Derrek’s Kona Race Report: My Fastest Bike Split…Slowest Run
Yep, at one of the hardest Ironman races, I somehow had my fastest bike split, then my slowest run but I don’t think the slow run was due to riding too hard. In many ways, this race felt like it was my very first Ironman with lots of unknowns about what to expect, no time goals other than to finish, and planned to enjoy the entire experience. I approached the race as a long training day, thus removing any self-imposed pressure to hit time goals, but my guess was I’d ride around 6 hours and run around 4 hours. This was my first time racing two Ironmans in one year and had 10 weeks to recover and prepare after a very hard effort at IM Lake Placid. During these 10 weeks, I focused on recovery and maintaining fitness.
I arrived on the Big Island Sunday afternoon, headed straight to Ali’i Drive to find Tri Bike Transport and experienced my first dose of Kona race week. All the people, athletes, vendors and traffic! I retrieved my bike and checked into my Condo, about 5 miles further south. After lunch and a nap, I went for an easy 4 mile run.
Monday morning, I meet up with EN teammates for an OWS swim in Kailua Bay and Paul Curtin was kind enough to give me an orientation of the swim course and siting cues. This was my first time swimming in an ocean and realized the buoyancy you get from the saltwater is very real. It almost felt like I was swimming with a swim buoy. I was elated after that swim as my #1 race concern (the swim) disappeared. I could deal with the chop and swells and just accepted my pace would be slower based on the conditions. A couple hours later I drove out to Hapuna Beach State Park, mile 38 on the bike course, to ride out to Hawi (mile 60) and back. I experienced everything I’ve heard about the Kona bike course: heat, strong cross winds, more heat, head winds and a nice tail wind after turning around in Hawi. I even had 10-15 mins of light rain. I followed the ride with a very HOT run, which I capped at 20 mins. Since I was at the beach, it was only logical to spend some time at the beach playing in the waves. Yes, I was that guy at the beach in bike shorts. LOL. Tuesday morning I did a 30 minute OWS, grabbed a coffee and went to Athlete Check-In. Then headed back to my Condo and relaxed for a few hours. I ditched my plan to run as it was pouring rain most of the afternoon, Once it stopped raining, I ventured out to the Expo that evening. Tuesday was the first official day for the Expo and was open until 8:00 PM and I had a cool photo op.
Wednesday, I did my third OWS and a 60 min out and back ride on the Queen K Highway followed by a 20 minute easy run with Paul. I had a great time that evening at the EN Team dinner. Since this was my first time at Kona, I went to the Welcome Banquet Thursday evening. This was the first welcome banquet I attended in my 6 IMs. It was nice and the food was ok, but nothing to write home about. I left the Banquet to pick Annette up from the airport. Friday was the EN carb load breakfast at IHOP and a complete rest day besides the bike/gear drop off. I have to admit the bike check in was very cool. I felt like I was on the Red Carpet in Hollywood and was surprised at the crowds gathered around in the heat just to watch…maybe to see the Pros? That evening I had chicken pasta for dinner, went to bed at 9:30 and had no problems falling asleep.
Race Morning:
I woke up at 3:45, ate breakfast at 4:00 (oatmeal, banana, Naked Juice) and started drinking Skratch Hydration Wellness. We left for the race site arriving at 5:30. The weigh in and body marking was a smooth process with no waiting. Following my checklist, I had my bike ready to go by 6:10 and headed to the EN meet up location. On the way I made one last pit stop causing me to miss the team picture L but several teammates were still there and Mariah with her camera. Thanks Mariah!
