Kona: The Course
Of all the competition each athlete will face at October’s Ironman World Championships, none will be so utterly indefatigable as the island itself. There’s a reason the World Championship remains on the shores where Ironman moved to in 1981 [the first three events took place in Oahu, Hawaii].
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With its brutal heat, pummelling winds and gruelling hills, Kona is a place where anything can happen – and usually does. From Julie Moss to Paula Newby-Fraser and Normann Stadler, many an athlete has been forced into a crawl or a DNF on the course, giving rise to unexpected shake-ups in the top ranks.
There’s still no distinct landmark that ‘tells the tale’ better than the finish line itself. But there are key landmarks you can look at for progress along the way…
The swim and T1
There may be more riding on the swim than ever before. After Normann Stadler won with a crushing cycling performance in 2004, the prevailing strategy was to establish a lead in the lava fields and then ‘hold on’ through the marathon. But the trend in recent years has shown the über-bikers having to overcome gaps incurred on the swim before creating their lead for the run.
As close as the men’s race portends to be, the amount of time taken in transition could make a crucial difference in the early positions on the bike.
Bike Course
© Michael Rauschendorfer
Most people look at the elevation profile of the course and think that the 19km climb up to the turnaround point is the make-or-break point. But looks are deceiving, and the actual determinant is an invisible enemy.
By the time the competitors are well on their way to T2, they’ll be pedalling against those pesky headwinds. Out on the highway, with the sun nearing its peak and not a drop of shade to be found, disaster lurks behind every lava rock. From flat tyres to dehydration and digestive issues, this is where it all goes wrong for even the most prepared athlete.
Six times Kona winner Dave Scott said: “I think the biggest issue isn’t that the men aren’t going too hard on the bike, it’s that the train of athletes are producing these super surges where they’re producing high VO2 and muscle acidity and end up burning muscle glycogen at a furious rate.
“This is conjecture, but I think a number of the athletes don’t do strength training year-round, and Hawaii really is a strength sport. So for the athletes that are chasing Kienle, I’d say stick to your plan and don’t linger in that higher VO2 range for longer than 20secs. Otherwise you’re going to get spat out the back.”
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Transition 2
Again, with the difference measured in minutes, seconds will count getting off the bike and onto the pavement. We’ll know a lot by the time the athletes exit this point and begin the run.
Run course
From 22-30km on the run is where we’ll probably start getting our clearest indications of the finish.
Six-times Ironman world champ Mark Allen said: “Pre-race tactics are very hard to maintain in Hawaii. In 1995, I came out of the bike over 13mins down on Thomas Hellriegel. It was very hard to stick to my plan on the bike, but I’d set an upper limit of how fast I was going to go and if people pulled away, I had to let them go. My run was much faster than Hellriegel’s but it was hard, very hard. Most people would rather not take that risk and not rely on the run, as opposed to going their own pace on the bike in the hope that they have a great marathon.”
Chrissie Wellington said: “If you need to adopt a run-walk strategy, that might be a faster way to the finish.In 2012 Pete Jacobs stopped and stretched. Anticipate the demons that might hit you in Hawaii. The run is rolling so be prepared for it. There are some steep parts and it could actually be faster to walk up them.
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“If you start getting nervous, maybe have some strategies that will calm you down. Just chill out. It’s not a holiday, but don’t let the size of the event get to you. Above all, enjoy it!”
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When Javier Gomez made the previous most-anticipated Ironman World Championships debut in 2018, he finished 11th. When Alistair Brownlee shows up this year, despite insisting it’s a learning experience and despite the aptness of Shakespeare’s wisdom for Hawaii – “caution is better than rash bravery” – there’s a sense it’ll be success or bust. It’s the way Brownlee has raced throughout his career. He doesn’t really do 11th. And it’s why so many are excited to see what he’ll achieve come Saturday 12 October in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
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“Alistair has everything that’s required, but will need to make some adjustments to psychology for the length of the race,” says Malcolm Brown, who played a guiding hand in the Brownlee brothers’ rise from keen upstarts to Olympic medallists. Since winning Olympic gold in Rio 2016, Brownlee, through choice and injury, has mixed up his racing schedule, and even being in Hawaii has come about somewhat by chance.
