the Hawi turnaround) I had exhausted by hydration and nutrition and would need to start refilling at aid stations. I was feeling good, but still hadn’t peed so I made it a point to drink more as I usually pee by the halfway point. At the next aid station and grabbed a water to moisten my arm coolers, GE to refill my hydration, and grab a GU. I wanted to grab a clif bar but they were out. No worries, I’d reach the next one in 20 minutes or so. I opened the GU and squeezed it in my mouth. Mocha???? Dammit. I hate Mocha. I couldn’t stomach it. Ok…no problem. I’d grab a GU and Clifbar at the next one and just take in more GE to keep the calorie intake high enough. Unfortunately, I was past the aid station and didn’t want to get a littering penalty so I held the GU packet in my hand. It started to leak and got my hands and aerobar shifters all sticky. I made it to Hawi averaging right around 20MPH. I felt good about that as it’s a net uphill and I expected to average a touch over 21 for the day. As we flipped it in Hawi the course turned to downhill and we enjoyed some free speed. The Hawi descent is fun. I have my Garmin set for 5 mile autolap and I had one that was 8 minutes and 30 seconds! I was anxious for the next aid station as I didn’t want to fall behind on my calories. As the next station arrived I realized they didn’t have all options at each aid station as the athlete guide implied. In fact, the next one had only liquids (water, GE, Coke, Red Bull). It was at this point I made a calculated deviation from my race plan. I knew that If I didn’t take in the calories I’d have a hard time sustaining my effort. So at mile 70ish I opted to grab a Red Bull. This wasn’t completely foreign to me. I’ll grab a Red Bull at around the same point on long training rides and my body responds well to the sugar content (better than the HFCS in Coke which also works well). So I filled my bottle with GE, chugged a RB, and cooled myself off with a water (and rinsed of the sticky residue from that nasty Mocha GU). At this point, I knew that I’d need to sustain RB and/or coke as once the caffeine enters my body I need to sustain it for consistent energy. It was around this time that Dave passed me…we exchanged a few words and it appeared we were both feeling good and executing according to plan. The field had spread out by nowand I was starting to catch and pass many of the folks that went out too fast. And yes…even in Kona this happens. Not as much, but it does. I finally felt the urge to pee around mile 70. Once the seal was broken I knew I had sufficient hydration as I peed 3 times in the final 50 miles. I think I may have been just a touch behind on fluid intake early on hence the later timing. At the bottom of the hill as you turn for the climb to the QK was the first time I felt hot. It’s a mile or so climb and it’s protected in a bit of a valley, so you really feel the sun baking you. I could feel the sweat rate increasing and sat up, focused on long, steady breathing and keeping my effort steady. As I mad the turn onto the QK toward Wikaloa I was hit with a pretty good headwind…how could this be? Madam Pele wasn’t happy and had shifted the winds against us for the final 30miles.
This was the hardest part mentally of the entire bike. I expected this to be a relatively fast section where the average speed would slowly tick up. Instead I was seeing speeds of 19-20 in full aero at goal watts (as apposed to the 22-24 I’d expect). My average speed kept dropping by my power and HR were dialed in. I stuck with it, grabbing a RB, GE, and water at each aid station. Despite the thinner crowds, I did see some pretty blatant drafting. There was one buy that was inches off the wheel of the guy in front of him as they both passed me and went on to stay closely on his wheel for the next few miles. I noted his name and country (they were on his kit). On the final miles of the QK I saw the lead pros heading out on their run. As we turned off the QK we headed in for the final few miles that were mostly admin and I gathered myself, made sure I took in final nutrition to prepare myself for a strong run.
T2
Super simple again. Handed bike to a bike handler, ran all the way around the pier (again), stripping my arm coolers and helmet in the process. Grabbed by T2 bag off the rack (was lucky to be the 5th bag from the entrance so didn’t have to stop and look at all the numbers) and into the changing tent. Tent was busy again but I was able to find a chair. I keep things very simple….shoes with socks rolled up inside and a go bag with everything else. I put on my socks and shoes, grabbed by go bag and left transition. By the time I left transition I had my hat and race belt on and ditched the ziplock. Transition exit was lined with spectators and was very exciting.
The Run 3:23:17 34/246AG
Run https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1397171487
In the excitement of the transition exit I forgot one of the main things Coach P told me….”Make sure you stop at the first aid station which is right at the transition exit…the next aid station is a long 1.5 miles out on the course”. I realized this about a quarter mile in and at that point I wasn’t turning around. It was hot…but the training runs the week prior had prepared me well for how it would feel. I was very pleased to see my HR was right where I wanted it from the outset. Since I knew my bike was a bit slower than I hoped for I made a call to not take the first miles easy and just focus on keeping my HR dialed in. It wasn’t long at all that I saw the carnage of Kona taking place….many people walking and slow jogging from the outset. I was steady eddy and holding a 7:30 pace as I ran down Ali’I drive. It was such a great way to start the race….great spectator support, beautiful ocean vistas off to my right, and a steady stream of people to pass. I was having a great time…continuing to focus on smiling, handing out high fives, and reminding myself how cool it was to be there racing in Kona.
