Kona Kings & Queens

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.

Daniela has had two great last seasons with wins in Hamburg, Roth and Italy. Her close win over Lucy Charles at Challenge Roth 2018 was at that time the fastest German time, it has since been further improved by Laura Philipp in Barcelona and by Anne Haug in Copenhagen. This year Danni had another string of wins in the half-distance, but 2019 didn’t go quite as well on the full distance: Her A-race in her hometown of Frankfurt ended in a DNF with a stomach bug she caught in race week. But she quickly recovered: Just one week later she improved her PR at Challenge Roth, even if she finished behind Lucy Charles and Sarah Crowley. Her most recent race was a win at 70.3 Zell am See.

Danni will lose some time in the swim, she was eight and nine minutes behind Lucy in Roth in the last two years. But just as in Frankfurt, there will be a couple of other strong bikers around her, and they are likely going to move through the field. Will she have the punch in her legs to shake the others, or will she – like in Frankfurt – drag a few others with her? It’s clear that she will be working hard to put time into those that are likely going to run faster than her. If she can run a marathon around 3:05, there won’t be many in Kona that can put more than a few minutes into her, and a Top 10 is definitely doable for Danni.

Thorsten: You’ve raced in Kona before, but you don’t have good memories from the race in 2016?

Daniela: My first Hawaii experience was pretty bad, at least concerning the race. On the marathon I’ve had strong pain in the abdomen and had to walk most of the course. It got even worse after finishing and I had to go to the hospital, suspecting an appendicitis.
But I also have some really nice memories of my time in Hawaii and approach this year’s race with a positive mindset. I’m really looking forward to my second trip to triathlon paradise!

T: What’s your view on your 2019 season so far? You’ve quickly erased your DNF in Frankfurt …

D: I’m okay with how the season has gone so far. Of course I’ve had some other ideas for my planned highlight at the Mainova Ironman Frankfurt, but third place at Challenge Roth just one week later was a nice consolation. In addition I was able to win three middle-distance races and two more podiums. I also noticed in my training that I have some untapped potential in all areas for the second half of the season.

T: Is there a specific goal for Kona 2019?

D: A Top 10 finish is my minimum target. But if I can achieve that or whether I can finish even further ahead, doesn’t depend only on my own shape but also on the race dynamics. A World Championship can develop in a lot of different ways.

T: Have you already decided on your strategy for the bike leg? Are there “joint plans” with other athletes that have similar strengths?

D: I’ve never set up arrangements with other athletes and don’t plan to do so. However, there are probably going to be “dynamic alliances” that form during the race between athletes with similar goals. As a strong biker that is the card I want to play, but the efforts and benefits have fit. The big challenge will be to make the right decisions in the heat of the moment.

T: In Italy you’ve won with a 3:17, in Roth you ran a 3:06 this year. Where do you see your run in the Kona conditions?

D: This year in Roth I wasn’t quite able to perform at the level I’m showing in my training on a regular basis. I’m not sure if that was because of the infection and the race in Frankfurt. But if I want to finish close to the front in Hawaii, it’ll require a better run performance. The conditions in Kona are a challenge for all athletes. With proper cooling and nutrition I hope to be able to handle the heat and show what I’m capable of.

T: Do you have any plans for after Kona?

D: I haven’t really thought past Kona yet but I can rule out another Ironman in 2019. I also haven’t planned 2020 yet, but clearly I want to erase the Frankfurt DNF. But I’ll think about it in my season break if that’s going to be next 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.

At the end of the 2018 season, Sebastian was at a turning point: When Achilles issues forced him to DNF in Kona he had to accept that his little niggles could no longer be ignored or managed. He switched from his long-term coach Lubos Bilek to Philipp Seipp, not because he was unhappy with Lubos but because he thought that he needed a fresh approach.