Brownlee’s Ironman debut in Cork in June came at short notice and without specific long-distance prep. His goal had been to produce a performance in front of a home crowd to win the ITU World Triathlon Series event in Leeds for a third time. But when that inexplicably fell flat, attention turned to Ironman Ireland, and a race that would be marked by a cancelled swim, punishingly wet and cold conditions, and a successful pursuit of home hope Bryan McCrystal on the marathon run. It could hardly be further from what he’ll face in Hawaii in October, but he duly accepted his qualification berth.
History shows that male debutants in Kona must earn their stripes. You have to go back over 20 years to Canadian Peter Reid to find a men’s champion who hadn’t previously podiumed, so taking the tape first time out is a big ask.
“He’s shown that he can do pretty well as a debutant in longer-distance events,” Brown argues. “One reason is his background in endurance, but he’s also good at preparing when he decides to prepare thoroughly. I’d expect him to take three weeks to acclimatise as much as he can, but I also think he’s doing it this year to understand how he’ll react physically, to give himself the best chance in the future.”
In trying to topple 2015 and 2016 champion Jan Frodeno, and 2017 and 2018 winner Patrick Lange, who lowered his own course record to 7:52:39 last year and seems able to produce a 2:40hr marathon at will, Brownlee will need to respect the conditions as much as his German rivals. “It’s knowing where your red line lies,” Brown adds. “Alistair can bury himself, but if you do that in Hawaii you won’t finish. It requires a different mentality.”
Unanswered questions
Producing a swim and bike leg strong enough to remain in contention has to be a given, but it’s the run where questions remain unanswered, and, in truth, have been since a hot day in Hyde Park in 2010 when Brownlee flaked out approaching the finish and can’t remember the final yards. While brother Jonny’s near-collapse in Cozumel in 2016 only increased perceptions that the Yorkshire brothers might be susceptible to heat, Brown sees it slightly differently.
“Counterintuitively, a 10km can be more of a threat to athletes who are vulnerable,” he suggests. “I think there’s some good evidence that over 10km you are running much closer to your limits.”
If Brownlee is to triumph he’ll repeat the rare achievement of Brit Chrissie Wellington, who won convincingly on debut in 2007. “He can cope with the pressure, attention and expectation, and with surges on the bike,” Wellington says. “But I do think the marathon will be a huge challenge. My advice is to adapt to the heat long before you get there and develop strategies for racing in it, put spare nutrition in your special needs bag and choose your wheels carefully based on the winds.”
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Brown remains cautiously optimistic: “I’m confident he’ll complete with distinction, yet I’d be surprised if he were able to know enough about the conditions without having run it before to be the top man. But I’d hope to be surprised; I have been many times by Alistair.
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Five famous Kona rivalries and clashes
When Javier Gomez made the previous most-anticipated Ironman World Championships debut in 2018, he finished 11th. When Alistair Brownlee shows up this year, despite insisting it’s a learning experience and despite the aptness of Shakespeare’s wisdom for Hawaii – “caution is better than rash bravery” – there’s a sense it’ll be success or bust. It’s the way Brownlee has raced throughout his career. He doesn’t really do 11th. And it’s why so many are excited to see what he’ll achieve come Saturday 12 October in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
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Kona 2019: Who will win the men’s race at this year’s Ironman World Championships?
Click Here: liverpool mens jersey
2019 Ironman World Championships predictions: Who will be crowned Queen of Kona?
Ali Brownlee talks exclusively to 220 about racing Kona
“Alistair has everything that’s required, but will need to make some adjustments to psychology for the length of the race,” says Malcolm Brown, who played a guiding hand in the Brownlee brothers’ rise from keen upstarts to Olympic medallists. Since winning Olympic gold in Rio 2016, Brownlee, through choice and injury, has mixed up his racing schedule, and even being in Hawaii has come about somewhat by chance.
Brownlee’s Ironman debut in Cork in June came at short notice and without specific long-distance prep. His goal had been to produce a performance in front of a home crowd to win the ITU World Triathlon Series event in Leeds for a third time. But when that inexplicably fell flat, attention turned to Ironman Ireland, and a race that would be marked by a cancelled swim, punishingly wet and cold conditions, and a successful pursuit of home hope Bryan McCrystal on the marathon run. It could hardly be further from what he’ll face in Hawaii in October, but he duly accepted his qualification berth.