I knew I’d have to deviate from my nutrition plan on the run as well and instead continued taking as much ice (for my trucker hat and race saver bag) and Red Bull/Coke that I could. Standard aid station included one cup of ice for hat, another for race saver, then two cups of RB or Coke (whatever was easier to grab) and then water to pour on my face. As I hit the turnaround at mile 5 on the south end of Ali’I drive I assessed how things were going and decided to stick with my strategy. My RPE was low, I didn’t feel TOO hot (more on that in a minute), and the HR continued to be pegged between 140-142. At this point I saw Dave Tallo again on the outbound leg. He gave me a shout out which was huge as I was in a bit of a zone. I know he’s a great runner and expected him to catch me later in the day. I passed Mariah around Mile 8 or so with her phone (of course!) and she told me “Coach says to slow down”. “No way”, I told her, “I’ll slow down when I finish”. Apparently my face was pretty red and he was concerned I was pushing too hard but I was confident in my pace and decided to keep with my improvised plan. The climb on Palani was brutal. That is a steep, and relatively long climb. I jogged up it, focusing on a hard cap of 150BPM. Lots of walkers on the climb and was mentally a confidence boost to be able to maintain somewhat of a run without spiking the HR too high. At the top of the hill and the turn onto the QK the tone of the race changes. Spectators all but disappear and you are running on an exposed 4 lane divided highway. The miles go by so slowly and the sun beats down while the heat radiates up from the asphalt. There was one guy that was running the same pace as me and I just focused on maintaining my cadence, HR, and smooth stride as I ran beside him. As I turned into the Energy lab around mile 16 I thought “I feel better than I thought I would at this point”. I saw the road leading down into the energy lab which is downhill and felt a surge of confidence. As I made it to the bottom of the hill what I didn’t realize is that you turn a hard right and run another .75 miles or so before the turnaround. This is in a valley and protected from wind so it was getting hot. At the turnaround that confidence from a short time ago was completely shot. I was feeling the effect of the cumulative fatigue and suffocating heat. Fortunately, there were some clouds that had accumulated so the sun wasn’t as strong, but the heat and humidity continued to be very taxing. Saw Dave again and based on my rough math he was about a mile behind me so having the run I expected and gaining ground. The final section of the Energy Lab was brutal. This was the first time my body started telling me it wasn’t having fun, even though my mind tried to convince it otherwise. Looking back at my files, the two miles in the Energy Lab were the only two miles all day in which my average pace was more than 8 min/mile. Once I made the climb out and back onto the QK the roads leveled out and a breeze returned. I was able to get my legs back somewhat and was running 7:40-7:45 pace from there. At this point there were a lot of athletes on their way out to the Energy Lab. I saw a handful of ENers but my mind was so single focused I don’t even remember who I saw. At this point, having re-found my groove, I was feeling really good about how the run was progressing. I didn’t know what my total race time, but back of the envelope math in my mind told me my pace was on track for a 9:58ish finish. At mile 24 I made the call to dial it up a bit and finish strong. My thought process was…even if I blow up I have a respectable 10:15ish finish and if don’t then it will lead me to my goals of sub 10 and an IM PR. So I stopped looking at my watch, and dropped the hammer. It started out feeling pretty good, particularly given the Palani descent didn’t require as much effort and instead I just focused on turning the legs over. Once I got to Kuakini though, I realized that I still had some distance left to the finish. It’s a bit diabolical, but when you come down Palani you are just a block from the finish, then they route you around about a mile or so. This means you can hear all the cheering, announcing, etc for a good 5-10 minutes as you approach. As I tuned onto Ali’I Drive the adrenaline took over. I was physically crushed, as you can see in the pictures (not flattering) but enjoyed the hell out of those final 500 meters.
Was slapping hands all the way down on both sides and as I approached the final I hear my son yell out and was able to give him the last high five before crossing the finish line. At that moment….it all sunk in. I just crossed the finish line at the Ironman World Championships. All the pain went away. The volunteer escorted me through to transition, gave me my lei, and ensured I was able to function on my own. I made my way to the tent, grabbed my finisher medal and shirt, grabbed some pizza, and waited for a massage.
