Coach Robyn's IMKONA Race Report

                               

ALOHA!

Ironman World Championships 2017 Race Report

By  Coach Robyn

                                   
                                     Ironman World Championship's 2017 Recap Video

                YUP, That's me, right there, 
                 loving every second of it :)

     Racing on the Big Island of Hawaii has been a dream of mine for 10 years. After my first Ironman, ten years ago in CDA I vowed to qualify for Kona by the time turned 40. Last year, at age 40, I did just that. On October 14, 2017, that dream came true; age 41.

     My message is that if there's a fire in your belly for something, even if that thing seems very far away or unbelievable, don't ever give up on your dream. It will take hard work, sacrifice, pain & suffering to get there, but it will be worth every bit of it when you reach your goal.

     The following report is more than just a race report, as Kona was more than just a race for me. The whole experience was a magical one. While almost impossible to capture the true magic, this is a brief review of my Kona experience. If you want to skip to the nitty-gritty scroll down to the heading "RACE REPORT".

     I came to Hawaii prepared, having put big training miles in during the year leading up to it. Coach Slayer did everything he could to ready me and I did everything in my power to perform my best on the day.

Coach Slayer & I at Choo 70.3 Worlds

     It was a delicate process, with 70.3 Worlds having been my A race for the year, only a month earlier. My focus had been to perform well on my home stage in Chattanooga. (mission accomplished) Somewhere between 70.3 Worlds & Kona, I strained my calf, minimizing the last few weeks of prep work before the big dance.

                                            

Race Week                                             Tuesday: Race week started with the AWA Gold breakfast, where I had the honor of meeting Mark Allen and Dave Scott. 

Ironman Legends: Ironwar!

I've been a HUGE Mark Allen fan forever, so I was pretty stoked about this! It was a highlight of my trip. 

Wednesday: Athlete check in & cruise the expo. Met a lot of cool people including all-star Faris as Sultan (fan-girl moment!!) and Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman.

Mamma Betty & I crushing Kona :)

Meeting Faris al Sultan, another highlight

We meet again Voice of Ironman!

Thursday: Ride with Team Betty for Cancer awareness & team coffee at Lava Java. Later Team FX Multisport swam together on the IMWC swim course.

                                                   

Team FX Multisport w/ new Wave Swim Buoy

Kona Island LavaJava

Of course the Underpants Run on Thursday night topped off the week in pure Kona celebratory style

Team Betty at Kona

     Blessed to have my best friends Jenny & James Delong, my parents, brother & his wife, my niece & nephew and my ever supportive husband along with my two daughters along for the adventure, we enjoyed the tranquil surroundings & avoided the circus of Kona as much as possible

Friday: PreRace, The red carpet check in procedure was spectacular!You roll your bike and transition bags down this red Ironman carpet and the sponsors give you their support & swag.

Preparing to drop bags & bike:RedCarpet

Mark Allen & Mike Reilly called my name as I walked by!!!! Good Omen. Ok so THAT was AWESOME :) 

Bike & Bags Dropped off: All Good!

FX Multisport Volunteer at KONA

                                         

Always bring my trusted Loadebar with me wherever I go

Race Report

The Swim: The women's race started at 7:20 am. I lined up early at the front and was one of the first to enter the water. We swam up to the start line & tread water for about 10 minutes. I gradually found my space in the line up quite a ways from the buoy line. It wasn't crowded, the energy was calm & sweet. Lots of good vibes were going around. 

The water was calm, clear & warm. When the cannon boomed, I hit start on my Garmin & off we went. There was none of the thrashing & contact that Ive experienced in other mass starts. Soon, I found my pack & we stayed together for the entire swim. Only once did I feel a little sea sick from the swells, but it passed very quickly. The swim went as well as I could have hoped. It was even enjoyable!

Start of women's age group race

As I exited the water, Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman called my name, AGAIN!!! on the  speaker, to my cheer squad's delight. 

Starting the 112 mile bike ride

Transition 1: My volunteer helper was exceptional & I was grateful for her help. Grabbed my shoes & ran to my bike, then pushed the bike to the mount line.













Bike: As I spun out of the transition chute, my crew was standing cheering me on in true FX Fashion. Such great energy!!!

FX Multisport Cheering squad

The ride around Kona town went by quickly & soon we were on the Queen K. The crowd cheering the athletes on provided amplified energy, the sun was shining & the skies were blue. As we began our trek to Hawi via the Queen K highway, I focused on my cadence & hydration, grabbing water from every aid station. As I tried to hold the numbers I was prescribed, it soon became obvious that due to the conditions, I would need to adjust the plan a bit and ride more conservatively, if I wanted to run well off the bike. The heat & high winds were termed "extreme" for the day & played a major role in the execution of the race plan. 

