I had a wonderful time in Hawaii. The time with my family and friends there is really something special. Then add onto it that you’re in one of the neatest places in the world and you have the best race in the world. Kona is really special.

    I didn’t have the race I was looking for there, but once I knew my body wasn’t going to perform to its potential, I decided to have fun and enjoy the rest of the day. Kona is the World Championships so you’re racing against the best the world has to offer. If your day doesn’t pan out, you just have to be thankful that you have the opportunity to come out and toe the line with the best of the best.

    I actually felt pretty good about my swim. Of course I wanted a faster time, but I was in the front of a pack and realized I wouldn’t be able to pull up to the next group, so why kill myself? I dropped to the back of the group and just sat in for most of the swim. This year the US Navy came on as a new Ironman sponsor. So the Navy parachuted in a group of Navy SEALs into the swim start. A few of them threw their gear into the rubber zodiacs and then they did the race!! It was super cool at the start line to see the C-130 flying about 200 ft above the water bank right over our heads as we sat in the water waiting for the start gun.

    There’s no race start like Kona. You have the traditional Hawaiian drums playing over the loud speaker by the locals. They’re singing to the gods asking for permission to race. It’s really a chilling moment. Then you have the TV helicopter swooping over you, looking down, you can see the SCUBA divers below you, the C-130 is flying low over you, you’re jockeying for position at the start line, you take a moment to breath deep and look at the island, then the cannon fires. The rest is then a blur.

    Anyhow, I exited the water feeling pretty solid. My first 10 miles of the bike felt pretty bad, I was having a hard time getting my legs able to push hard. I felt the same way earlier this year in Lake Placid and my legs came around there, so I knew my legs would come around again. After 30 minutes, I felt like myself on the bike. An Austrian guy and I were riding at the same pace, so we traded off back and forth and reeled in quite a few people. I love the sweeping terrain of the lava fields because you can see for miles in front of you, which also means you can see the next people to pick off.

    I passed my parents at the turn before the stretch to Hawi. I was still feeling great. But once we turned into the windy section, I felt like I couldn’t push the gears I needed to. Normally I don’t mind hills or wind because it slows everyone down, but I started getting passed, A LOT. It was weird, from the waist up, I felt great. My heart rate was low, my fueling and hydration were pretty much spot on, but my legs were dead. I really don’t think that I went out too hard because if that’s the case, then I would have blown-up much later, like mile 80 or 90 of the bike, but not mile 45.

    I knew at that point that my legs weren’t there that day. I really had a rough patch mentally from mile 45-65. That’s the point when you really face your demons. In terms of time and placement goals I was out of the hunt. There was no way I would be able to fight back to where I wanted to be.  It’s a period of time where you’re really hating life and just want to quit. It’s a really demoralizing moment. But, it’s a brief period and like any other moment in life you have choices about how you can act. At about mile 70 of the bike I made a decision, I could drop out, pout to the finish that I wasn’t having a good race, or enjoy the race for what it was.

    I decided on the latter. I decided to have fun and enjoy the day. Dropping out is not an option. Dropping out of that race because you’re not having your best day is disrespectful to the race, your competitors, yourself, and you also don’t want to anger Pele (the goddess of the volcano). There’s something about that island and race that goes beyond normal explanation, so disrespecting her, the island, or the race is just a bad idea!!

    My good friend, Bek Keat caught me near the end of the bike and we biked in together. She was hurting bad and not having fun, so I kept trying to cheer her up every time I passed by doing or saying something goofy. A smile was not happening for her at that moment. We laughed about it the next day.

    Coming into transition, I thought to myself “I have plenty of time to finish the marathon, so if I feel horrible, I can walk the darn thing. So let’s do something fun. Even though my day is done, I’ll run as fast as I can for as long as I can. No setting my watch, I’m just going to run, if I have to walk, oh well, if you’re going to have a promenade there are worse places in the world to do it!”

    So I went out pretty hard on the run and surprisingly felt really good. I didn’t set my watch or look at mile paces, I just did what felt natural. I made sure to smile, wave to people cheering, and give a few “hang loose” signs. My good buddy, James and I saw each other a couple times and harassed and made fun of each other because we were having similar experiences that day.

    I rolled through the half way point on pace for a great, then of course the wheels came off. At least I tried. Over a period of a few miles the pace dropped from a nice trot to a grinding shuffle. I didn’t feel alone because there were a few more pro guys around me having the same experience. TJ Tolikson and I found each other coming out of the energy lab and ran together for a few miles. We chatted to make those excruciatingly slow miles go by. Somewhere around mile 24 my hamstring started seizing up so I told TJ to go ahead and I’d walk in. I gave myself 5 minutes to walk, but then I noticed that if I wanted to come in under 10 hours, I had to get a move on. I couldn’t stroll in like I wanted. I loved the group of drunk cheering Germans at the top of the last hill with 2 km to go. They cheered for every person like he or she was winning the race.

    The last quarter mile down Ali’i drive is always something special. Whether you had the race of your life or whether you’re just trying to get to the finish. There’s something magical there. I can’t exactly put my finger on what it is. Maybe it’s the history of the sport, maybe that you think all year about that moment, I don’t know, but you can’t help but get choked up. Pele rewards those who respect the race and the island. Kona is a race where experience counts. Every top guy and girl in this sport has had rough days in Kona, I guess that’s what makes it so special. No on is exempt.

     Note: James is much happier than he's letting on in this pic. The boys of J&A always have fun at races.


    I’m now back in Austin enjoying some time off. My original plan was to go race the 70.3 World Championships in November, but I’ve decided to shut down my 2008 season now. I’d been nursing a hamstring strain for the three weeks before Kona, so I want to let that fully heal and go into my winter training healthy and charged up for 2009, rather than try to push through November and risk hurting myself more and being out for a good part of the winter months. Off-season time it is; time to catch up on all the things in my life I’ve neglected over the last few months.

Pat