History shows that male debutants in Kona must earn their stripes. You have to go back over 20 years to Canadian Peter Reid to find a men’s champion who hadn’t previously podiumed, so taking the tape first time out is a big ask.
“He’s shown that he can do pretty well as a debutant in longer-distance events,” Brown argues. “One reason is his background in endurance, but he’s also good at preparing when he decides to prepare thoroughly. I’d expect him to take three weeks to acclimatise as much as he can, but I also think he’s doing it this year to understand how he’ll react physically, to give himself the best chance in the future.”
In trying to topple 2015 and 2016 champion Jan Frodeno, and 2017 and 2018 winner Patrick Lange, who lowered his own course record to 7:52:39 last year and seems able to produce a 2:40hr marathon at will, Brownlee will need to respect the conditions as much as his German rivals. “It’s knowing where your red line lies,” Brown adds. “Alistair can bury himself, but if you do that in Hawaii you won’t finish. It requires a different mentality.”
Unanswered questions
Producing a swim and bike leg strong enough to remain in contention has to be a given, but it’s the run where questions remain unanswered, and, in truth, have been since a hot day in Hyde Park in 2010 when Brownlee flaked out approaching the finish and can’t remember the final yards. While brother Jonny’s near-collapse in Cozumel in 2016 only increased perceptions that the Yorkshire brothers might be susceptible to heat, Brown sees it slightly differently.
“Counterintuitively, a 10km can be more of a threat to athletes who are vulnerable,” he suggests. “I think there’s some good evidence that over 10km you are running much closer to your limits.”
If Brownlee is to triumph he’ll repeat the rare achievement of Brit Chrissie Wellington, who won convincingly on debut in 2007. “He can cope with the pressure, attention and expectation, and with surges on the bike,” Wellington says. “But I do think the marathon will be a huge challenge. My advice is to adapt to the heat long before you get there and develop strategies for racing in it, put spare nutrition in your special needs bag and choose your wheels carefully based on the winds.”
Brown remains cautiously optimistic: “I’m confident he’ll complete with distinction, yet I’d be surprised if he were able to know enough about the conditions without having run it before to be the top man. But I’d hope to be surprised; I have been many times by Alistair.
Can Lucy Charles-Barclay win Kona 2019?
Kona 2019: what happens when, and how to watch the Ironman World Championships live
The top 15 Kona greats of all time
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Five famous Kona rivalries and clashes
There’s a Gunpowder plot taking place that threatens to blow Ironman world champion Daniel Ryf’s shot at five successive victories in Hawaii sky high.
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Lucy Charles-Barclay, 25 from Hertfordshire, and a former open-water swimmer, has been lowering her 5km time on the gravel tracks of Gunpowder Park’s parkrun course over the past six years and it now stands at an impressive 16:29mins.
“It’s always a good test to see if I’ve got a bit of speed for the back end of a marathon,” she says. “Maybe we’ll sneak in another one before Kona and go for sub-16mins.”
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Charles-Barclay is the best female swimmer in the sport, Ryf’s mission is to catch her on the bike. In the past two
years in Hawaii, the Swiss has accomplished that task on the Queen Ka’ahumanu highway returning to T2, but
if the two arrive in transition together, as happened in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in South Africa last year, then the higher calibre marathon will win out – and Charles-Barclay is getting faster.
Her two iron-distance races in 2019 have included sub-3hr marathons in Ironman South Africa and Challenge Roth. “I wouldn’t change anything so far,” Lucy says. “Touch wood, I’ve been more robust each year and my body has been able to cope with more volume on each discipline.”
Husband, coach, training partner and fellow Ironman triathlete, Reece adds: “Throughout the off-season we focused on Lucy’s running and that’s been evident in results. Rarely is she caught on the bike by anyone but Daniela [Ryf]. We now want Lucy to have the tools to run with her.”
BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS
As for training, the blueprint that has led Lucy to become Britain’s premier Ironman triathlete stays in place. “We have a backbone plan I’ll adapt based on how Lucy is responding to each session,” Reece says. “We have boxes that need to be ticked every week, but the order of those key sessions changes based on how we’re feeling.
