Mark Cardinale's Ironman Kona 2016 Race Report
Ironman Kona 2016
5th Ironman, 2nd time competing in Ironman World Championship
Coming in to the 2016 Ironman World Championship, the goals I set for myself were as follows:
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Carry myself with a sense of gratitude for being afforded another opportunity to participate in this race
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Through my actions, honor the race and the island of Hawaii
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Race to my potential while maintaining a sense of perspective
Yes, these goals were all ambiguous but putting a time goal on this race is not my style and is so difficult because the conditions of the day play a tremendous part in terms of what your times will be for swim, bike, and run. In short my plan was to have fun, race well, and carry myself with a sense of respect and gratitude. That started upon arrival at the island. I made a conscious effort to not get stressed out about things like traffic or other minor annoyances. Yes, it can take 30 minutes to travel the 5 miles from the condo to the pier, but I just accepted that reality and either left earlier or accepted the fact that I was going to be late. Problem solved!
My family and I arrived on the Sunday before the race. The days leading up to the race were a mix of easy training in the morning wrapping up shortly after noon and then spending time with the family at the pool or at the beach and then going out to dinner at one of the local restaurants for some form of seafood for my wife and I, and a tropical drink for my daughter Sophia.
Bike Drama
On the Tuesday prior to the race, after swimming in the bay in the early AM, my plan was to do a 90 to 120 minute ride from somewhere around the scenic overlook to just past Waikaloa. I am always a little bit amazed when I put my bike back together and it actually works, but I wanted to use this as a shakeout ride to ensure everything was working as intended. For the first hour everything was great other than the heat and the wind. Actually, it was good to experience both. Despite the wind from both Madam Pele and the many trucks driving by at high speed, I was able to maintain control of the bike with no problems. I was feeling very good about my decision to ride a shallower front wheel this year vs. 2014. However, the heat was relentless. Of course I knew the heat is a major factor out on the Queen K. but I had forgotten just how hot, hot can be so it was very good to get a true taste for the searing heat prior to the race. About an hour in I started hearing this knocking sound coming from my bottom bracket. This annoying sound continued for the rest of the ride and it was the same sound I remember hearing toward the end of the bike at Ironman Texas earlier this year. After my ride I brought my bike to Bike Works and left it with them overnight to have a look. When I picked it up the next day, the shop said they took the bottom bracket apart and relubed everything but did not see anything wrong. Shortly after I started my ride, the same knocking sound returned. I then decided to bring my bike to the Felt tent in the expo. The Felt mechanics were able to look at my bike the same day and the diagnosis was that I was missing a shim, but they didn’t have the proper shim so they relubed it again and told me it was fine to ride, but the sound could possibly return. The good news was they at least were able to stop the knocking sound. As it turned out my bike ended up being fine on race day with no strange sounds. What has been very strange is that my bike shop pulled the bottom bracket apart and confirmed the shim is there. I’m wondering if the root cause doesn’t have something to do with the heat and humidity because the only times I have ever heard this noise was when riding in Texas and Kona.
Even with this cloud cover it was HOT!!!
Race Morning
Same drill as usual prior to Ironman. Up at 3:30 for applesauce and whey protein. Worked through my am checklist and was out the door by 4:30. My wife dropped me off at the hot corner and I made my way to body marking. I was in line early enough that I was able to get in and out in about 10 minutes. Funny thing is I actually exited body marking right next to Rinny(Merinda Carfrae – 3x Ironman World Champ) and considered for half a second wishing her good luck, but I took one look at the expression on her face and could tell she was not interested in talking to anyone. She and I stepped on the scales right next to each other for weigh in and I was curious about her weight, but couldn’t quite hear the number from the volunteers. After this I made my way to transition, aired up my tires and setup my bike, and hoped that some of Rinny’s greatness had rubbed off on me!
