HAWAII IRONMAN 2012

After last years break through race I was really hungry to improve on my 9th place. In short I went for it and paid the price. I swam well at the front of the lead pack and on the bike pushed the front in the opening few kilometers.

I felt amazing and lead the race to Kawaihae taking the Timex bike prime in the process. Shortly after Pete Jacobs, Marino Vanhoenacker and Roman Guillaume surged past me and I worked hard to match their pace up the climb to Hawi. At the turn around I was in third behind Marino and a charging Sebastian Keinle and exactly where I wanted to be heading back towards Kailua-Kona. Unfortunately about half way down the Hawi descent my quads began to cramp from the 100-110 RPM I was trying to maintain and this put me into some difficulty for the next 15-20km. I kept yo-yo ing behind a group that contained Pete, Roman, Dirk Boekel, Freddy Van Lierde, and Faris Al-Sultan. Spencer Hill leaving Kawaihae really got me. My quads were screaming and I knew my race would be over if I didn't get more salt and electrolyte into my body. That would be the last I saw of the group I was riding with and it was likely a large group headed by Andreas Raelert would gobble me up.

The ride back was lonely with no one with two minutes in front of me and two minutes behind me. It was no mans land. I began to feel better and my muscles lessened and I was finally able to push again as I neared town. I dismounted my bike three minutes down on the group ahead in 8th place and had kept the next group at bay.

Starting the marathon I felt like my cramping troubles were behind me and I was hitting my pace in the opening miles but it wasn't long till my quads & calves were giving me grief again. I struggled on and got as much salt into my body as it could take. The long stretch home from the energy lab wasn't kind to me as I watched competitor after competitor blaze past me. There was nothing I could do. I resorted to survival mode and walk/ran for a few kilometers. Now it was about finishing. I have lined up for the Hawaii Ironman on 6 occasions and I still hold a perfect 6/6 finish rate. Although my day didn't go to plan I finished in 8.54 in 24th place. I layed it on the line just like I had set out to do. I will be back in 2013 to do it all again. The Hawaii Ironman is a beast and I love it!