 The Kona Dream - Part 1
The annual Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, are approaching rapidly. First held in 1978, Ironman began with a group of friends who wanted to settle a bet about which athletes were fitter: swimmers or runners.
They decided to use the courses of three endurance events already held on Hawaii -- the Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the annual bicycle race around Oahu and the Honolulu Marathon -- and combine them into a single race.
Sports Illustrated wrote an article about the race in 1979, and the next year ABC Television covered it. Two years later Julie Moss was comfortably leading the women's race when she collapsed about a quarter mile from the finish. She refused to give up, even as she fell again, and again, finally opting to crawl to the finish. As Moss struggled, Kathleen McCartney took the victory -- Moss dragged herself across the line 29 seconds later. It proved to be a defining moment for the sport.
"It told viewers Ironman wasn't just about winning," says Bob Babbitt, co-founder of Competitor Magazine and Ironman Hall of Famer, in 25 Years of the Ironman World Championship. "It was about getting to the line."
Legendary Ironman World Champions including Dave Scott and Mark Allen -- their 1989 showdown has entered history as the Iron War -- as well eight-time Kona winner Paul Newby-Fraser have inspired entire generations of triathletes.
Kona also has highlighted some amazing age-group athletes such as Team Hoyt, an inspiring father and son team, and Sister Madonna Buder, who last year at the age of 82 became the world's oldest person to finish an Ironman.
Nearly every triathlete dreams of competing in the Hawaii Ironman -- the fact that it is so hard to qualify only enhances the appeal. The best of the world's best Ironman triathletes toe the startline there every October.
With Part 1 of our Kona Special newsletter, we hope to inspire you to keep the Kona Dream alive, whether it is simply qualifying for the race one day, whether you are aiming to become an age-group world champion or whether you seek to follow in the footsteps of the sport's champions.
The articles in this newsletter are about how to increase your chances of qualifying, how to prepare for racing your first Kona as well as how to tailor your training specifically for racing -- and placing -- there.
We share stories of some of our athletes who have fulfilled their Kona dreams.
Aside from Kona inspiration, you will find more info on our 2013 Phuket training camp and our balanced triathlon training subscription plan.
Your best is our business!
In this issue
Meet our Kona team - The Medak couple toes startline for 3rd straight year
How to qualify for Kona - Picking the right course
Ironman performance - Manipulating training in preparation for Kona
Training for Kona - Ironman Hawaii course review
Inspiring Story - Ten-year anniversary comeback race for Gustavo Moniz
Another inspiring story - Luiz Topan moves higher up the Kona podium
Testimonial - Qualifying for Kona with our 20-week Ironman training plan
Special offer - Get 60% off Xterra Kona-legal speed- & wetsuits
Special offer - ironguides' Balanced Triathlon Training Subscription plan
Training Camp - Join Coach Vinnie in Phuket, Thailand
Free eBook - ironguides' Triathlon Secrets, a superb tri resource
Meet our 2013 Kona Team: The Medak Couple
  Alicja and Rafal Medak are ironguides' poster athletes. They are the best example of what consistency and hard work can achieve. When they first joined ironguides, many years back, racing in Kona was only a relatively distant dream.
In October, they will be toeing the start line in Kona for the third year in a row.
Working in the banking industry and based in London, the Polish couple could bring all the excuses to the table when it comes to a less than ideal training set-up: very long work hours, lack of triathlon background, especially swimming, and the unstable weather and stressful training facilities in London.
Instead, they decided to work on the solutions and find ways to overcome their challenges, thinking outside the box with a getting-it-done attitude. Two memorable moments we had with their training:
- Rafal was on a weekend bike ride, suffered a crash that also involved a car—nothing too serious but it involved enough bruises and blood to leave anyone scared. He also had a cracked bike to boot. Rafal got home and, determined to complete his training, finished the session on his spare bike on the wind trainer.
- When the couple went to Italy for a training weekend, their Sunday long ride didn't leave enough time to complete the run they were supposed to do. They packed their gear, headed to the airport, checked their bags—and finished the brick run, running around the airport's car park. [more]
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How to qualify for Kona: Picking the right course
 Your road to Kona starts with choosing a qualifying event that suits you and ironguides coach Alun "Woody" Woodward has some great advice on how to do just that.
Ironman season is an important time for athletes looking at qualifying for Kona the following year: not only does following the races provide a chance to see what sort of performance is required in your age group at the various events, the days – or even hours – immediately after can also be the only opportunity to enter them for the next year as registration comes online and sells out fast. [more]
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Ironman performance: Manipulating training to prepare for Kona
 Preparing for an ironman event requires a great deal of training and preparation just to get to the finish line; for some of us, though, our goals go way beyond finishing—we are looking for performance.