“We virtually train every session together, but on the track I’ll give Lucy a 5-10sec lead and chase her down. On the turbo our sessions will be completely different, and with swimming we get what we’re given. Training has to be flexible because the whole plan changes if we get beasted in the morning’s swim squad.”
It’s also the fifth year in a row they’ll be in Kona. “Whenever we arrive, probably because of the Hawaiian theme, we feel relaxed,” Reece adds. “It’s almost a home away from home now. We get that nervous energy in town in race week, but I think that’s good in small doses. As soon as we head to the beaches along the coast it’s easy to switch off.”
Four-time Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington still believes it’s Ryf’s race to lose. “Just as I think Charles-Barclay is getting closer, Ryf seems to pull out an amazing performance,” she says, noting her victory in the Alpe d’Huez long-course event in July, where, albeit with a 15min headstart over the men, she crossed the line first overall. “I don’t think it’s a two-horse race though, so to focus on those two at the expense of others could mean we’re in for a surprise.”
Wellington is referring to such talent as Germany’s Anne Haug and Australia’s Sarah Crowley, but while it might seem unfair to bill this as Ryf vs Charles, it’s how the past two years have played out, and with both unbeaten and avoiding each other so far in 2019, anticipation is building.
The bulk of Charles-Barclay’s preparation will again be done in Lanzarote before heading out to Hawaii a fortnight before the race. “I don’t think Daniela’s laid down performances like last year, which seemed unreal,” she says. “She’s been racing well, but there’s been nothing I feel I couldn’t contend with. I’m really looking forward to seeing how we match up. I’m still the underdog and have that advantage. I cannot wait.”
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Five famous Kona rivalries and clashes
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The top 15 Kona greats of all time
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Alistair Brownlee racing his debut full Ironman and debut Kona is the talk of the Big Island. Just what is he capable of in the heat, humidity and headwinds of Hawaii?
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Ali Brownlee’s Kona kit
From London 2012 to Rio 2016 and those two ITU World Tri Series titles, he’s stepped up to the plate throughout his career, and we can expect more fireworks when the Brit faces Frodeno and co. on Saturday at 5:30pm UK time.
Here he opens up on his current fitness, his Iron prep and plans for the 2019 Ironman World Championships.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… THE LURE OF KONA
The Ironman World Champs in Kona has always been on my radar since I started tri when I was eight or nine and my uncle was doing Ironman and knew about this race. I’ve therefore known about it a long time and it’s always been at the back of my mind over my decade of ITU racing. It’s great to finally be here. The difficult thing after the Rio Olympics in 2016 was, having won the Olympics twice, what am I going to do next? So being here is an interesting place to be in.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… IRONMAN TRAINING
Ironman was always something I wanted to do and I would’ve like to have raced Kona a year or two ago if it wasn’t for my injuries. I’ve really enjoyed the training for Kona and the experience of being on the island. My focus was the 70.3 Worlds after Ironman Cork but now I’ve really focussed on this. The three things I’ve really had to focus on are nutrition, the heat and the distance. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of addressing these in my training after so much time spent racing short-course and 70.3 tri. This is the most interesting challenge I’ve had in a number of years. What does that training look like? What does the nutrition look like? What is my strategy? I’ve enjoyed those questions and I’m satisfied to be here.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… RACING KONA AT THE FIRST ATTEMPT
I’ve been invited out to the race a few times over the years and people have said I need to experience Kona before racing it. But it’s such a long way, especially when you only have two weeks break a year. So, if I’m coming out, then I’m going to race it, and it’ll be a great learning experience to race it. But my mantra for my whole career has been that it’s just another race, so get yourself into the race and the best possible position on that day. And back your ability to make the right decisions in the competition.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… THE KONA COURSE
The striking thing is that the course and conditions have doubled what it says on the tin: it’s windy, hot and rocky. I’ve spent a lifetime wanting tailwinds on the run but here you actually want a headwind to cool you. And the wind can change complete direction at any time on the bike. The course is more undulating than I thought and there isn’t a lot of flat. That’s the only thing that’s shocked me.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… IRON ADVICE
I’ve had a lot of advice from lots of people for this race. But the important thing is assimilating that advice and deciding what to take in yourself. My main advice is patience. Drilling in patience and getting carb intake sorted.
