Kona Gallery Part 1 & Ironman Cozumel

ByAnthony Chan
At a Glance

A photo gallery and honest reflection two weeks after the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. Coming off a season of PBs and three half-Ironman runner-up finishes, I posted a 1:11 non-wetsuit swim PB but a 10:47 overall that fell short of my potential — and I share the lessons I’m taking into IRONMAN Cozumel.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Set a non-wetsuit 2.4-mile swim PB of 1:11 at Kona
  • Finished the IRONMAN World Championship in 10:47
  • Came off a season of PBs and three half-Ironman 2nd places
  • Next up: IRONMAN Cozumel on November 27, 2016
  • Pacing the 3:10 group (7:14/mi) at the NYC Marathon first

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Refine your nutrition plan: Kona exposed clear room to improve fueling in the heat.
  • Pack dry socks: Wet socks on the run badly worsened foot blisters — an easy fix.
  • Pace your power evenly: A more even cycling output could have set up a better run.
  • Learn, don’t dwell: Doing your best in tough conditions is what lets you move forward.
  • Quick turnaround: Tweaking training and strategy to execute better at Cozumel.

Anthony Chan racing at Kona Gallery Part 1 & Ironman Cozumel

It’s been 2 weeks since Kona and I have finally gotten around to sorting the 1400+ photos that were taken during the trip. In the gallery above are 20 pictures from mostly before the Ironman.

In my previous post, the Ironman Kona race report, I summed up my race day as concisely as possible. What I refrained from saying earlier was the mix of emotions that occurred not only as the race unfolded, but the reflections on my performance that occupied (but not necessarily overwhelmed) my mind.

Going into Ironman Kona, I had a very strong season, with improvements in all three disciplines – off of not one, not two, but three second place finishes in the three half ironmans that I raced. I set personal bests all season long, and I wanted to keep the trend going with a strong performance on the Big Island. Aside from a personal best (non-wetsuit) 2.4-mile swim of 1 hour and 11 minutes, the 10 hour and 47 minute overall finish at Kona was no where near what I am capable of achieving. After the race, I tried my very best to learn from the experiences from the race and to not dwell on the result. (As an accountant and ‘numbers guy’, that is easier said than done)

Given the race-day conditions and knowing that I did my best definitely helped me move forward.

But what did I learn?

  • there is a lot of room for improvement in my nutrition plan
  • wet socks on the run exponentially catalyzed my foot blisters; I’ll be packing an extra pair of socks from now on!
  • my cycling power output could have been paced more evenly

    • Those are just a few ways that can potentially help me improve in my next Ironman, which will be IRONMAN Cozumel on November 27th, 2016. It’s a fairly short turn around, but I intend to tweak my training and race-day strategies in order to execute a strong finish!

    However, before I can set my sights on Ironman Cozumel, be sure to mark your calendars for the TCS New York City Marathon on November 6th – I will be pacing the 3:10 finishers group (7:14 min/mile).

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