Kona is at stake: how not to lose to yourself?

Every October, the entire triathlon community freezes in anticipation of the start of IRONMAN. Not just everything is at stake, Kona is at stake. Behind the participants’ backs are endless training, preparation, outfit selection, planning meals on the course. Hundreds of triathletes from all over the world come here expecting to turn their lives upside down, to temper their willpower, to go to the start and to win, first of all, themselves.

Synopsis of “Championship ”
The IRONMAN World Championship is an annual triathlon championship held in Kailua-Kona (Hawaii, USA).

Kona is an iconic race in the place where this triathlon was born, not only as a sport, but as a way of life.

The night before the start is one of the most emotionally challenging moments. Sometimes even the strongest athlete loses not in strength and physical performance, but in his head. That’s why it’s so important to gather yourself and clear your mind before the race.

The first stage of the race is the open water swim. The swimming stage has a length of 3.86 km. The start for all participants is from the shore.

“I set myself the goal of going beyond the limits of what is possible. Unfortunately, I did not manage to break myself, at the mark of 20 km I exhausted the reserve of my strength, so I reached the finish line alone. Yes, I did not win the competition, but rather lost. But I lost first of all to myself,” said athlete Sebastian Kinley about his participation in the race.

In total, the participants must overcome a total of 226 kilometers, divided into stages:
● swimming stage – 3.86 km (2.4 miles)
● cycling stage – 180.2 km (112 miles)
● running stage – 42.2 km (26.2 miles)

“This race was tough because of the heat, the toughest race I’ve ever participated in – at one point I even thought I had a fever. Several times I thought it was impossible to reach the final at all,” Daniela Ruf admitted in one of her interviews after the finish.

The current course record in the men’s championship was set in 2011 by Alexader Craig (Australia) and is 8:03:56. In the women’s championship, the record was set in 2016 by Daniela Ruf (Switzerland) and is 8:46:46.

IRONMAN is a race where you are tested alone with yourself and your thoughts. To get to the finish line and overcome yourself – you need to believe in your own strength.