I wanted to do the swim here. I’ve never swam 3.8km straight in my life and one of the things about being here is a careful balance between taking in the gravitas of the race and how special it is to lift your performance on race day, and then keeping fresh for the race. That’s something that I’ve dealt with at the event.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… PRESSURE
It’s nice to have less expectation on me compared to the Olympics. It’s good for me to stand on the start line and not think it’d be a bad day if I didn’t win this race, rather than it’ll be a good day if I get around. I’ve dealt with my fair share of high-pressure racing over the years and I won’t have to deal with something like the 2012 Olympics again. It feels good to be a rookie.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… RACING MINDSET
Kona is a race that I want to do well in at some point. Put me in the race and if it goes well, and I’m in a great position running along Ali’i Drive, I’m not going to jog it in from there. If I’m in a good position, I’m going to race.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… TRAINING WITH THE CREW
I’ve trained with Gordon Benson and Mark Buckingham. They’ve enjoyed the challenge of doing some longer training as well. I watched Javier Gomez with interest last year and spoke to him about it as well. He said it was hot and hard! Ironman translates well for those who have done very well at short-course racing but Jan [Frodeno] has done the job in terms of diligence. I still do my vast majority of training with Jonny, but specific sessions will differ. It’d be really good to have him in this race.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… THE OPENNESS OF M-DOT
Ironman feels like a very different sport to ITU racing. It was always something that I was going to do. Lionel Sanders and Cameron Wurf starting in their mid 20s wouldn’t happen in ITU racing, and they wouldn’t be competitive at ITU racing [starting that late]. The diversity of Ironman is good and I like that people race from different backgrounds.
ALI BROWNLEE ON… PLAN B
I don’t have minimum expectations of my result in 2019. If I’m racing the last 15km of the race and if that leaves me in first or fifth then I’ll be happy with that. I’m in the best fitness I’ve been in for years. I’ve never been a big one for plans and would rather back myself to make the right call.
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Who will win the men’s race at this year’s Ironman World Championships? Our top 10 predictions
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Still only 34, Will Clarke has been a stalwart on the elite triathlon scene since 2002, where he made his debut as an elite junior racer. The road to Kona 2019 has witnessed Clarke collect an U23 ITU world title in 2006, the Olympic Games in Beijing, and failure to make the 2012 team four years later as the Brownlees captivated a nation in Hyde Park (a selection process Clarke described as being “like hell.”).
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The BMC-Vitfit Pro Tri Team athlete’s move to long-course racing has brought about further highs (he has three sub-8hr Ironman finishes to his name) and lows (he’s struggled in his two previous attempts in Kona). And yet he’s back in Hawaii as the best prepared he’s ever been, having spent late summer altitude training at Livigno in Italy before warm-weather acclimitisation in Texas alongside the reigning Kona champ Patrick Lange.
The latter saw Clarke perform low volume, high intensity efforts with the German, and he admits to feeling more potent as a result. But talking to the Brit at a Team BMC showcase at Huggo’s in Hawaii, and you become aware and the sacrifices, perils and pressure that pro triathletes have to face in order to make a living in Ironman.
“I haven’t seen my four-year-old son for a month and the Hawaii experience will have cost me six thousand pounds,” says Clarke. “It is a sacrifice and a burden, but it’s something I have to do as if you take yourself seriously as an Iron athlete then you have to be here. If you don’t come here desperate, then you can go home. The pressure is good for me and keeps the fire in my belly.”
Clarke’s Hawaii ventures so far have ended in disappointment, and he’s aware of the pitfalls of not racing to his own plan come Saturday morning on the Big Island. “The race does scare me,” Clarke admits, “Everyone over-bikes and moves out of their comfort zone. The worst-case scenario is to miss the packs on the bike and ride on your own for 180km; you need other athletes to bounce off and the aero benefits of being in a group.”
Clarke will be joined by his old friend and former training partner, Ali Brownlee, for the first time in Hawaii. Having had dinner with Brownlee this week, Clarke has high hopes for his fellow Brit. “He’s good to go. He’s really smart and leaves no stone unturned. I think he’s the most talented triathlete in history and he wants his title as the best triathlete on the planet back.”
