Ironman 70.3 Hawaii Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Karl M.
Gilbert, AZ

  (11-11-2011)

"What a race venue! The host hotel is the Fairmont Orchid and it is beautiful and luxurious. Everything for the race is on site. Check in, the expo, the race meetings, the bike shop, the gear bag drop off, free shuttles, T2, and the finish. I warmed up in a big living room all by myself outside our hotel room. I hopped aboard a waiting shuttle to Hapuna Beach and T1. It was a calm easy pre-race morning.

Swim
Gorgeous, perfect water temperature and my best 1.2 mile time ever. We swim suspended 70 feet above the coral reefs below with perfect visibility. When you look down it is like flying. I went back and swam this bay two more times before we left Hawaii. It is hard to imagine a better swim.

Bike
Biking the fabled Queen Kaahumanu Highway was everything it was cracked up to be. It rolls more than I had imagined and you have to shift a lot. It is hot and I grabbed water at every aid station. That water was my life. Without it I would not have been able to finish. The water was always cold and I used every drop of it. I have never taken in so much water on the bike. We encountered a head wind climbing into Hawi which became a tailwind once we hit the turn around.

Run
I had long feared this run. I am from Arizona, I planned mid day runs the Arizona heat for a month prior to this race to try to prepare. I am a heavy sweater and I had feared the heat far more than the distance. If you think the bike is hot, just wait until you get off the bike and hit those humid grass golf course fields and baking lava rocks. The heat did not disappoint. It hits you like a wall once you are off the bike. I was so afraid of dropping on this course that I followed a meticulous nutrition and hydration plan. I started the run with 4 empty fuel belt bottles. I lost one in transition when I bent over, so I had to make it work with 3. Each bottle had 2 scoops of Infinit powder. I learned at Oceanside that I can’t drink it warm after drinking it warm for 3 hours on the bike, so my plan was to fill the bottles with cold water and ice at aid stations as needed. The plan worked. I had no problem drinking the Infinit solution as long as it was cold. I also left transition with a pack of Cliff 3X sodium shot bloks in my hand and my fuel belt pouch stuffed full of them. I ate a blok at ever mile, usually just before the aid station. They had aid stations just about every mile. I am always grateful for aid stations, but in this race, those aid stations saved my life. They always had cold water, and plenty of ice and sponges. Not a single cup of water I was ever handed was less than ice cold. I was using ice and sponges like a mad man. One lady even laughed at me when I grabbed 4 sponges. I would put a sponge in front and in back at my neck line. I would squeeze a third over my head. The fourth I would carry for awhile and squeeze water on my limbs whenever I felt even the slightest breeze. I would drink several cups of water and throw at least one cup of ice in my suit. I realized the importance of these aid stations about a week and half after this race when I went out during the middle of the day to run the length of Ali’i Drive just to see what it was like. Without aid stations, I was cooked after 5 miles. I actually liked the run. It had a lot of variety and I just made it my goal to make it to the next aid station and before long I was done. It was my slowest half marathon to date, but I ran the entire thing. I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciated the excellent job done in support of this race. I know it is difficult to keep stocked with ice and cold water in the heat. I know it is difficult to be out in that heat volunteering. My wife said she was melting after 15 minutes waiting at the finish. What a great race!
"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2011

Melinda L.
San Francisco, CA

  (09-16-2011)

"For those triathletes who just want a little tiny taste of Kona, this is the race to do! This race made me question whether I ever want to even aspire to do Kona, because it's really hot and humid, especially for a San Franciscan like me.

The heat made for a fabulous swim, that's for sure. The no wetsuit swim at Hapuna Beach is gorgeous. It's crystal clear and you get to swim over reefs and schools of fish below. It was so captivating that I had to occasionally remind myself that I was racing. I almost didn't sign up for this race because I had never done a no wetsuit swim before, but it's surprisingly liberating.

The bike from Mauna Lani Drive to Hawi is a fraction of the Kona bike course. And it IS what they say: it's hot and it's windy. I didn't really feel the heat on the bike, but that's because of the wind, especially on the way back. Luckily I didn't encounter any cross-winds either way... but I've been told they're deadly.

I felt the full force of the heat and humidity as soon as I got off the bike. Ouch! Thank goodness for the well-seasoned volunteers who took my bike from me--loved the full service! Not only did I have a killer foot cramp for the first several miles, the heat and humidity zapped my energy. "Running" the loops through no shade golf courses and roads drenched in sweat and melting ice I had stuffed into my sports bra in the mid-day sun was no fun. If I do this race again, I'll be sure to train for the run in my sauna. :)

Alas, I didn't heed Damon K.'s warning and did indeed have my stamped race numbers burned into my upper arms. Three months later, they're still there!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2011

Mary Anne K.
San Francisco, CA

  (03-18-2010)

"Amazing Experience! The swim is incredible b/c the water is crystal clear and you can see so far down. Fish are swimming beneath you and we even saw manta rays in 2008. The bike course is tough with the hills and the wind, but the views of the ocean are unbeatable. The run is also really nice. The event is hosted by a resort (2009: Orchid, 2008: Mauna Lani)and the run is around the resort's grounds and golf courses. There is the memorable out and back in the lava field, but what would a race in Hawaii be w/o a little lava. The race is organized by the same team that runs Kona, so it is a well oiled machine. All around, this is a great race."

