October 2019

Kona Kings & Queens is a collaboration project with sports photographer James Mitchell to highlight some of the Pros racing in Kona. James supplies his awesome pictures (for more check his Instagram account), I add some data and commentary.

In almost any Ironman race, Matt has to be considered among the favorites. The exception so far is Kona where he hasn’t been able to put together a good race yet – three Pro starts ending in a DNF, a 34th and a 33rd place. But he’s optimistic that he has the tools to be successful on the Big Island and has been working to put the pieces together on race day. Is this going to be the year he has a breakthrough performance in Kona?

Thorsten: So far you haven’t had a good race in Kona yet – what are the things you’re looking to change this year?

Matt: I am constantly working with my team to try to improve the way I prepare for any race. I’ve raced in Kona five times, twice as an agegrouper and three times as a Pro. I have not put together a good day there as a Pro yet, but I’ve found a few things that don’t work. I know I can be successful on the Big Island. I have the tools necessary, I just need to put the pieces together on race day.

T: Some athletes decide to shift their focus to other races than Kona …

M: Kona is the driving force for all the decisions I make as a professional triathlete. I train alone most of the time in Iowa. So racing frequently is a way for me to get an idea of how things are going and what I need to be working on. It allows me to go out and have some fun and continue to love the sport. I typically build my season around two races each year .. in the past few years it has been Kona and IM Texas. So those two races would be the only times I start a race 100% tapered and ready to roll. The other races are often longer training days, races that I go in trying to specifically work on one component, or races that I’m drawing on the Kona/Texas fitness after those races. The results in those are a secondary focus. Obviously, I want to race for the win every time I am on the line, but in a lot of the “smaller” races I will make a race plan around something that I’ve been specifically working on in training. Maybe that isn’t the way to my fastest race on the day, but in the end it is what I feel will help prepare me the most for the high priority race of that build.

T: This year you’ve won at IM Boulder. How different is it to race and train at altitude?

M: I have been to Boulder a few times and seem to get used to the altitude there within a few days. The elevation there is about 5400ft (1650m), but I don’t tend to start really struggling until after 6000ft. I left Boulder a few days after the race and have not returned to altitude since. I’ve been training at my home in Iowa and will head to Kansas in a few weeks for some final prep with the Julie Dibens “JDcrew”.

T: How much of the Kona race can be pre-planned or will you have to adapt as the day goes on?

M: I don’t think we will pre-plan much if any of the race. I’ll have targets averages, etc., but in a race with this much talent and where the weather and conditions are going to be such a big factor I think it will be mostly reacting on what is going on around me.

T: Any plans for “winter” racing such as Mar del Plata last year?

M: I will make all plans for any late 2019 or 2020 races after Kona. I’ve stuck to a very similar schedule for the last few years, but with the North American Championships leaving Texas things will likely be different. I would love to do Challenge Roth, but summer racing always depends on getting an early Kona slot.

This is an excerpt from my “Kona 2019 Rating Report”. You can download your copy here.

Kona Kings & Queens is a collaboration project with sports photographer James Mitchell to highlight some of the Pros racing in Kona. James supplies his awesome pictures (for more check his Instagram account), I add some data and commentary.

It’s always fun to see Sarah race: She isn’t interested in “placing” but looks for ways to win. In the last two years in Kona she was trying to go with Daniela on the bike when she was working her way to the front. Even if she eventually had to let Daniela go, this helped her start the run in a great position. In 2017 she was able to claim third place after a run battle with Heather Jackson, in 2018 things didn’t go quite as well but she still finished in sixth place.

This year she has been injury-free and improved all her PRs: Fastest swim in Cairns, fastest bike, run and overall in Roth. Her run PR now stands at 3:00:02, and if she can do her first sub-3 marathon in Kona, she’ll definitely be once again in contention for the podium. But she won’t just be resting her legs for a fast run, just as in the last two years I expect her to go with Daniela on the bike. How long will she be able to stay with Daniela this year?

This is an excerpt from my “Kona 2019 Rating Report”. You can download your copy here.

Kona Kings & Queens is a collaboration project with sports photographer James Mitchell to highlight some of the Pros racing in Kona. James supplies his awesome pictures (for more check his Instagram account), I add some data and commentary.

Cameron has made huge gains as a triathlete in 2017 (17th in Kona) and 2018 (9th in Kona) In both races he was the fastest bike rider and T2 leader but fell back on the run. His better placing in 2018 was mainly due to an improved run, but his 3:06 marathon last year was just good enough for a Top 10.

Cam has continued to improve his run in the 2019 season: His marathon times have been 2:56 (Western Australia, December 2018), 2:50 (Australia, May 2019), 2:50 (Roth, July) and then an impressive run course record 2:45 in Italy (September).

All of these improvements indicate that he’ll be an even bigger Kona player than last year. He was roughly ten minutes behind third place, so a 2:55 marathon would put him into podium territory which would certainly be another nice step forward. But will three weeks be enough to recover from Italy for another great race in Kona?

After Italy, the other contenders can’t be 100% certain to catch him on the run, so Cam will make them work a bit harder on the bike. A better run will also mean that he can hold on to his lead even longer than last year .. and leading in Kona can give you an extra spring in your step. Once again the out-and-back section in the Energy Lab could play an important role in the race: Either the leader gains confidence because his lead is still large – or the chasers will realize that they will be able to close the gap.

With his racing in 2019 and the final strong performance in Italy just three weeks out from Kona, Cam has already achieved one important goal: He’ll be in every male Pros’s head for Kona 2019!

This is an excerpt from my “Kona 2019 Rating Report”. You can download your copy here.