Once I finished setting up transition I made my way through the King Kam to the front of the hotel for our Endurance Nation Team picture. It was great to see everyone on the team and for sure it helped ease some of the pre-race butterflies. After we took the picture I wished everyone good luck and made my way back to the athlete’s area behind the King Kam. Unlike 2014, I wanted to get in a warm up swim so I made my way to the hotel beach about the same time the pro men were starting. I did a couple laps in the warm up area; enough to get a feel for my swim stroke and for the temperature of the water. After my warm up I drank a 3 ounce bottle of Hot Shot (a drink designed to prevent muscle cramps) and positioned myself inline to get into the water so I could make my way out to the swim start.
Swim – 1:11:24
Prior to coming to Kona I reviewed the footage of the swim start at the 2014 and 2015 race. In both years I noticed large groups of people lined up on the inside, outside and the middle. However, there seemed to be open space at about the mid-way point between the Roka sign and the pier and this is where I decided to line up. As I floated in the water I made small adjustments to my location so I always had some space in front of me. Mike Reilly kept giving the countdown – 5minutes, then 2 minutes, then 60 seconds. At this point the nervousness was gone and I was just so thankful so be wading in the water waiting to start this amazing race. I could not have been more grateful to be in that water.
When the cannon sounded I started my Garmin and put my head down and started to swim. I was amazed by the lack of contact. I swam for probably a minute before I even felt anyone to my side. There was some bumping and contact but nothing unusual. I don’t remember if it was the first or second buoy but when I looked up I was heading straight for one of the yellow buoys and I made the decision to cut right and swim inside the buoy. I continued on this path along with a handful of others all the way out to the turnaround. I really didn’t need to sight much, but rather just made sure I was swimming alongside the general flow of traffic and this worked out well. I didn’t really have feet to follow but I tried to swim off the hip of the person swimming directly to my left.
For open water swims I have my Garmin set to vibrate every 15 minutes and it buzzed for the second time just before I arrived at the turn around. I felt very comfortable and in control the entire swim up to this point and I seemed to have settled into a group where we were all swimming approximately the same speed. It felt as though I was having a good swim and to be at the turnaround just over the 30 minute mark confirmed what I was feeling. From completing this swim in 2014 I remember the return trip feeling like it went on forever so I think this year I was mentally prepared that the back half was likely to be more challenging than the front. It took me a buoy or two after the turnaround to lock in on the right direction and by this time I was no longer inside the buoy line. I was a bit all over the place on the way back but I would occasionally find feet to follow and that was helpful to not only catch a draft but to also give me something to take my mind off how much time was left. Slowly but surely I passed the jet ski island, then I could see the shore, then the pier, and when the coral on the bottom of the bay started to come into focus and I knew I was almost done. When I finally stood up I checked my watch and it said 1 hour and 11 minutes. This was my best Ironman swim by 5 minutes including wetsuit swims. The best part of this was I finished the swim feeling fresh and I never felt like I was running out of gas. When I looked at my Garmin file it shows a pretty consistent swim – not fast by any means, but at least I was consistent and that was a big part of my swim focus this year. Mission #1 accomplished.
T1: - 3:03
I swam with my swim skin over my Castelli Stealth top and my bike shoes were already on my bike so there was nothing in my T1 bag. I grabbed the bag, went behind the changing tent, pulled off my speed suit, stuffed it in the bag and headed to my bike. I think I only stopped moving for 10 seconds and for a couple additional seconds for some sunscreen. Very respectable T1 time.
Bike: - 5:21:55
In 2014 my race fell apart for me on the bike. The winds on that day were unlike anything I had ever experienced before so I was very focused on not letting that situation repeat itself. This year I made the decision to go very conservative with my wheel choice. I went with a Zipp 808 in the rear and a 202 upfront. My thought process was that by being confident enough to remain aero I would more than make up for any benefit I would have received by going deeper upfront.
