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Ironman Hawaii Tips from the 2018 Kona Crew...

Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
in Ironman Hawaii (Kona)

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Jeremy Behler:


  1. Arrive as early as possible. Ideally a full week or more
  2. Be prepared to adjust your race plan and know how you will react to likely curve balls
  3. Know your accommodations. A/c as @Paul Curtin but also location. Do you want to be in the heart of the craziness or have more relaxed vibe but more logistical complexity?

Tom Box:


  1. Arrive early enough to do the practice swim the week before and then 2-3 more swims that week. This gives you some experience in the ocean in potentially a variety of ocean conditions (swells/chop) which gives you confidence that you’ve seen it before for race day.
  2. If you can arrive early enough, take the time to ride the section of the course that takes you up to Hawi and back.
  3. Plan out your cooling strategy for the run. You start the run in the hottest part of the day and staying cool is critical.


Paul Curtin:


  1. On the run several people had garden hoses and were spraying athletes. Tell them "no thank you" if you want to keep your shoes dry in those early miles.  They kindly turned them off for me when I asked
  2. Grabbing gels at the bike aid stations is really difficult. If you absolutely need one slow way down to ensure a successful hand-off
  3. Decide whether you need a property with air conditioning. Many older condos and homes don't have it.
  4. One more...for the swim start allow plenty of time to get down the stairs and into the water. It was chaos for the start of the Men’s wave.


Tom Glynn:


  1. There’s a Costco!
  2. Hydration is no joke. I knocked back 13 Gatorade bottles on the bike and 3 or 4 more on the run. Emptied bladder only once and was dehydrated at the end.
  3. I stayed downtown this time and spent way more time on my feet compared to the other times staying out of town and driving around. However it was more fun closer to town and the family was happier.


Donnacha Holmes:


  1. Leave enough time to acclimate before race day(especially if your Irish! 😂)
  2. Stay on your own race plan & numbers but make sure that plan is realistic to the course & conditions especially on the bike. Respect this course or it’ll bite you big time!
  3. Staying wet & cool with Ice! I put it down my top for the entire marathon and it helped settle my stomach cramps and keep my core temperature down as i ran.


Matt Limbert:


  1. HR, power & RPE out of whack. If/when you arrive early HR/power/RPE will be different from home. HR rules. Small error in HR 5+ bpm feels the same in RPE but has exponentially compounding problem (increasing HR drift) on the run late in the day. There is just no place to go when it gets hot on the run.
  2. Not all AC is created the same. Some condos w/ is a window unit, while some is central air. Single room vs. whole unit.
  3. There are 6 traffic lights on the way home. I ran and rode back from the energy lab and nicknamed/counted the traffic lights as a struggled my way home. (6 lights to the Kona Commons - the 7th is Palani but that’s a no brainer - it's the life-sucking run down the highway late in the day that feels like the Monty Python movies where the guy runs at the castle and doesn't get any closer).
  4. Race jersey color and fabric. I had a white jersey which felt cooler than a colored jersey. But, the fabric was super thin and designed to evaporate sweat. It didn't hold and water. So, once I poured water on me or ice in the jersey it evaporated more quickly then my other jersey. I'll try the white version on the EN Castelli stealth jersey. That might have the color and fabric that will reflect heat and retain some water cooling effect.


Derrek Sanks:


  1. After the first, aid stations are every 7 miles, be careful not to over hydrate. Stick to your adjusted fueling plan for hot races. I ended up skipping every other aid station.
  2. Since most races no longer have mass swim starts, practice swimming with 4 people in your lane at the pool. You won't get comfortable with it but you'll know what to expect in Kona for the first 5-20 minutes.
  3. Get comfortable staying in aero position going up 2-3% inclines, especially in head winds even though your speed dips below 15/14 mph.


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    Dave TalloDave Tallo

    Sorry to miss the original call on this.

    1. Train for, and mentally and physically prepare for swells on the swim, heat and big winds on the bike, and heat, humidity and winds on the run. It's likely that most will happen. When they don't, consider it a gift from Pele.
    2. Have fun. But remember that you have to do a race at the end of the fun.
    3. Respect the course.
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