When it was announced in February that Sebi would race IM Frankfurt, he still hadn’t been able to get back to running and was very cautious about his chances of doing well in his summer races. It took him until May to start racing again, even if with a small base and with very little speed training. The race itself at 70.3 St. George was a mixed bag – he received a bike penalty probably for the first time in his triathlon career. (Even after watching a video of the bike group it wasn’t readily apparent what he’d done wrong.) But after regrouping he had a strong run and – even more significant – he was pain-free even the morning after the race. Things looked even better in June: At Challenge Samorin he wasn’t able to dominate the rest of the field on the bike as in previous years and started the run well behind. What followed was a half-marathon PR and a run through the field that ended in a Samorin win that he had almost written off at the of the bike.

For Ironman Frankfurt he was also quite cautious as he hadn’t been able to do the work necessary for a good marathon. Even if things didn’t quite go as planned for him when a shard of glass got embedded in his heel at the swim exit, he had a great bike and was able to close the gap to Jan Frodeno to just a few seconds in T2. After a medical removed the piece of glass, Sebi also had a great run. He was able to make up the minute he had lost in T2 and was running side-by-side with Jan for a while. But then Jan had worked through his low and slowly ran away from Sebi. In the end, Jan ran a 2:43 marathon and Sebi a 2:47 – the fastest run splits of the day.

At 70.3 Worlds, Sebi had solid bike after a disappointing swim – followed by a great run that allowed him to salvage a respectable 5th place. Probably a reminder that he needed more work in the pool but also a confidence builder for his new-found, hard-earned run strength.

What does all this mean for his Kona race? On one hand, he won’t feel that he has to “win it” on the bike as he probably did at the start of his career. On the other hand a good swim would help to set him up for a better position in the field and he should be able to join the pointy end of the field much earlier. At the same his run strength also means that he doesn’t have to do anything crazy on the bike. Even the strongest runners such as Frodo or Patrick Lange won’t be able to put more than a few minutes into him in the marathon. When he’s in the lead on the run he’ll be very hard to beat, he was able to win all Ironman races that he was leading on the run.

Will Sebi be able to take the win in Kona 2019? He is certainly on my short list of candidates.

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.

Imo made the female race in Frankfurt very interesting: After swimming with Sarah True at the front, she took the lead on the bike and no one wanted or was able to follow her. After the first bike loop she was more than five minutes ahead, and it took the chasers all of the second loop to catch up to her. Imo also ran a solid marathon in the Frankfurt heat and finished in second place, earning a Kona slot in her first full-distance race. (For more on the race in Frankfurt, check out my post on the “Female Podium at IM Frankfurt“.)

Even though Imo is one of the youngest female Pros in the field, she has already had some good results at big races, finishing 6th at 70.3 Worlds in 2018 and even a 3rd place podium at 70.3 Worlds in Nice this year. It’s unlikely that the atmosphere in Kona is going to have much of an impact on her.
As a good swimmer, Imo is likely to be close to the front at the start of the bike. Will she go with the strong bikers when they ride by or will she take a more conservative approach to her first race in Kona? I think it’s likely that she’s going to get her fair share of camera time on the bike. Maybe she’s also made a step forward in her marathon? Then a Top 10 is in the cards in her Kona debut.

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.

Last year a lot of speculation before Kona focused on the chances of Javier Gomez, Alistair’s short course rival. This year it’s almost harder to predict what Ali will be able to do in Kona. With Javier there was at least one valid IM-distance result in a decent field in Cairns, with Ali we only have a non-swim, cold weather Ironman Ireland that he was able to win. But it’s hard to draw any conclusions from that race for Kona other than that he’s been able patient enough with his pacing to cover the distance well. Maybe we can infer a bit more from his 70.3 racing: At least we can be pretty sure that he’ll be close to the front on the swim and also that he’s unlikely to be struggling at the start of the bike.

But with Ali’s previous problems in the heat, predicting the second half of the race will be tricky. Is he going to be able to balance riding strong with cooling down and eating enough? Maybe he will get excited and race too fast in the first two hours on the bike when almost everyone feels good? And what will happen once he’s on the run, especially on the hot section in the Energy Lab? Pretty much everything between a podium and a complete explosion is possible for Ali. A well-executed race should see him finish somewhere in the Top 10.

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