Post Race
From here I went to meet my family. I’m not sure why but Ironman offered me free VIP passes for my whole crew which was huge. They had a private room with food, simulcast of the IM broadcast, and could see the transition area. This was huge given my crew included an 8, 10, and 12-year-old along with my mother who doesn’t get around really well. As I walked out to find them it came to me that I had no idea what my time was. I didn’t look up when I finished and my watch only had my run. It didn’t really matter…I knew I raced a great race but of course I wanted to know my time. I found them and they were all super excited and had a great day. I asked them…did I break 10 hours?? Yes…9:54!! They had a great day spectating…saw me exit the water, leave on the bike, return on the bike, and saw me 3 times on the run. In addition, while they were waiting for me to finish they saw TO in the VIP area and my kids were pumped to get his autograph and a picture. Apparently the guy is super nice and an amazing ambassador for the sport. (Humble kid tri brag….how cool is that that my kids know and recognize TO??? My son was the one that saw him and approached him)
From there I met up with Mariah and Coach P. After grabbing a burrito, we all headed back to the finish line around 8PM. This is something I’ve done at every IM I’ve raced and will continue to do. We stayed there for four hours cheering on the final finishers. There are few things more inspiring than an IM finish, especially as you approach the 17-hour mark. Notable finishers we saw include a burn victim that was told she would never walk, an 83-year-old man (oldest ever IMWC finisher), stroke survivors, Muslim woman wearing traditional Muslim garments/covering, and of course the man who had finished 210 IMs and summited Mt Everest. Love the energy and excitement which was capped of in true Kona style by a traditional fire dance performance and a moving Hawaiian prayer to close out the night.
Random Thoughts/Other Remarks
Yes…I’m a runner. That’s my strength and I must embrace it. I say that half in jest as It legitimately is my least favorite discipline. As I look though my race history I’m not bad in any discipline, but clearly the run is where I solidify my best races. I am not sure how much faster I can get on the run, but I’m hopeful that I can get to a 3:15-3:20 IM run while adding to my FTP and hopefully knocking 10-15 minutes off my race. My run was 3rd in my AG when I qualified for Kona and in Kona it was 34th (top 15%). Don’t worry though…I’m not giving up my bike habit. I will always have a bike problem because, well, bikes are awesome.
As I touched on in my IMMOO RR last year when I qualified this journey has been incredible in so many ways. From a pure athletic standpoint, it’s been a testament to the EN plans and the value of consistent, dedicated training. I have nothing resembling elite athletics in my background. I was a mediocre high school athlete and ran my first 5k at a relatively modest 21:XX at age 28 and here I find myself competing with the world’s best after just 6 years in the sport and 4 IMs. My buildup this year resembled last year including an early season high volume build via Al’s unofficial Aspen camp in late May where I logged over 600 miles (including 207 in one day!) of cycling and about 3o miles of running, all at 8K altitude. From there I had my first race in mid June at my local Olympic to shake off the racing dust. I did two HIMs leading up to the race to test my fitness and also have some fun in what proved to be a very long year of training. I’ve been asked many times…what’s next? While I had a great race in Kona I know I could have done better, so of course I want to go back. I’m thinking an attempted qualification for 2018 is in store. Maybe at IMTX, IMCDA, or IMLP. For 2017 though I’m sticking to HIM distance, looking to qualify for 70.3 worlds in an early season race….maybe PR 70.3 to compete with the team in the Tri Club Championships.
And finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t highlight how the EN family has been such a huge part of this journey. It’s a bit ironic but when I initially joined EN I did it because I like the approach to ROI and given my limited flexibility a local team with organized trainings, rides weren’t particularly practical or of interest. That said, my closest friends in the sport I have met through EN and I’m fortunate to see so many of them at various camps, races, etc. Probably the most enjoyable week of my year was the 9 days I spent in CO. I had met about half the crew and the other half were new but we all had such a great time…both on the roads/trails as well as around the house in the evenings. Al “The Godfather” Truscott has been a huge resource for me since we met at IMAZ 2011. Withrow pushes me like no other and found my weakness for peer pressure to do crazy things (like this https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1193086674 ). Then two of the toughest female cyclists I’ve even met in Danielle and Teri who I struggled to stay on their wheel as we climbed Independence Pass the day after my Withrow Challenge. I was surprised to not see either of them in Kona this year but I know Teri will be there again and Danielle is on the precipice of breaking through….watch out for her in 2018! Dinhofer had an epic year which all started in Aspen. Club Michigan (Stanbaughs and Trish Marshall) who personify Midwestern hospitality. And of course Attila who could be a bona fide tour mechanic with his boundless knowledge (and toolkit) on bike maintenance. And last but not least, Mark who was the first person from EN I met after moving to WI. Beyond that, there are so many others I have gotten to know but not spent as much time with from the TOC crew, those I raced with this year in Kona and in the past at IMAZ and IMMOO, or even thoughts I’ve never met in person but I feel like I’ve known for years (KMF, DS, and many more). I’m sure there are dozens of names I’m leaving off here as well. Thanks to all of you for the insights, experience, and fun you’ve provided along this journey. I look forward to much more of this in the future and hope I can pay forward everything I’ve received!