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009

Noushi B.
San Franicsco, CA

  (06-08-2009)

"I did the 1/2 Ironman a few years ago when they had the starting race from Kona and the bike course was the first 1/2 of Ironman Championship. I had a blast last time. However, this time, the course was absolutely HORRIBLE. Was dirty and had 3 flats. While I was fixing my 3rd flat and 1/2 a mile to the finish line, my bike was picked-up by a guy (by the bike race director) while I had my tube in had and the tire was dangling from the wheel and was told that I can't make it the cut-off time eventhough I had 20 minutes to the cut-off time. So unfair. I have done triathlon for over 20 years including 5 Ironman and never had a horrible unfair and unjustice in my entire race history. WON'T DO IT AGAIN. However, on a good notes, the volunteers were ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!"

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009

Damon K.
San Francisco, CA

  (06-08-2009)

"One of life's most freeing feelings is handing in your bike, helmet and run bag the night before a race; nothing you can add after that so if it ain't there by now you are not using it. I have been trying to be more of a minimalist in transition anyway so the gear was pretty limited. Next morning 4:45AM Eggo's and PB and off to get Patrick and reach Hapuna Beach for the swim start. Pre-race in Hawaii is great in that the sun is up super-early so you don't need to fumble around in the dark to get the bike all set. Despite the "no sunscreen" warning prior to body marking I smattered some on earlier that morning anyway. This of course smeared the numbers on my arms, but after the race prevented the branded numbers in sunburn (for the next 2-3 months!). Been there; done that; very uncool!

I felt relaxed and ready to go, and saw a bunch of folks at the swim start thus more social than tactical in positioning - won't make that mistake again since this put me in a lot of traffic and caused more doggie-paddling early on through traffic. Cannon went off and the mass start began; despite my positioning I was actually having less contact than anticipated, and wove through most of the crowd pretty harmlessly. Not to say it was not a "washing machine" but just was ready for war! There is of course the occasional a-hole who is trying to hold on and swim over you, but not too bad overall. With 200 feet of visibility it is a really awesome swim, and I was half looking for someone to draft and half looking at the reef and fish. Got around the first few buoys without someone to draft, and actually didn't find one until the final 500m or so. While I was a few minutes slower than I had hoped due to the early traffic, I found my stroke early and out of the water in 33 min - close enough to be happy with but still room to improve to sub-30min easily.

After smattering more sunscreen and getting together for the bike, I realized that I was in transition for what seemed like an eternity (almost 5 min!). Still not really sure what took that long, but again, additional easy time to shave next time. With that I blew Carolyn a kiss and shoved off. Wind was really mild and the bike was settling in well. I was conservative in holding steady watts just above T1 per coach Chris to respect what will be a really hot, painful run in a few hours. This was a good plan, and at about mile 15 I was settling into a good place. Patrick passed me at about this point and looked great; I was pretty sure he'd have enough of a bike lead on me that I wouldn't see him again, but low and behold I passed him again at mile 17 with his flat. Bummer, but he seemed to be handling it in stride (yep, he passed me again in about 10 miles :). Long slight incline into a headwind to the turnaround at Hawi, but wow, that 7 mile downhill with a tailwind is one of the best in this sport! Held about 35+MPH for a long, long time - very cool to get free miles like that. I was still trying to hold watts consistent on this descent but was having a tough time getting the power that high. On the way down I saw most of the BCEMBA crew on the climb and knew they would be as stoked as I was at the turn. At about mile 40 there was a slight climb that felt like the hottest, most awful place I have ever been. I know I was not the only one because the sufering was all around me. This was good; I knew if I could take it better than the people that I had been dueling with for the last 10 miles I could make some time - passed the whole group and never saw them again!

Off the bike feeling better than I expected in these hot, humid conditions. The eggo's held me well and I felt best with only like 150-200 cals/hour - any more and I was off, but less would be a problem later. T2 was in a nice grassy field, and since I was having trouble balancing and getting my run shoes on I sat down to get it done. Man that felt good; took a lot of composure to get up and out but petty decent transition overall - shoes and sunscreen; bike stuff back in the bag and I was off. I saw Alana, Carolyn and Lori just out of transition and when I got near I must have looked like a sweaty mess since Carolyn followed a cheer with "don't touch me!". The guy next to her laughed when he realized that was my wife! I probably chuckled for 2-3 miles on that.

