"Ho'omau reminds us that to overcome our challenges, we must go forth with determination, perseverance and endurance. As you face and overcome challenges, remain courageous and maintain purpose. Pursue your dreams, push past obstacles and soar with unwavering faith and firm resolution.
You will find your way home." ~ Kona 2014 theme
It all started out as a bucket list goal. I signed up for my first Ironman with Deb in 2008. My friend Deb convinced me to do another one in 2009. In 2010, I wanted a bigger challenge and my dream turned into competing at the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, HI. By 2013, my dream of qualifying came true! It was a long journey; 7 years in the making. Lots of good and bad workouts/races. I have many fond memories of training partners. I have faced fears and humbled myself to push past my limits. There were also some disappointments that were heart breaking almost to the point of quitting. However, I am very honored and happy to finally live the dream of participating as an athlete in Kona on October 14, 2014.
Pre Race:
The alarm went off at 3:45am on race morning. I slept pretty good the night before, only waking up a few times. Once out of bed I made my typical race breakfast, oatmeal and a banana. My friend Cathy and I drove down to the transition area and I headed to drop off my special needs bags. I handed my transition bags to the race volunteers and continued on to body marking, well actually tattoos this year. We also did a weigh in.
After weigh-in, I walked into the transition area passing the pro area. It still amazes me seeing athletes like Craig Alexander, Mirinda Carfrae, and others up close and personal. Once at my bike, I put my bottles on their cages. I pumped up my tires and waited in line for the portapoties.
The pro men started the race 35 minutes before the AG women. We stood for the national anthem and heard the cannon go off for the pro men’s start. Somebody helped zip up my speed suit and I did a warm-up swim, then made my way down the stairs into the water. The start was about 200m out from the beach. I made my way to the front of the start line, between the TYR sign and the pier. As more and more women crowded the deep water start, I told myself to stay calm. It was super nice to be separated from the men! I knew I was surrounded by the best and fastest triathletes in the world. It was a pretty windy morning so there were plenty of swells out on the course, it would be a tough race.
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SWIM
The cannon sounded for the females, I only had a few bumps and my goggles kicked once. I started to lock into my pace and found some feet to swim behind. I still occasionally picked my head up to find the next buoy, but my main focus was just staying with the swimmer next to me to reduce the amount of sighting required and to take advantage of any possible draft. There was great scenery below us for the first half tons of fish and coral. The 1.2 mile swim out felt like forever. I kept looking for the big boat at the turn-around, but never seemed to get closer.
Finally, we reached the boat. The way back to shore was a lot more rough than the way out. I still felt strong and began passing people, and caught up to the men, who were definitely more physical than the females. I enjoyed rolling with the waves. About a quarter mile from shore, we started to funnel together and I made my way up the stairs into T1. I never turn on my watch, and so I had no idea how my swim was, I just focused on the next task transition.
Swim: 1:10:26, 25th in my age group
T1: 3:23
I quickly rinsed the salt water out of my mouth. I grabbed my bag and ran into the change tent. Wow, it was packed! I snagged a chair right by the entrance and began putting my bike shoes on. The green mat was super slippery with the bike shoes on. In the future, I'll keep my shoes on my bike next time. I forgot to grab my nutrition and ran around searching for my bike. I put on my helmet and started to the mount line.
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BIKE
I mounted the bike and headed up the short hill of Palani. I saw my friend Cathy, my parents and some other Salt Lake folks cheering me on. I tend to start out too fast on my bike rides, so this race I tried to really relax, and avoid following the adrenaline filled crowd. The first few miles of the race were an out and back. After the out and back section we headed out on the Queen K Highway. The wind welcomed us almost immediately. I embraced the wind, expecting windy conditions. For the next 30 miles I battled the headwind along with trying to stay out of the draft of the other riders. Afterwards I would discover that the course had the worse winds in 15 years.
Besides the wind, it was pretty hot out. I did my best to stay on top of my nutrition and water intake. I took a GU gel or half a bonk breaker every 30 minutes on the bike. I needed to grab these at the aide stations, because I left my nutrition in the transition bag.. The wind was so strong so at times it was hard to take my hands off my aero bars to drink or eat. At every aid station, I grabbed a bottle of water. I poured some of it on my head, to help keep me cool. I also had salt tablets every hour. My stomach was not happy with me during the bike ride, I always have stomach issues. I think some people are blessed with strong stomachs. Unfortunately I am not one of those people I have learned to expect bloating and diarrhea, and deal with them the best I can.
