"You don't choose Kona, It chooses you!"
Ok, ok. The "I thought you were not doing another Ironman" question keeps rolling in, as well as, "What happened to your goal of under-achieving for the rest of the year?"
There are prestigious championship events in all sports. World Cup. The Masters. Wimbledon. Olympics. Super Bowl. World Series. They each have their prestige, 'hoopla', Kodak moments, and excitement surrounding them. Kona is the Super Bowl of triathlon. By no means did I train for Los Cabos with the goal of qualifying for Kona. I trained for Cabo to do my best, be prepared for the hand I would be dealt on race day, and to not have any regrets with how I performed with what I was dealt. For me, going into an ultra endurance event with a goal of finishing within a certain time or finishing in a certain place is way too much pressure as an amateur AG athlete who is doing this for "fun" (??? ;-)
My friends laughed and cajoled with me about how I would under achieve the rest of the year, how much sangria I would enjoy with them on the dock, how much I would be skiing, surf and SUP, and how I would sleep in and wear Jammie's all day like WWJenD.
Sooooo many people chase Ironman events around the world to try to get a Kona slot. They register for multiple Ironman events 12-18 months out to plan the possible journey of getting a slot. At the Awards Banquet, when I saw the flyer posted that said I had qualified and received a slot, I turned away from the wall to start searching for Jen and Steve. As usual, at any Ironman event, there was a swarm of people anxiously waiting, crowded around paperwork, flyers on walls, officials, waiting to hear the slot rolldown announcements about to begin and learn if anyone would turn down their spot and it might miraculously roll down to them. There were tears streaming down many faces of those that had already learned the fate that their months of training and sacrificing had been denied for a slot.
Finishing an Ironman, for me, should not end with such disappointment. It is such a DAY to finish that no one should be disappointed by their results. Setting that bar so high is not on my radar. Thus, to so unexpectedly have a good day that falls into place with the results I had and be awarded a qualifying slot for Kona humbles me. I feel that it would be a dishonor to not take it.
The mystique and deep Hawaiian tradition of participating in and attending The Ironman World Championships in Kona begins when you don't choose it, but it chooses you ;-)
There are prestigious championship events in all sports. World Cup. The Masters. Wimbledon. Olympics. Super Bowl. World Series. They each have their prestige, 'hoopla', Kodak moments, and excitement surrounding them. Kona is the Super Bowl of triathlon. By no means did I train for Los Cabos with the goal of qualifying for Kona. I trained for Cabo to do my best, be prepared for the hand I would be dealt on race day, and to not have any regrets with how I performed with what I was dealt. For me, going into an ultra endurance event with a goal of finishing within a certain time or finishing in a certain place is way too much pressure as an amateur AG athlete who is doing this for "fun" (??? ;-)
My friends laughed and cajoled with me about how I would under achieve the rest of the year, how much sangria I would enjoy with them on the dock, how much I would be skiing, surf and SUP, and how I would sleep in and wear Jammie's all day like WWJenD.
Sooooo many people chase Ironman events around the world to try to get a Kona slot. They register for multiple Ironman events 12-18 months out to plan the possible journey of getting a slot. At the Awards Banquet, when I saw the flyer posted that said I had qualified and received a slot, I turned away from the wall to start searching for Jen and Steve. As usual, at any Ironman event, there was a swarm of people anxiously waiting, crowded around paperwork, flyers on walls, officials, waiting to hear the slot rolldown announcements about to begin and learn if anyone would turn down their spot and it might miraculously roll down to them. There were tears streaming down many faces of those that had already learned the fate that their months of training and sacrificing had been denied for a slot.
Finishing an Ironman, for me, should not end with such disappointment. It is such a DAY to finish that no one should be disappointed by their results. Setting that bar so high is not on my radar. Thus, to so unexpectedly have a good day that falls into place with the results I had and be awarded a qualifying slot for Kona humbles me. I feel that it would be a dishonor to not take it.
The mystique and deep Hawaiian tradition of participating in and attending The Ironman World Championships in Kona begins when you don't choose it, but it chooses you ;-)
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