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Comments
And let us not forget, I am now your Triathlete Model Agent - I get 25% of all I book you for! You were such a gem on the island letting me promote, THANK YOU - Sir Ventumus Cashmere!
I think the overall real hero here is Meredith and your sweet munchkins. I absolutely have adored getting to know them and she is hands down a rock star.
Now - I have a workout to do because.... #insultdiet
Looks like you had a blast and wish you able to go back to enjoy it again
You qualifying for Hawaii and being successful there only proves my theory that folks who participate the most here on the forums get the most out of Endurance Nation. While there is always"more" to our journey, I'm glad you found time to reflect on just how much you've accomplished.
Enjoy the recovery!
Great race report, Jeremy, and an even better race! Quite simply, you nailed it on the biggest stage there is, but like a true champion you hone in on what you feel you could have done better. It was great getting to know you in the time we spent together and maybe we'll run into each other next year in Chattanooga. I'm contemplating trying to qualify for the 70.3 Worlds as i'm also taking a year break from the full distance in 2017. Congrats again, Jeremy!
Jeremy, what a capstone to your (still ascendent) Ironman career. Your multi-year lead-up was as well managed as your race day decision-making. One of the great joys of my life has been getting to know and train with people like you who live and race with such grace and courage.
And I hear you about being a reluctant runner. The pictures show the stain and focus of your effort, but the fulfillment when you finish.
Bravo, brother, bravo.
Jeremy,
Congratulations on a great race. Your report was so fun to read. I really liked your description of your thoughts just before the race.
" took a moment to appreciate where I was, what I was doing, and everything that led up to being there. I looked up at the sky, over at the volcanoes, across to Ali’I with thousands of fans and felt incredibly grateful and fortunate for the opportunity to be there. I reminded myself to have fun, embrace the suck, and remember that thousands of people would like to be here and I shouldn’t take it for granted."
I believe that is a great mindset for anyone to have at the start of an Ironman, especially the Wold Championship!
Best of luck!
Your identification as a runner is curious to me, but I have seen other champs do the same. I believe the female pro who just won Kona said the same in an interview recently. From my perspective, you are a triathlete, and a damn fine one.
DS
Sorry for slow response, but I wanted a good half hour to really read through this and soak it in. Thanks for the great report. And congrats! Doing what you did on your first attempt is simply astonishing. But not surprising. I am already intimidated by the course and the field, with none of the courage or confidence to race that thing like you did. Guess I got 11+ months to discover my Inner JB. Or just take the Coach R '16 approach.
I hadn't thought about taking my kids until i saw your photos. They would love it, but I'm already $999 into the race. Plus, they're in HS and really need to get good grades so that their exits at 18 are permanent.
Can't wait so follow your next adventure(s).
MR
JB, your report is great! Love all the pics as well as the "Random Thoughts" section.
No need to look any further than the many posts below regarding your accomplishment to see that you have made the team stronger. Its fantastic to accomplish what you have done but, even more powerful to strengthen the team along the way during that journey.
I hope our paths cross in 2017. Sincere congratulations on getting it done at KONA and thank you for leading along the way!
SS
Thanks all. Reading these responses simply reinforces all the things I said in my RR about the power and support of the EN family.
The week after the race I was still coming down from my high, and then last week I was preoccupied with business travel primarily but this week has been really tough. I'm not motivated to train much but mentally I really need it. That, coupled with a couple other things going on outside triathlon have me in a funk.
@Tim - the plan was audacious. It was intentional and I knew it going in. The team support and accountability that this drives is a huge motivator for me.
@Mike - You shouldn't have the courage or confidence yet....the race is still 11 months out. Both will come as you build successfully and come prepared physically and mentally to execute your race in Kona. And taking the kids is a tough call given the missed school and much higher cost, but in my mind it was one of those MasterCard ads. "Airfare $5k, Lodging $4K, Food $1K, Activities $2K, Entry Fee $1K, Watching your dad compete in the World Championships....Priceless "
@DS - I like your reframing. I do see myself as a triathlete but within that space I've come to grips with running being my strength
Thanks Danielle. I look forward to getting back to Kona and imagine I'll see you there one day.
And don't kid yourself....you are a runner. Top 10% of your AG for the run is proof enough.
Seriously though, amazed by your efforts and results, but not surprised. I read your plan, saw how hard you worked in Aspen, went back and read your IMOO report leading into my own race there and it's all there...the focus, planning, consistency, methodical approach to your goals. Brains and braun. Perfect combo.
Thanks for sharing so much with those of us who *may not* be quite as focused, driven, or experienced. Enjoy some down time and don't let the post IM funk get you down...go do something FUN with all that fitness!!!
nice work.
congrats on your day and especially on bringing it on the run.
nice to rub shoulders with you in kona.
until next.