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And what of Clarke’s own pre-race goals and his future in the sport that’s dominated his life? “I’ll be proud to run myself into the top 10. I want to stay on Team BMC and earn myself another contract with them. My own coaching setup, Will Clarke Coaching, is going well and I want to start a Zwift team next year. But I know that I can leave pro racing with no regrets.”
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Still only 34, Will Clarke has been a stalwart on the elite triathlon scene since 2002, where he made his debut as an elite junior racer. The road to Kona 2019 has witnessed Clarke collect an U23 ITU world title in 2006, the Olympic Games in Beijing, and failure to make the 2012 team four years later as the Brownlees captivated a nation in Hyde Park (a selection process Clarke described as being “like hell.”).
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The BMC-Vitfit Pro Tri Team athlete’s move to long-course racing has brought about further highs (he has three sub-8hr Ironman finishes to his name) and lows (he’s struggled in his two previous attempts in Kona). And yet he’s back in Hawaii as the best prepared he’s ever been, having spent late summer altitude training at Livigno in Italy before warm-weather acclimitisation in Texas alongside the reigning Kona champ Patrick Lange.
The latter saw Clarke perform low volume, high intensity efforts with the German, and he admits to feeling more potent as a result. But talking to the Brit at a Team BMC showcase at Huggo’s in Hawaii, and you become aware and the sacrifices, perils and pressure that pro triathletes have to face in order to make a living in Ironman.
“I haven’t seen my four-year-old son for a month and the Hawaii experience will have cost me six thousand pounds,” says Clarke. “It is a sacrifice and a burden, but it’s something I have to do as if you take yourself seriously as an Iron athlete then you have to be here. If you don’t come here desperate, then you can go home. The pressure is good for me and keeps the fire in my belly.”
Clarke’s Hawaii ventures so far have ended in disappointment, and he’s aware of the pitfalls of not racing to his own plan come Saturday morning on the Big Island. “The race does scare me,” Clarke admits, “Everyone over-bikes and moves out of their comfort zone. The worst-case scenario is to miss the packs on the bike and ride on your own for 180km; you need other athletes to bounce off and the aero benefits of being in a group.”
Clarke will be joined by his old friend and former training partner, Ali Brownlee, for the first time in Hawaii. Having had dinner with Brownlee this week, Clarke has high hopes for his fellow Brit. “He’s good to go. He’s really smart and leaves no stone unturned. I think he’s the most talented triathlete in history and he wants his title as the best triathlete on the planet back.”
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And what of Clarke’s own pre-race goals and his future in the sport that’s dominated his life? “I’ll be proud to run myself into the top 10. I want to stay on Team BMC and earn myself another contract with them. My own coaching setup, Will Clarke Coaching, is going well and I want to start a Zwift team next year. But I know that I can leave pro racing with no regrets.”
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It’s hours until the start of the 2019 Ironman World Championships and one of the key tech releases here in Hawaii is the new Moov&Cool tech from Huub.
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The technology will be on show in David McNamee’s Anemoi+ tri-suit and is a collaboration between the Derby-based brand and textile innovator Devan Chemicals. The cool comfort coating is said to have a positive impact on core body temperature as well as on heart rate.
The Anemoi+ will be launched following Kona, with Scottish athlete David McNamee (third twice in Hawaii) involved in the testing process of the original Anemoi tri-suit from its conception.
The cooling effect of the multisport formulation reportedly helps evaporate sweat during exercise in a balanced way, with heat thus drawn from the body for cooling benefits. The Moov&Cool tech contains a continuous heat-absorption capacity, which can assist in the heat withdrawal process, and it’s said to work in wet environments as well.
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The Ironman World Champs start at 5:30pm UK time, with McNamee (who was sporting kinesis tape on his neck at the pro press conference) set to face fellow Brit Alistair Brownlee on the start line.
It’s hours until the start of the 2019 Ironman World Championships and one of the key tech releases here in Hawaii is the new Moov&Cool tech from Huub.
Click Here: liverpool mens jersey
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The technology will be on show in David McNamee’s Anemoi+ tri-suit and is a collaboration between the Derby-based brand and textile innovator Devan Chemicals. The cool comfort coating is said to have a positive impact on core body temperature as well as on heart rate.