As we made the turn at Kawaihae, we received a reprieve from the wind. Then started the 20 mile windy gradual climb up to Hawi, the turn-around point. The wind was so strong at points so I leaned my whole body into the wind to counterbalance. Finally I reached Hawi, I was determined to push hard on my way back. I felt strong descending the hills despite the crosswinds, and passed a ton of people. Then we made the turn at Kawaihae and back into the headwind and crosswinds. I just kept my head down and fought the wind the best I could. I came back into town and was excited to get off the bike.
Bike: 6:08:00, 24th in my age group
T2: 3:44
Getting off the bike, I could tell the wind had done some damage to my legs. They felt heavy running through the transition area. I grabbed my bag and entered the change tent. I grabbed a chair and took a little extra time putting on my socks and shoes. At some point during this change, I dropped my salt tablets without knowing. I ran out of transition and onto the run course.
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RUN
The run began with a short hill and then a 5 mile out and back (10 miles total) down the famous Ali’i Drive. My goal going into the day was to hold between an 8:00 and 8:30 average pace for the first 10 miles of the run. I knew the first 10 miles were the flattest. I started my marathon shuffle and kept telling myself to keep it easy, this just like a 20 mile training run. Heading out on Alii drive I saw two Utah athletes Chuck and Katy we exchanged greetings and they both looked strong! Around mile 5 some lady from France passed me with a great cadence. I quickly jumped behind her and paced off of her. Throughout the race we kept passing each other, which was super nice! Heading back on Ali'i drive I saw two more athletes from Utah Ironman Cowboy and Kara, we exchanged greetings and encouraged each other.
AT the end of Ali'i drive we turned up the infamous hill of Palani Rd. I started up the hill and felt amazingly great! I saw my friend Cathy, my parents and Cherrel. I passed my French running pacer. The support from volunteers and spectators was amazing! Soon I reached the lonely Queen K Highway. My running pacer passed me again on the queen K. I did meet the last two athletes from Utah on the Queen K, I saw my coach BJ and Cameron heading back and was a little jealous that they were much closer to the end of the race than me. There was no shade, but luckily, there was some cloud cover to help reduce some of the heat. I ran mile by mile, just trying to keep a good pace.
Eventually I approached the Energy Lab, I had heard so many stories about the heat and bareness of the Energy Lab. I passed my running pacer again. It was the highlight of my run. The volunteers in this area were extraordinary. The turn-around seem to take forever to reach, but I made it and knew that I only had 8 miles left to go. There were a few Red Bull tents in the Energy Lab so I decided to take a few cups. The climb out of the Energy Lab was tough, my pace fell beyond 8:00 min/mile, and my French running mate passed me again. I was able to pick up my pace afterwards.
Around mile 20, I was fairly fatigued. I knew I only had 6miles left and just kept moving, I did pass my pacing partner one last time. The last steep hill was pretty tough, I just told myself to keep moving forward and I rock at hills. I ran back into town and down the hill on Palani Rd. I began to soak up all the cheers from the crowd and volunteers. we turned off Palani and I was super fatigued, I saw my parents and struggled to smile. Finally, I adjusted my race bib as I made the final turn down Ali’i drive. There were thousands of spectators, and I sprinted to the end. I came into the finish chute and I lifted my arms in victory.
It was the IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP! The moment was a summation of 7 years of IM training, day dreaming, racing, accomplishments, setbacks and sacrifices. It was all worth it. After 11 hours of racing, I had accomplished one of my biggest dreams. The race was hard and still far from a perfect race, but I’m proud and humbled to have had the chance to race on the biggest stage in the world with my friends and family cheering me on from near and afar. I felt the love all day long!
Run: 3:38:04 (14th in my age group)
Total Time 11:03:36, 14th in age group
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Post-Race: After crossing the finish line, I immediately collapsed. I told the volunteers that I was fine however, I ended up at the med tent. Somehow I lost 7 pounds from the race. I got an IV and when I got my strength back, walked towards the post-race yummy treats., malasadas!
Thanks again to everyone who has helped me along this amazing journey over the past 7 years! It is amazing how much I have grown and changed since taking my first Ironman. There are so many people that have helped me along my journey it is almost impossible to thank them all.
Thank you to my coaches over the years!
Thank you to all my friends and relatives who’ve supported me! Your kind words, texts and Facebook posts!
