My road to Kona was bit different this year. Joining the pro ranks and leaving my full-time accounting gig meant I was truly “all-in.” I made the most of it by racing three full Ironmans and as many halves, and just managed to earn my slot to the World Championship as the very last of the 35 female pro qualifiers.

What hadn’t changed was my excitement for the race. In fact, I was probably even MORE excited than normal for the opportunity to mix it up with some of the legends of the sport. This was my chance to race the BEST.

Pre-race with my Dynamo Multipsort teammates! GO GREEN!

The Swim

After four years of fighting my way through the 2,000 person age group mass swim start, lining up with only 34 other ladies seemed like a treat. I knew this year, my chance to make an impact on the race would come in the water, and I was not going to miss that opportunity. When the cannon went off, I charged to the front without a moment’s hesitation.

The media boats and paddleboards tipped me off that there was likely a pack swimming right on my feet. And a couple times someone swam up next to me for a few strokes, only to fall back. I felt pretty confident in my pacing so I just kept the train chugging along.

Coming into the pier I kept thinking about my whole swimming career. About all of the coaches and teammates who’ve helped me along the way. About my parents, driving my sister and I to countless meets and practices. All those years, and all those hours in the pool, who would have guessed it would lead to this?!

First out of the water at the Ironman World Championship!!

The Bike

Running through transition and getting onto the bike was a bit crazy. It seemed most of the major players had made the first swim pack and I found myself going from first to fifth or sixth in a matter of seconds. Major tactics were in play during the first few miles of the bike. Some women charged right to the front of the pack, while others hung back, waiting to make a move until we were out of town. For a while I was sitting behind Caroline Steffan and Rachel Joyce, careful to keep the required 12 meters between us.

Early in the bike, and still in the mix! Amazing photography by TriJuice.com

Unfortunately, my time near the front was short lived. Near the top of the first climb, I fell back a bit, and just couldn’t close the gap. The pace felt completely reasonable, but for some reason, today, I just couldn’t keep up.

Having a rough day on the bike is never a good thing, especially when it happens at the World Championship. But the great thing about Ironman is the World Championship happens in Hawaii. And there are definitely worse places to ride a bike! Ironman is also full of really respectable people. I can’t tell you how many of my competitors offered words of encouragement as they zoomed past. The athletes in this sport are definitely worth cheering for!

Making my way down the Queen K. Photo by “Elite Amateur” Photographer Eric Willis

The Run

Relatively light winds and a much more aerodynamic position meant I did eventually roll into T2 and out onto the run course. The first couple miles were a roller coaster of emotions as I let go of the bike and focused on the 26.2 miles in front of me. Feeling like I had nothing to lose, I ran recklessly down Ali’i. I wasn’t sure how many good miles I had in me, so I figured I’d go for it while I could.

I was amazed at the cheers coming from both the sidelines, and the other athletes in the race. I may have been fighting for every step, but I still felt so much love and support. THANK YOU to everyone who cheered for me out there! On both great days and slightly less than great days, you always get me across that finish line!

Stats

Swim: 53:55

Bike: 5:29:44

Run: 3:26:42

Total: 9:55:00, 24th place PRO female

Mahalos

My rookie pro year has been FULL of learning experiences, but my biggest takeaway has been that I have the most incredible support crew. Without them, there’s no way I would’ve come close to Ali’i Drive this year, let alone run down that sacred stretch of road and across the greatest finish line in all of sports.

BIG thank you to my family for their unconditional love and support. Thanks to my Dynamo Multisport family for the cheers both during races and at all of the workouts in between. Thank you to my coach, Matthew Rose, who in five short years has taken me from an Ironman rookie to an age group podium finisher to a professional competing in the Ironman World Championship. Wow!

Thank you to all the coaches and teammates I’ve had the honor of swimming with over the years. Especially the University of Georgia Swim Dawgs, and Maria Thrash and the crew at Dynamo Masters. Swimming has been the foundation of not only my triathlon career, but pretty much every successful life endeavor and I’ll always be so thankful for the lessons I learned and the people I’ve met through the sport. Plus, it’s the reason The Bachelor tweeted at me!

(Special thanks to the very well connected, Kristy Kowal!)

Thank you to my amazing sponsors: TYR, all3sports.com, Osmo Nutrition, Mizuno, 110%, Swift Carbon, and SOAS. You guys keep me going race after race after race!

And last, but certainly not least, thank you blog followers!! It’s been an amazing rookie pro season full of so much learning and I plan to put all of this newfound knowledge to good use in the years to come! Stay tuned!

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