The first part of the bike is all a bit of a blur. I remember it was really fun blasting down Palani before heading to the out and back on Kuakini. From there it was a climb back up Palani where it is very tempting to throw out a ton of watts as everyone is crowding the streets and cheering Tour de France style. Once out on the Queen K., that is where I started to settle in and really focused on rehydrating after the swim. The winds were calm and my legs felt really good. The focus for me in these early miles was to strike the balance between keeping my power steady but at the same time looking for opportunities to go easy and conserve energy. That is part of what makes this course so challenging. It forces you to make choices and inevitably there are consequences to those choices.
At around miles 28-36 I hit my first section of cross wind. Despite the wind I was able to easily stay in the aero bars and this gave me confidence heading toward the turnaround where I knew the winds would pick up. As I passed the Hapuna Beach turn off I could see the ocean looked fairly calm and I knew that meant relatively mild winds. I used the 7 mile climb to Hawi as an opportunity to stand up on the pedals and stretch and then get back down in the aero bars. The wind was howling but it was manageable and I just tried to count down the miles until the turnaround. Eventually, I hit the town of Hawi, flipped it, and could immediately feel the tailwind. I did not stop at special needs so I just got low and started pedaling and was quite literally flying through this section. At times there was a strong crosswind, but to me it seemed steady and I did not feel the surprise gusts like I did in 2014. I had periods of being hard on the gas and periods of just soft pedaling all the way down. This section of the course was really fun and I remember looking to my right and seeing the beautiful blue ocean and think how lucky I was to be here. For sure this section of the course was one of the highlights of my day.
Part of the reason why I enjoyed that section so much was knowing that what remained was going to be a physical and mental grind. In the build up to this race one of my main areas of focus on my long rides was to remain in aero as much as possible between miles 70 and 100. On race day the winds were very favorable in this section. The winds were coming from the side and as long as I could maintain a certain speed it felt like I was getting a push. Again, comparing to 2014 it was not the same relentless headwind that I had experienced in that race. By now the field had thinned out and I found myself riding with the same group of 5 or 6 people. It was very much cat and mouse style, but even at the world championships, people would pass me on the uphills and I would scoot by them going down the other side. I was very happy with how I rode this section and never felt like I wanted off the bike. That was up until mile 100 or somewhere near the airport. I somehow forgot about this section or mentaly checked out, but those last 12 mile were a struggle and this was the only part of day that turned into a grind. I think I was so ready for the section from Waikaloa back to the airport that I may have overlooked the airport back to T2.
T2: - 4:48
When I dismounted the bike, it was tough to straighten up and run. I hobbled for a few steps, but the T2 run is long and I eventually found my stride, grabbed my bag and made my way into the changing tent. I made the decision to remove my stealth top and put on a sleeveless top. To be sleeveless on the run was probably worth the extra 20 seconds that it took. After putting on my shoes, I grabbed my go-bag and headed out on the run.
Run: - 3:43:22
I started the run eating a banana and this helped to keep me controlled coming out of T2. About a half mile in I checked my stats and saw my heart rate to be in the low 130’s (normal) but my pace was somewhere around 8:20, which is about 45 seconds to minute slower than normal. RPE seemed about where I needed to be. Typically, I need to dial my pace back, but on this day I could tell early on that I would need to forget about pace and let RPE and HR be my guide. From mile 1 on, the mindset I used was to play defense on run, only running as fast as my HR and RPE could support. I saw Coach P. just past mile 1 as I was walking through the first aid station and he asked about HR, and I was at 118 at the time.
Always time for a selfie with Sophia!
