Race Coverage

'Each Mile Seemed Longer Than the Last"....

Saturday, 21 October 2023 00:10

By Terri Jaksha

2023 Kona Ironman World Chamionship Race Report - The day started with a 3:15 alarm and 4:10 shuttle ride to the race site. I didn’t use personal needs bags (available at halfway points on bike & run), so I went to body marking to get race tattoos applied. Next stop was my bike on the pier to pump tires (with my electric pump) and add water bottles & computer. Then I waited an hour near porta potties, dropped morning bag, lined up with my age group (55 - 59) and watched the pro women take off. Lots of energy as we made our way into the water, treading water until our horn sounded at 6:50.

The swim was beautiful and felt wavy but fast. A few collisions, but nothing major. I finished with my fastest Ironman swim time ever… 1:18:22.

My first transition was 12:56. I spent a lot of time rinsing the salt water off and putting sunscreen on in prep for the hot bike. I skipped the aero helmet and went with a more vented option with new Roka shades. Glad I did!

It was a long run around the pier to grab my bike and head out. Saw Cari at the beginning.

We rode in town a few miles then headed out on the Queen K Hwy. I started off faster than expected (17.5 mph). But as the day heated up and climb to Hawi wore me down, my average slipped to 15.5 mph (still my fastest Ironman pace). I couldn’t get comfortable on the aero bars thanks to recent injuries - this caused extra sore & fatigued neck & shoulders.

I stayed on track with BASE salt, water, and nutrition (Maurten gels, apple sauce, and maple syrup). I grabbed water at each aid station, filling my front bottle and dumping the rest on me to cool down. Happy with my PR of 7:17:43! ...

Transition #2 was 9:50, including my only pit stop of the race. I couldn’t feel my right foot after the bike, but was excited to start the run!

t was still very hot so I was thankful I used my new Omius Visor with cooling stones. We ran along the shore on Ali’i Drive, where I saw Cari twice.

Then it was out to the Queen K again. The first half of the marathon was in the hot sun. I had a tummy ache but knew I had to keep pounding the salt, water, and gels. I don’t normally walk aid stations, but I was so hot and miserable that I had to. I took cups of ice and water each mile (plus carried my own water bottles). After dark I used clip on head lights to keep from stumbling. My left foot started giving me fits (stabbing pain with each step). The last 10 miles were so hard and each mile seemed longer than the last. Finally turned off the Queen K and ran downhill towards the finish.

And what a finish it was! Lights & music & cheers & high-fives! I heard the magic words and got whisked by volunteers to get my medal & pic & food (French fries never tasted so good!) Run time 5:40:42, with a total time of 14:39:31! This was the first time I broke 15 hours for an Ironman, knocking 25 minutes off my prior PR.

After charging my phone (it died during run due to alarm going off) I took a congratulatory call from my BF back home then reunited with Cari and headed back to the condo. That race was the hardest thing I’ve ever done! Especially since I came to Kona with fresh stitches and a sprained wrist, and ran a fever Tues/Wed/Thurs this week. So grateful for the finish and an experience I will NEVER forget!

P.S. This year was the first time in Kona history that everyone who started the swim made it out of the water within the cutoff 2:20 time. And it was the highest % of people to finish the race ever. Plus the pro winner broke the course record. Extremely proud to share the day with so many incredible women!