Thank you to my training partners over the years! I knew absolutely nothing about the sport when I first started look at me now, I just raced in Kona. You’ve made training for these races the best part about IRONMAN.
Looking Ahead: Training for Kona is mentally, physically, and financially draining. However, there’s no way I’m finished. I’m just getting started. I know my biking will continue to build under the guidance of my coach and I plan to work on my swimming technique and running speed a lot this off-season. I hope to be more competitive next year.
I have worked with many inspiring nurses at Huntsman, and some of them threw me an awesome
Hawaii party! They even made me a Team Kathryn shirt :)
Pre Race Check in we received an awesome gear bag and I also met on of my heroes Chrissie
Wellington who wrote on my chart be awesome.
Practice swim with my coach and we swam with dolphins!
Parade of Nations, with the Utah Crew.
Female Age Groupers Swim Start
Biking in the Lava Fields
At Kuakini Headed towards T2
Start of the Run
Infamous Palani with my running partner with pink shoes
My Parents
Finish Line!!
Awards dinner with the three females competing in Utah all in the same state, same age group and
we all have names that start with a K-Kathryn, Kara and Katy
Race Video Links
Female Age Group Swim Start
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhZIV9EEOm4
Kona Highlights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm5l3Y7WkQI
Race morning: I woke up at 3:45, to eat and prepare for the race with my friends Mike and Joe who were both racing. I was excited and nervous. The 2.4 mile swim started at Lake CDA on the sandy beaches of a city park. It consisted of two counterclockwise loops. Lake CDA is beautiful and has clear water! I swam a 1:04, which is a good time for me despite a few issues. There are a few things I would do differently next race. First I would rinse my googles a little better. Having baby shampoo in your goggles during the swim will irritate your eyes. Second, I would do more shoulder stretches and rotator cuff strengthening to help prevent shoulder aches. Lastly, I would wear a sleeveless wetsuit when the water is this warm.
I started out slow on the bike to conserve energy for the marathon. The first half of the bike, the temperatures were perfect. We headed out east of the city along the beautiful lake. Then, we headed onto US-95, west of CDA into more hilly terrain. I felt strong and good. The second half of the bike, you could feel the temperatures climbing. I tried to drink as much as I could throughout the bike course. Around mile 80, I started to feel the heat. I changed my tactics and used a lower gear up the hills to conserve my energy for the marathon. It was fun to see so many familiar athletes racing from Salt Lake City and my friends Mike and Joe. There were some amazing cheerleaders out there too! Overall, I felt I had raced well on the bike and felt ready to run.
In transition, I had the volunteers put sunscreen on my shoulders, to prevent my shoulders from burning in the scorching heat. On the first mile, I didn't want to run faster than 8:30, to try to pace myself for a marathon in 100+ degrees. Then, Ashley, an athlete from SLC, passed me running at a faster pace! She was so inspiring to watch. At mile 3, I could definitely feel the heat. I was super jealous of this guy with a water bottle that was running next to me, who filled it up at the aide stations. At mile 5, I started to have diarrhea. I thought, "No problem, I have dealt with this before". But, at mile 10, I started feeling super hot. I saw Ali, a pro triathlete from SLC, cheering for me. I told her that it was hot. She told me that it was ok and said, "You are tough". Love Ali! Somewhere along the way, I started feeling the blisters on my feet. At mile 13, I was feeling light headed. I thought to myself I need to finish the race, I need to drink as much as I can at the aide stations, and walk the hills to finish. The next hot marathon I run I will walk through the aide stations from the start of the marathon to more adequately hydrate. Soon, I passed BJ, another amazing athlete from SLC. BJ smiling offered encouraging words, "Way to go K!" He is always so positive despite terrible heat conditions and not having a good race. The last 5 miles, this very nice gentleman who was on his first loop decided to run with me. It was super nice!! He talked to me about some of the ultra running races he had done. It helped pass the time when I felt miserable. I paced off of him and he helped me make it to the finish line. After I finished, I shortly saw my friend Mike and he helped me to the med tent, where I received some IV fluids. My parents were also there waiting for me to get out of the med tent; I was happy to see them. I think the heat definitely affected my race. Definitely, my worst run, but I am glad to have finished. 
I had a solid swim and bike ride! The marathon was the slowest I have ever ran. I became dehydrated despite my efforts of trying to stay on top of my liquid intake on the bike and the run. I placed 3rd place in my age group which will allow me to complete in Kona on October 10. I am excited about that!
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