Once we move away from finishing as a goal to being competitive, we need to look more closely at the dynamic of the race itself, see what is happening and how to be successful. For the performance athlete, Kona is always going to be the big goal and Coach Alun 'Woody' Woodward talks about ways we can manipulate training in order get the most from the event. [more]
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Training for Kona: Ironman course review
 With Ironman Hawaii just around the corner, athletes are now starting onto their final and specific training block leading into the race.
The conditions in Hawaii are known for being tough. Kona finish times are slower than most other races on the Ironman circuit—this is a result of the three disciplines and not only the hot weather, winds or humidity of the island. ironguides Head Coach Vinnie Santana shares an overview of the training strategy and key workouts we use to coach our athletes taking part in the race. [more]
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Inspiring story: A 10-year Kona anniversary comeback race for Moniz
 Over the past decade as a coach, Coach Vinnie Santana has worked with hundreds of athletes from all backgrounds and with all kinds of goals. Those who achieve success in this sport are neither the most talented athletes nor the ones who fully immerse themselves in training for a couple seasons.
Instead, athletes winning your age group at all levels of races are likely to have adopted triathlon as a lifestyle, training consistent for many and many years, while also carrying a sustainable and balanced lifestyle with work and family commitments. This article tells one of those stories. [more]
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Another inspiring story: Luiz moves higher up the podium in Kona
 ironguides athlete Luiz Topan earned 2nd place in the M45-49 age group at the 2011 Ironman World Championships with a stellar 9hr 17 finish.
Back in 2009, Luiz had earned 4th place in the M40-44 age group in Kona with a time of 9hr 27.
This article describes what it takes to get to that next level of high performance in terms of planning, training and executing it all on race day. [more]
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Testimonial: Kona qualifier with our 20-week Ironman training plan
 ironguides' The Method Triathlon Training Plans give you a variety of online triathlon training plans to choose from at a low monthly cost. Great value -- and they work! Just ask David Bentley:
"Twelve months ago I decided to do Ironman China with the aim of maybe qualifying for the World Championships in Kona. I purchased the ironguides 20-week Ironman program, and followed it reasonably closely for the 20 weeks leading up to the Ironman. Well, it worked!! I finished in 9:52 – the 2nd fastest age group time at the race – and I confirmed my spot at the World Championships in Hawaii. Woo hoo!!!" [more]
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Special offer: 60% off Xterra speed- & wetsuits for ironguides athletes
 Racing Kona and need the fastest speed suit on the market?
The Velocity M Speedsuit was first out of the water at the 2012 Ironman World Championship! When you're looking for speed in the water and wetsuits are not legal, this speedsuit is your best option. Offering reduced drag, the Velocity M is WTC- and USAT-legal.
Check the link also for discounted wetsuits if your next race is a wetsuit-legal event. Ask your ironguides coach for the discount code. [more]
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Special offer: ironguides' Balanced Triathlon Subscription Plan
 The ironguides Balanced Triathlon Training Subscription Plan is well-suited to athletes with a reasonably balanced skill level in all three disciplines. The plan provides a balanced training mix using the structure and principles of The Method to ensure optimal progression and recovery.
Maintain and improve your sport-specific skills in all three disciplines while you gain aerobic fitness! Each four-week plan ensures balanced training across swim, bike and run, and gives you all the training sessions you need to successfully prepare for your next triathlon. [more]
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Training camp: Join us in Phuket, Thailand, and get ready to race
Join Coach Vinnie Santana for ironguides The Method Triathlon Training Camp in Phuket, Thailand, on November 2nd and 3rd. The camp is held on the same course as the traditional Laguna Phuket Triathlon and the inaugural Challenge Laguna Phuket.
Strategically scheduled 3-4 weeks from race day, ironguides will give you the opportunity to experience this challenging course, define your race strategy -- pacing, nutrition, equipment, technique -- and finetune your training for the remaining weeks until race day.
When: November 2nd & 3rd, 2013
Where: Phuket, Thailand
ironguides athletes receive a discount. Spots are limited to 15 athletes.
Details: ironguides Phuket Training Camp 2013 [more]
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Free eBook: ironguides' Triathlon Secrets, a superb tri resource
 Download ironguides' free ebook Triathlon Secrets and discover the secrets of Olympic medallists and Ironman champions.
Excerpts from Triathlon Secrets:
... an obsession with data took hold of me and began to displace the spontaneous joy I used to experience in training...
...The Method meant learning to read the body's signals and knowing to trust one's own intuitive understanding...
...enables you to develop a broad feel for the workings of your body. Like life, training by The Method is a qualitative experience!
...don't waste time or energy readjusting to new, haphazard sessions and reconfiguring weekly schedules...
...train to maximum efficiency (for your situation) while optimizing recovery... [more]
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