     I felt solid & prepared. My Cervelo P3 from East Ridge Bicycles was steady and comfortable allowing me to stay aero as much as possible. The ENVE wheel set provided the perfect amount of aerodynamic strength against the powerful Hawaiin winds.

      Wearing the Fusion Speedsuit was helpful, pouring water on myself at each aid station to keep the core temperature down. It's also the most comfortable suit, no chafing or discomfort for 112 miles says a lot!

    

     I broke the race down into 25 mile sections and when the mind started to wander, enjoyed the unique Hawaiian scenery & reminded myself to enjoy every pedal stroke because this is what I've dreamt of doing for so long!!

       There was only one problem that I couldn't fix. My tummy. I knew early on it was a problem & couldn't believe my luck. Of course it would be too easy if everything went perfectly. So this was my issue to deal with for the day. 
      At the turn around in Hawi the winds were unreal!! It took so much focus to just keep the bike on the road. Once back onto the Queen K, where I was hoping there would be a tailwind (since we had a head wind on the way out) hot sandy winds beat into my face for the next 90 minutes, head on. Yup, this is Kona. 
     It was a great ride despite the lower watts, slower speed & longer time than expected. 112 miles done!

    Transition 2: Handing off my bike was the best feeling of the day. The first few steps as I ran through T-2 were ones of question. Would I crumble on the run? After quickly changing shoes, I hit a bottle of UCAN & then ran out of the tent to get 26.2 miles done as fast as possible.

     Run: Before the race, coach had prepared me for the heat & energy sucking run down Ali'i drive. Intentionally setting my pace for the first 5 miles to prevent implosion I started out slow. At the 5 mile turn around, I felt ok still, clicking off the miles at around a 9 min/mile pace. The tummy issue was bordering on disaster, not allowing me to take in anything, hit one cup of water in the first 10 miles. 

     Palani Drive is a legit hill that I hit at mile 10-11. My cheering crew was there with the best energy & as we exchanged high-fives & hugs, I assured them that I felt "good". At the top of the hill we turn onto the Queen K for the soul sucking portion of the run. 

     I was thankful for Matt Miller & Base Performance with their fantastic energy & rocket fuel!

    No matter how hard I tried, I could not get my pace over an 8:30 on this section. It felt like the road was saying "nope" this is what you get, no more no less. So I went with it & ran into the beautiful energy lab at sunset. At the turn around in the energy lab, they handed me the dreaded glow stick (I would have preferred to finish in the daylight, but whatever) and I hit a cup of chicken broth hoping to sooth my belly. This is where I said F*!k IT! Im finishing this thing! With 8 miles to go, running on fumes & fire, I ran through the pitch black darkness (there are no lights to light your way).

     According to my watch, my race time was 11:30:00 and I had 30 minutes to reach my goal of a 12 hour Kona IM. This was fuel to my fire as I ran towards the descent on Palani. When I finally got running down the hill, Stephen was there with my daughter, mom & dad, Jenny & James, cousins all decked out in the FX Multisport gear cheering me to the finish. 

     At this point it was mind over matter, willing my legs to keep turning I ran my last mile as my fastest back to Ali'i Drive & the famous Kona finish chute. 

     Lucky for me, the path was a clear one. No one before me or behind me so I could savor the moment that we all have worked so hard for.  
     They called my name (but you can't fool me, it wasn't Mike Rielly) and medical swiftly carried me away for assessment. ( I secretly was hoping Heather Jackson would medal me, but whatever)

     My Garmin time said 11:49 but my official finish time was 11:59:47, just breaking the 12 hour mark. So, I reached my goal, on the nose. Despite all the issues, I am elated with my race experience and enjoyed every step of the way of getting there.

     Special thanks to my husband Stephen whom I could not do any of this without. 

Also big thanks to my sponsors East Ridge Bicycles, Betty Designs, Loadebar, Fusion Sports US, Base Performance, Enve , New Wave Swim Buoy

Thank you to my ever supportive family & friends who joined me for this adventure!

ALOHA!!

What would I do differently? Make Kona my focus & not 70.3 a month before, push the power a bit more on the bike & take in more salt. Pretty sure my normal salt intake was not sufficient for this race. Live & learn.

Ill be back!

P.S. We started this trip with a family of 4 on a plane. The magic of Kona was so powerful that my oldest daughter Alexa decided not to return home to Tennessee with us, but to stay in Kona, on a whim. Please pray for her safety and guidance as she navigates her own personal journey alone on the Island of Hawaii. Hawaii will always have part of my heart & soul. I will forever be rooted to the Big Island.

P.S.S Here is a link to our photos of the trip for anyone who would enjoy a photo tour of our adventures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/71e9nhteea5Qnr4f1

Mahalo!