I focused on staying cool and refilled by zip lock bag with ice water at every aid station. After finishing the banana coming out of T2 my plan was to take in 3 additional gels over the first 6 miles, but the thought of having a gel did not sit well with me so instead I ate half of banana at every other aid station until the turnaround and had 1 cliff block. I figured that was close enough. The first 10 miles were all in the 8 -8:30/mile range. I felt that I was running OK, but I knew I was taking a lot of time going through the aid stations. Those first 10 miles were just plain hot and I needed the time to settle down, cool off, and refill my ice bag. I maintained a slow jog going up Palani and it felt good to be up on the Queen K where there was a slight breeze. The good news was every time I would look at my HR it was locked at 130. My pace was all over the place, given the ups and downs on the Queen K and the amount of walking I was doing through the aid stations, but my HR was very steady. I knew if I could keep this up I would be in good shape. The section out on the Queen K in both directions is just plain hard. Running into the energy lab I felt good that there was a little downhill, but after I flipped it, coming back out was tough and I even considered walking some, but I knew that once I start walking, that’s the end of my race so I pushed hard and did my best to somewhat run out of the energy lab. From the top of the energy lab to the top of Palani was quite simply about the next step. I think it was Coach Rich who said if you keep your time horizon as small as possible the pain you are feeling isn’t quite so painful. While every step still hurt, it was much easier thinking about the next step than the 50 minutes I still had until the finish line. When I finally made it to the top of Palani, it was only then that I knew I would make it. I took the right hand turn on Alii drive and while you can feel the energy all I could think about was getting to the finish line so I could stop running. I saw my family just as I was passing by them close to the finish and as I crossed the line I was too tired to even put my arms up. One of my goals was to smile coming down Alii drive, but I just didn’t have it in me to force a smile.
Once again, forgot to smile as I crossed the finish line…
Reflections:
As I write this report now 2 weeks removed from the race, I can’t help but feel so grateful for the opportunity to once again be able to take part in this event. Whereas 2 years ago I let my race get away from me, this year I was able to stay much more in the moment and not let the ebbs and flows of the day take me off my game plan. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I dictated my day, but I do feel I managed my day well and for the most part I made good decision at key moments in the race. Additionally, I felt a much greater sense of respect and connection to the island that I am certain played a role in my performance on the day. My swim was a PR, my bike we 40minutes better than 2014 and while my run was 13 minutes slower than 2014, I feel like I executed the best possible run I had in me on that day. I am very proud of my finishing time of 10:24 and finishing in the top 70th percentile for my age group in the world and I am even more proud with how I executed on the day. I have absolutely zero complaints.
My family and I stayed in Kona until the Friday following the race. During that time we went swimming with dolphins, night snorkeling with the manta rays and even tried our hand at zip lining. Every morning my son and I would either swim in the bay or go snorkeling off one of the beaches. It was great that we were able to put the race in the middle of our trip such that I had several days before the race to get ready and then several days after the race where we could relax and be on vacation as a family.
In terms of what’s next, I’m not exactly sure. I have been training for ironman consistently for the past 3 years and I promised my wife I would take a year break from the ironman distance in 2017. I feel this is the right thing to do to restore a sense of balance to my life and to let my body recover and heal from several nagging (but minor) injuries. This is the first time in 3 years I have not had a race on the calendar and it feels strange to wake up each morning without a planned workout to complete. I’m thinking for next year I may try to qualify for 70.3 worlds and maybe try my hand at ultra-running. When I think of those events, the challenge presented summon up some of the excitement I think of when training for Ironman. Ultimately, I would love to make another run at Kona, in 2018 but for sure when I age up in 2019.
There are so many people to thank, but I’ll start with my Endurance Nation team. I have received so much support and encouragement throughout the year that I feel like I have an entire army of support in my corner. Thank you! To my 2016 EN Kona fellow racers, even though our time together was short, it was very nice to meet or reacquaint with old friends and new. Having access to the experience of the people on the team was huge and certainly accelerated my path up the Kona learning curve. I’d like to thank James, Liz and Daniel at the Colorado Triathlon Company. You guys set the standard for what a bike should be and you always take such good care of both my bike and my bike fit. And of course special thanks goes to my wife Amy and my children, Lucas and Sophia, for their support of this crazy lifestyle. They have been more than generous allowing me the time to train, race and follow my dreams and for that I am forever thankful. Aloha!
Comments
Great pics Mark and Sophia is a beautiful girl!!
Great report and just and amazing performance in KONA ending with that great run, truly inspiring!I often look forward to your Strava posts given your consistency and mental strength that shows up in every workout!
More than anything I really appreciate the humility and advice you always share with the others on the team. A great example of strength!
