Ironman Triathlon World Championships auf Hawaii

Wow – was für eine eindrückliche Leistung von Jason. Vizeweltmeister! Das aufwändige Training hat sich mehr als gelohnt. Herzliche Gratulation Jason! Jason the man!

Hier der interessante und spannende Bericht von Jason:

 

Almost every triathlete dreams of qualifying for, and racing at the Ironman Triathlon World Championships held each year in October on the island of Kona, Hawaii. It was my dream as well, and after a lot of hard work I qualified to race in Kona this year. I was very excited as this is where the top triathletes in the world gather to test their swim-bike-run fitness against each other.

 

The race involves a 3.8km ocean swim, followed by 180km on the bike, and concludes with a full marathon. Although I have been competing in triathlons for a number of years and have raced at this distance before, for many reasons Kona is a challenge unlike any other. Starting in May, all of my training was focused on Kona.

 

I raced a full distance triathlon in May, finishing fourth and competed in Ironman Switzerland in July and won my age group. Apart from these two full distance Ironman races, I did a number of half distance triathlons (1.9km swim / 90km bike / 21.1km run) and performed well in all of them. I knew that my fitness was good, but to be successful in Kona, you must also get your hydration and nutrition correct. And you must also be prepared for intense heat and humidity, and strong winds.

 

As the day to race in Kona drew closer, my coach and I slowly increased the volume of training that I was doing and the intensity of my workouts. A big week of training typically included 4 swim sessions, 3 sessions on the bike, 4 training runs, and two sessions in the gym. In total about 25 hours. To adapt my body to the heat, I was also going to the sauna 3 times each week.

 

I arrived in Kona about a week before the race and when I exited the plane I immediately felt the wave of heat and humidity. It was incredible. After getting my bike and luggage, I drove from the airport to the town of Kona and then walked to a restaurant for dinner. The atmosphere in the town was electric; it was like an enormous party. Super fit athletes were everywhere, all of them getting ready for the big race.

 

I spent the week doing light training on the race courseand despite the excitement, I tried to relax as much as possible. On race morning, I knew that I had prepared well and was ready for a good day.

 

The swim went well. I wanted to complete the 3.8km swim in under 1’10“. This would put me in the top 10% of my age group and in a good position for the bike and run. I came out of the water in 1’09“ and quickly got ready for the bike. I love to ride the bike and am a strong biker, but I knew that with the wind and heat plus 1,325m of climbing, it would be a challenge. I had to get my hydration and fueling correct; otherwise, I would suffer on the run. My goal on the 180km bike course was 5’30“. I was passing many other athletes and being very careful with my hydration and fueling. I recorded the 2nd fastest bike split in my age group, coming off of the bike in 5’22. I was very happy to how I was performing so far, but I knew that the toughest part of the race – the marathon – was still to come.

 

The run is totally exposed to the sun and temperatures were close to 30C. I started the run in 2nd place in my AG, but I had two pieces of information: (1) the person in first place was not a strong runner and (2) there was someone behind me who was a very good runner. Honestly, I was worried. At about 12km into the run, I had passed the guy who was in first, but the strong runner behind me had caught and passed me. I remained in second and wasn’t too far behind the first place guy in my AG, but I couldn’t close the gap. I made sure that I took on water and gels at every aid station and was thrilled to finish the race in 10’39… 2nd in my age group!!

 

 

It was a super day of racing and I am lucky to have some great people supporting me. The awards ceremony the following day was fantastic. Thousands of athletes attended, including most of the top pros, as the top finishers and their times were announced.

 

I am still in Hawaii as I write this report and am still on an emotional high. After some time for recovery and the off-season, I will resume serious training and try to qualify for Kona next year.