This year I had the pleasure of accompanying two athletes I coach to the World Championships in Kona. One, athlete, Melodie Cronenberg, qualified in her age group and the other, Sara Levin, won a lottery spot.
(Jackie at one of our mini-triathlons)
What is it like to coach someone to World Championships? It is the icing on the cake. It is an exciting finale to a long process. Getting an athlete ready for any event and watching them complete it after a long build up process, overcoming obstacles and staying focused is an incredibly rewarding endeavor. Getting an athlete to do an Ironman is a special challenge particularly when they weren’t an athlete before. Helping someone get to Kona is beyond special. This year I helped Melodie qualify in her age group just 3 weeks before World Championships.
World championships are truly a race like no other. For one it is held in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The climate is comfortably warm for the most part. It is everyone’s “A” race. The athletes are as uptight as the locals are relaxed. The fresh fish and local fruit are both bountiful and amazing. However, it is the Hawaiian culture that differentiates this race from all other triathlons. It is more of an experience than a race. There is something special about the history and spirituality that touches almost everyone who visits and most certainly all that race it.
Standing on the sea wall during the swim start in Kona, the native Hawaiian music drives high energy percussion into the wildly screaming crowd. All senses for fans and athletes alike are heightened to maximum. The energy stays that way all day long until the last athlete crosses the line and is given the last lei and the last finisher medal. Many times throughout the day I had to wipe tears away as I watched countless stories of courage, grit and determination. Watching the first wheelchair athlete finish and then seeing him behind the scenes in the athlete zone was very moving. He was completely spent unable to utter a single word. I watched a gentleman in his 60s finish with the 10 hour guys. He told me he was very tired in his French accent. Naturally, there were athletes from all over the world. Many had sacrificed much just to get to the starting line. Many gave much to get to the finish. Everyone gave just a little more than they thought was possible because this was Kona, World Championships. These athletes are the best of the best.
Both of the people I took had great races. Sara Levin who races in the 35-39 age group had an Ironman PR of 13:07. Melodie Cronenberg who is in the F 60-64 age group, pulled off a 15:35 three weeks after IMUK and with a bad case of plantar fasciitis to boot. These details are important but pale in comparison to what they symbolize. These athletes set high standards and achieved them. For myself, all the hard work, planning, structuring, training and advising were well worth the effort just to be a small part of these two athletes dream come true. For all who dream of some day going to this race, it is worth it. It is an incredible experience to be part of whether you ever race or not. To volunteer or otherwise participate and be part of the crowd are all great options.
Photos by Tapio and Tammy club members that make this a regular event
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