Sincere congratulations on Capping off 3 years of smart, hard work and reaping a well deserved reward!
SS
Mark,
Awesome race report! You had a great big picture approach. I'm am glad the bottom bracket issues did not affect you on race day.
It looks like all the hard work you put into your swim paid off! You made a wise decision to play defense and it paid off!
Congratulations and best of luck with in 2017!
Great race report Mark! Love all the photos and your children are adorable. It looks like they were having a great time! I agree that the EN team helps to calm the nerves. So many great folks and it was so fun to race with all of them! I too am looking at a 70.3 next year and would love to qualify for worlds!
Good luck in your upcoming adventures, enjoy the ease of life and your family as you recover!
Wow, what a masterful performance. Absolutely committed and locked into the moment. You knew every step/pedal/stroke of the way what you wanted to be doing, what you should be doing, and you actually DID it. That kind of a race is so very rare, bottle it and let the genie out whenever a dark day comes up.
And the week there gave inspired such a great report, with all those photos. Thanks for this.
I think you'll dig ultra running. With your speed, you'll be right up there in the front of the pack. It's hard to beat Colorado for trails and outdoors, so it will open up a new world for you to explore. It has the added benefit of being more time efficient than triathlon training. Putting in 10-12 hours of running would be a huge week. Whereas, that's just normal for 70.3 training, maybe even on the low end for EN.
I hope we can hook up for Moab Red Hot in February. I'm about 95% set on doing the Leadman series (http://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/leadmanleadwoman/). If you want to go big, it doesn't get much bigger than Leadville. The Leadman is actually a backdoor way to get a slot at the Leadville Run 100 without going through the lottery. You could do the run events as warm ups and skip the Leadville MTB 100. Or even better, buy a MTB and do the entire thing.
Have you considered qualifying for Boston? Most of your IM runs have been within a few minutes of a BQ, so you would cruise to a BQ in an open marathon. It would be yet another impressive achievement in your endurance athlete career.
@Gabe- I think in the Leadman Series you MUST complete the 100 Leadville MTB in order to continue on to the 100 mile run?
Really awesome reports, kids seem to enjoy the trip to the big island.. I guess you will need to bring them back again (shouldn't be hard for you anyway)
Looking fwd to see whats next for you, I am sure its going to be successfull
Cheers
Tim, on the Leadman site it says, " If a racer does not meet the required finish time, he or she will not be allowed to continue in the Leadman competition. However, the racer may continue racing as an individual by notifying Athlete Services..." Not sure if that means you have to start all the events, but it looks like there is some flexibility to continue with the Leadman races if you don't complete one.
very nice.
glad you had a good day.
nice to intersect with you.
see you back there someday.
@Shaughn - Thank you for your constant support and encouragement. Right back at you on your strava point. You're workouts set the bar and give us all something to shoot for!
@Brian - Thanks, man! Hopefully our paths will cross again, if not in 2017 then hopefully at a race or a camp down the road. Best of luck as well!
@Jennifer - Thank you very much!
@Al - Thank you as always for the insightful feedback!
@Gabe - Thanks, man! I think i'm in for the Red Hot. On the ultra side, i'd like to do the red hot and then do the Leadville silver rush 50 in july, at least that's what i'm thinking at the moment. Will sync up with you at some point because I am complete rookie at this ultra stuff!
@Tim - Thanks a ton! I don't think I quite have the swim figured out, but for sure the trend is moving in the right direction. It's one of those things that for me just takes a ton of work to make even some progress, but luckily I enjoy the process and the results keep me motivated. No Ironmans for me in 2017. WIll do a couple halves and then would like to try my hand at the ultra thing.
@Francis - Thank you! Yes, the kids we're a huge source of motivation for me because I know how much they enjoyed Kona the last time we were here. This time was just as much fun! thank you for all the positive feedback and motivation. You are one of the most supportive and generous folks on the team!
@Robin - Thanks much! Yes, an encore performance for us both would be fun!