After getting dressed and one last hug from Annette, Paul and I walked to the swim start. Also had a chance to get a few words with Coach P while waiting to enter the water. It was very congested getting through the bottle neck entrance but got in the water about 6:50 giving me 10 mins for a warm up swim. With about 3 minutes until the start I lined up in the middle and at the time I was in the back. I looked around at the spectators to my left, right and behind me, then at the blue sky and thought out loud, WOW…this is it! This is World Championship and I’m part of it. How cool is that! I was not anxious or nervous, it was just another long training day. When the gun went off, I quickly realized a lot of people must have swam up from the beach at the last minute putting me about halfway to the front instead of at the back. The picture below is a few minutes before the gun and I was just right of the center buoy in the back. There was contact and congestion but it was not aggressive…not a fighting match. It was like a crowd of people all trying to go to the same place is a somewhat orderly fashion. I was frequently sighting to make sure I didn’t get kicked in the face and to look for open water/space. Initially all was going well, then around 1500 yds in I noticed my goggles were tight around my head giving me a headache. At the same time I was losing energy, slowing down and thinking why is it taking FOREVER to get to the turn around. I started to think something was wrong with me and did a quick systems check and the only thing that stood out was my headache. I stopped for 10-15 seconds and repositioned my goggles. Before I knew it, my headache was gone, energy levels were high again and I was around the boat on the way back. My stroke rate seem faster and I was pulling harder than the first half. I’m not sure if it was the currents or the state of my mind, but the return leg seemed to go by faster than the out leg. I looked at my watch in the last 200 yds as this was the first race I could easily see my watch time while in the water…I was neither happy nor disappointed with my time…I was ok with it and started focusing on T1. Other than that lull I had, I enjoyed swimming in the deep blue aquarium-like ocean. My time was 1:26.
1 – I felt good coming out of the water, quickly walked up the stairs, to the shower hoses and then the volunteer directs me down the wrong row for my T1 bag. I knew my bag was at the beginning of the row and quickly realized the error, turned around and went to the correct row. I never sat down in the changing tent. Took my shoes out and stuffed my swim gear in and a volunteer was there take my bag. I ran with my shoes to my bike then put on my shoes and helmet, turned on my Garmin 520 and grabbed my bike. Time was 4:30.
Bike: 5:44 Stats: .67 IF, 173 NP, 1.04 VI, 260 TSS, Avg HR 131
Anticipating sun, heat and wind, I executed the bike with the goal of not going too hard and keeping my heart rate in control to make sure my run didn’t turn into a death march. My power target was 175 – 180 watts. The first 45 minutes was easy/nothing hard as I settled in and let my HR drop to the mid-120s. The first several miles through town had me feeling like a rock star with all the cheering spectators! That felt great and I maintained my easy level of effort and just smiled and waved. It was motivating seeing and chatting with Paul bite. Around the 45 minute mark, I eased into what felt right trying not to spike my watts on the up hills and keeping watts up on the down hills. Whenever I caught myself pushing above my upper limit (180 watts) I would ask myself why am I doing that and how will this affect my run in the hot sun. Kind of like in the swim, I hit a lull around mile 45 - 50 thinking it’s taking FOREVER to get to the turnaround in Hawi. That prompted me to take a caffeinated gel, which up my energy and state of mind. I also started to wonder where was the hot sun…where is the heat? There were a few short periods where the clouds moved away and I could feel the heat of the sun as the temps increased but it was nothing like the conditions during my two training rides earlier in the week. Finally, I made it to the turnaround and after the long descent realized I was going faster with less effort. Yes, a tail wind! I felt really good physically and mentally on the return trip back to town and decided to increase my effort toward the upper end of my target. In the last 40-30 miles I felt strong and was passing a lot of people. My average speed from the start to the turnaround in Hawi, the 60 mile point, was 18.3 MPH and from Hawi to the finish I averaged 21.3 mph. It was a pleasant surprise to see 5:44 as I approached the dismount line. A couple days after the race I realized this was a PR.
T2: 5:15. My legs felt good getting off the bike and I ran all the way to the changing tent. I had a great volunteer helping and he even brought two cups of water to me. He was with me the entire time For this race I decided to wear running shorts for more comfort. I made sure to hit the aid station in T2 filling my two Race Saver bags with ice. One bag went under my EN trucker hat and the other in my hand.