I am never playing golf in Kona! That course was hot! If I could go 1:45 like planned I'd have a great race, but early on it was apparent that I needed to just see where my heart rate ended after a few miles and go with that to survive the run. Slowly my HR settled into a good place, and I continually filled a bottle with ice and water at the aid stations to hose myself off - without that it may have been another story. Throughout training over the past year my knee has needed 3 miles to warm-up and feel somewhat decent, but because of the past few weeks acupuncture with Edith I was good from the start to the end! There are a lot of out-and-backs, and I was able to keep tabs on Patrick, JT, and later on with Hoby; it was great to know that they were all close and suffering-but-smiling (sort-of) as well, especially in the lava pit for the last 5 miles - glad we could offer some encouragement to eachother. I was holding a pace about 1min/mile slower than I was looking for, but relatively comfortably, and had negative splits for the last 5 miles to 8:30 pace. Rachel gave some advice in prep for IM Austria a few years ago that is always helpful toward the end of races; if you are in pain and want to slow down, try going a bit faster. You will hurt either way, and faster will get you done sooner! When I saw Patrick at the last turnaround with 3 miles to go I thought about speeding-up to catch him and give the crowd a "sprint" finish, but with the heat I decided that I really didn't care that much anymore and just wanted to run the race that seemed to be working for me so far. Much love to Emily and Jeff for standing in the hottest, ugliest place on the course at about mile 11 to offer encouragement. Just at the exit to a 4-mile concrete and lava purgatory that may have been about 115 degrees as it was the day prior. Nice guys!!

Run went long, just over 2hrs, but at some points I am sure the temp was over 100+ so was happy to hit the race finish just over 5:30 without too many hunks of meat taken from me. At the end I found Patrick, Chris, Carolyn, and Lori, grabbed a Gatorade and a beer and sat in the shade as the rest of the group came in. We sat in the shade of a bunch of palm trees, just above an awesome ocean spot for hours as the whole group finished the race. That night was well-deserved Mai Tai's all around, a few toasts characteristic to the 09's, and a finally deep, deep sleep! Very cool day and can't wait till the next one!
d

Damon Krytzer, CFA
415-379-7507
619-322-3463 cell

Damon Krytzer, CFA
415-379-7507
619-322-3463 cell

"

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009

Damon K.
San Francisco, CA

  (05-05-2009)

"This may be a bit lengthy, but I am writing this as I look at my race
number sunburned into my arms, and excited as hell to have done this
race! First time at 70.3 distance, and couldn't pick a better one
than the course at Honu.

Swim
I really wasn't sure what to expect with a mass start for 1300
people. After getting marked and a quick stretch, I hit the water
(about 75 degrees) for a quick warmup. Feeling strong, I nudged my
way to the front line and settled in at the near buoy with the pros.
At the cannon, I attempted a draft off of last year's winner Chris
Hauth, but that was short lived. The swim went well, and I had to
return the next day to actually enjoy the aquarium we were swimming
in with 200 ft of visibility! I reached the sand to see my wife up
front with the sf tri cow bell! I had a great swim, threw a few
elbows to hold my spot-this mass start thing isn't that tough!

T1-Wow, the wind was angry that day! I tried to set-up the gear when
I racked my bike, but between the wind blowing everything around and
the instructions against leaving anything on the ground, I decided it
best to leave everything in the bag. That was not an entirely good
decision since I left transition without my race number (which would
have eventually disqualified me) and needed to come back after about
1 mile into the bike. I was not the only one, but still...live and
learn.

Bike
The theme switched between wind and heat, with some rain thrown in.
We rode the upper half of the Kona course, which does not have one
flat pedal-stroke anywhere. I did a decent job sticking to my
nutrition plan despite the dificulty due to the winds. 30 miles and I
muscled my way to the turn around a few miles more that I would have
liked behind the leader, Chris McCormick. For about 6 miles, we had a
descent plus a tailwind. Once that was over, the winds went back to
cross and headwinds. At one point, we were going about 40MPH with a
steady 20MPH cross wind. It took a while to get the feeling back into
my hands from gripping so hard. It was difficult to stay in the
aero's and still control the bike so I spent as much time in the
drops as I could. Finished almost 30 min over the time I was
targeting, but was fortunate not to be one of the many victims of
lava rocks on the tires. I'll chalk it up to the ferocious wind, but
will still never let that happen again. At the finish, I again saw
Carolyn making friends and ringing the SF Tri cow bell!

T2-all day the vols were super, doing everything from racking your
bike and helmet to unsolicited assistance with everything that was
legal. Very professional.

Run
Started with a 1/2mi climb and a few out-n-backs. The run was mainly
on the grass and sand of the Mauna Lani Golf Course, thus good for
the knees and bad for the time. The heat started to come into play
here (over 90deg I believe), but I was still feeling strong so I went
with it. I was pretty conservative during the first 4 mi, and
increased the pace a bit from then on, fastest were the last 2 miles.
I was watching the carneage occur to people that took it too hard on
the bike, and had a few words of encouragement for the dead and dying
as I trekked by with a grin. Again, you were either going up or down,
but never flat. That was fine by me as I kept a consistent buzz from
goo and electrolight pills. Next time I may try PopRocks and Coke!

I hit the finish to many words of encouragement, and off to have
drinks and lay on a hammock watching the waves break! At the awards
ceremony we watched Chris McCormick and Michellie Jones take the
wins, and a bunch of extremely excited people get bids to Kona. Gives
me something to shoot for next year!
"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2006