Kailua Kona, Hawaii, 4 days after the big race. IRONMAN world championship.
Well on Saturday was a tough day. The weather has been extreme in the weeks preceding the race and today was no different. We had rain, for a lot of the ride and then high humidity for the run. I had an average swim to be 60 seconds behind the main pack of contenders and onto the bike in 44th.
I was riding well with a huge group including Cameron Widoff, Rutger Beke, Francois Chabeaud, ….
But, I never felt very good on the bike.
Some of these guys had top ten finishes here in Hawaii over the last years. So I tried to stay calm and patient during the 180 km ride.
We were off the bike about 15 minutes down on Stadler. I was out of transition in 16th and thought I could run well, but it didn’t take long before I started falling behind and got passed by other runners. I was hoping I would start coming right. I did for a while but after the famous Energy Lab the wheels fell off completely and I was down to a slow jog for the last 10km. Also my motivation has gone! My goal was to break into the top ten and at the end I still managed 23rd.
It was a shocker of a run, but I am motivated to give it another try the next years and kick some butts. Now it’s time to have a well earned 4-5 weeks off away from training after a long year.
Thank you once again for all your support, hope to catch up soon.
Take care and all the best.
Dear Uwe!
I know missing the goal quite close is not easy to handle, but you did a great job out there. See how many struggeled and racing in Hawaii you have to have a perfect day to get a TOP 10 stop. NEXT Year!!!
Enjoy Maui
ALOHA the Biest Kjell