The Anemoi+ will be launched following Kona, with Scottish athlete David McNamee (third twice in Hawaii) involved in the testing process of the original Anemoi tri-suit from its conception.
The cooling effect of the multisport formulation reportedly helps evaporate sweat during exercise in a balanced way, with heat thus drawn from the body for cooling benefits. The Moov&Cool tech contains a continuous heat-absorption capacity, which can assist in the heat withdrawal process, and it’s said to work in wet environments as well.
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The Ironman World Champs start at 5:30pm UK time, with McNamee (who was sporting kinesis tape on his neck at the pro press conference) set to face fellow Brit Alistair Brownlee on the start line.
Jan Frodeno has won today’s Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. The German broke the course record in the process with a time of seven hours and 51 minutes, securing his third Kona title. After being near the head of the race on the swim and bike, Alistair Brownlee faded on the run to finish 21st on his Kona debut.
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Kona 2019 once again had quite possibly the strongest men’s field in the 41-year-old history of the Ironman World Championships. The big name contenders were all present, including a two-time Olympic Champion by the name of Alistair Brownlee on his Kona (and full Ironman) debut.
The 3.8km swim in Kailua-Kona town began after the U.S. national anthem at 6:25am, and swim course record holder, Australia’s Josh Amberger, and Brownlee were straight to the front. The two-time Kona champ and another Olympic gold medallist, Jan Frodeno, was soon to join them in conditions described as the having the biggest swell in at least a decade of Kona races.
Kona swim and @AliBrownleetri following @JoshAmberger in the lead. Lots of swell here. pic.twitter.com/8KmquecoRl
— 220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) October 12, 2019
The big story was reigning champion Patrick Lange having the Kona swim of his life and positioned in the lead pack, but Brit David McNamee missed that lead group. The men would be led out of the swim by Amberger in 47:28mins, with Frodeno (47:31mins) and Brownlee (47:33mins) soon behind in second and third respectively.
Heavyweight contenders Lange (who had suffered from a fever the day before the race) and McNamee (neck injury) were soon to drop out as the bike leg pace was set by Frodeno, Brownlee (who seemed to have a replacement back wheel during the ride) and American Tim O’Donnell. The uber-bikers of Seb Kienle and Cameron Wurf only started gaining in time at the 90km point, and Brit Joe Skipper was with the bike train and in 10th position at 160km.
Lead pack of men’s elites out of the water, @AliBrownleetri comfortably in it. #IMwc2019 pic.twitter.com/waCPXMPctx
— 220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) October 12, 2019
Into T2 and Frodeno had created a 3min gap on Brownlee and O’Donnell having upped the pace with 30km to go, entering transition after a 4:16:03 bike split. Brownlee’s 180km split was 4:19:59, with Sebi Kienle, Cameron Wurf and Boris Stein all in the mix.
Onto the run and, with the heat rising, the long, looping gait of Frodeno was holding firm. By the halfway stage of the run and on the approach to the infamous heat of the Energy Lab, the German’s advantage was 3:26mins over O’Donnell, 5:30mins over Kienle and 10mins over a fading Brownlee.
Jan Frodeno has just come near us on Ali’i Drive, looking strong. #imwc2019 pic.twitter.com/zzxZbXcdiD
— 220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) October 12, 2019
“All of the predictions come in during the week ahead of the race and people look at the data and race results, but the fascinating thing for us athletes is to then see how it unfolds on race day,” said Frodeno at the press conference ahead of the race, and unfold it would in Frodeno’s favour.
The German, having dropped out injured in 2017 and not made it to the start line in 2018 as his compatriot Lange took the glory (and the course record), held off the challengers to run a 2:42 marathon to cross the line in 7:51hrs and break Lange’s course record of 7:52hrs. “Kona is the Wimbledon of our sport and it’s a great feeling to run on this course after walking in 2017,” was his post-race comment.
It was his third Kona title, to go along with his two 70.3 World titles and Olympic gold from 2008. And it means that the last time a German man didn’t win the Kona title was 2013, making it 10 for the European nation.
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Second was America’s Tim O’Donnell, with another German, Sebastian Kienle, in third. Joe Skipper was top Brit in sixth with an 8:07 finish, with Brownlee coming home in 21st after a 3:13 marathon (and 8:25hr finish time) and Will Clarke in 25th.
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