Run: 4:16. Avg HR 136
I looked at my total TSS in the last 5 mins of the bike and seeing 260 I thought I was set for a solid run. I felt good coming out of T2 and was determined to run the first 6 miles with a HR in the low 130s, to match my average HR on the bike. It refreshing seeing Annette and Mariah on Ali’i Drive and got a power kiss from Annette. I saw Paul again and we ran together for a few miles on Ali’i Drive, which made the time quickly pass. I saw Annette again and she ran with me for about 20 seconds just before I turned up Hualalai Rd. As I turned to go up the hill on Palani Rd, I quickly decided to run about half way then walk to keep my heart rate low and then run the last couple hundred yards. After being on the Queen K Highway for a couple miles, it hit me again that I’m racing in Kona and I vividly recalled scenes of this highway from the NBC broadcasts of previous races. I then understood why this was the toughest part of the marathon. It was HOT, barren, no spectators and the road ahead looked like it went on forever. I was walking 10-15 seconds at every aid station drinking water or Gatorade Endurance and refilling ice as needed. Turning into the Energy Lab marked the 14 mile point. I thought we only had a one mile run into the Energy Lab before the turnaround, but I should have better studied the course. Somewhere on the course Coach P goes by on his way back and he must have been feeling great or maybe I looked like death because in those few seconds he gave some coaching advice. I finally get to the turnaround; then it seemed like forever getting back to the Queen K Highway (it was only 2 miles). At this point I hit mile 18 and my aid station walks gradually went longer and longer at each subsequent aid station, to the point where I just limited my walks from the beginning to the end of the aid stations. The head wind we had going out disappeared on the way back, which made the run feel warmer. At mile 20, I said 6 miles, 50 more minutes to go; oops, that’s 60 mins at this slow pace. My goal became to just make it to the next aid station. With 3 miles to go I watched the sun set realizing I’ll be finishing in the dark. Slowly but surely I came to Palani Rd and knew it was all downhill, literally and figuratively, from there as I had one mile to go. Just like that the struggle ended and running started feeling easier. But it still seemed like forever to get to Kualalai Rd. The long finishing chute on Ali’i was totally awesome and memorable. All I could hear was the cheering/screaming spectators, but I did hear Mike Riley call my name, "Derrek Sanks, from Alexandria, Virginia, You Are An Ironman!" Goal achieved! I raced in the Ironman World Championship!
Comments
Outstanding stuff, Derrek. You looked super strong all day - congratulations on your accomplishment.
Great RR @Derrek Sanks it was fun to track you on race and glad you enjoy your experience !
I am pretty confident that you will be a regular traveller to the island!
Big congrats @Derrek Sanks! Carol and I were following and cheering! So glad you got to experience the WC and had a great race to boot! Take a well deserved rest!
@Dave Tallo - thanks Dave. And Congratulations to you...It was great racing with you again.
@Francis Picard - Thanks for the vote of confidence!
@Turby Wright - Thanks!
Good work! Kona is always full of surprises... sounds like you did well and most of all I see a fantastic smile at the end!
Congrats @Derrek Sanks ! Thanks for sharing it all and the photos to go with it! Jelly of your family photo with RInny!!! And your pre race photo with your wife should be in a frame!
Enjoy your recovery and like others have said, I bet you are back there racing again in no time!
Who's the bad ass in the bike picture up above?
4:16 KONA marathon after a PR bike.....BOOM!
Sincere congratulations on the the entire year!
SS
Great job @Derrek Sanks ! So glad you soaked up the Aloha. What a year you've had.
@Patricia Rosen - Thank you. Yes, the smile was the goal!
@Trish Marshall - Thanks...Photo credit goes to @Mariah Bridges
@Shaughn Simmons Thanks! KMF was at the front of my mind those last 8 miles of the run!
@Sheila Leard - Yes, it was very exciting...I was blessed to experience a lot this year.
It was so much fun to spend time with your lovely wife on race day, she sure does love you to pieces.
As always, watching you race and execute is such a joy, even through the pain you're smiling. You inspire in everything you do!
Hi Derek! What a great day for you! Your race report was an excellent read. Thank you for sharing and congrats on Kona!
@Mariah Bridges Thanks for the kind words! Likewise Annette had a blast hanging out with you and thanks to you she had a great Kona experience too. Here's a BIG Thank You from both of us. I really appreciate all your support and all the behind the scenes work you do for Endurance Nation.
Thank you @Virginia Edmonds
@Derrek Sanks, WOW! What a fantastic race. I am honored to have trained and raced with you so much this year. I could not have had a better roommate in Spain. The regular texts and phone calls while training for IMLP helped me immensely. I think that your positive attitude, composure and ability to analyse while racing are among your biggest strength. Your report documents how you needed all those for this race. Instead of being an impediment, you used each problem as an opportunity to re-set and move forward. You are an IRONMAN!
Congrats on making it to the show and enjoying the show.
@robin sarner - Thanks! It was a blast! Good luck and skill this weekend at AZ! I just loaded you in my tracker.
@Edwin Croucher - Thanks for the kind words. I feel the same! It was great sharing this IM journey with you this year and looking forward to continuing as we build to IMMD in 2019!