Puke and Rally: A Kona Ironman World Championship Recap

It's been over a month since racing Kona, and I'm starting to wonder if it'll ever sink in that I qualified for and finished the ultimate Ironman race. It's been almost 4 months since I qualified at Santa Rosa and my head continues to go to, "oh wow Kona" whenever I hear the word - it's almost like it never happened at all. I think the big issue I have is that over the years I built it up so much in my head and imagined what it would be like, that when I was actually there and racing the race, I just realized it's just another town. Just another Ironman race. Still hard, still amazing.

I've compared it almost to a wedding. Girls dream about their wedding for years. We watch movies and plan it out in our heads on what every last detail is going to be like. I thought I would literally turn into a princess on my wedding day and be perfect in every way. But the day came and I realized that I had tan lines from my sports bra that showed up in every picture in my strapless dress, that I forgot to shave my legs, that I forgot to buy sexy "bride" Victoria Secret lingerie, and I was hungry all day.
Same ol' Katie, just a big dress and a very expensive party.
My wedding day wasn't the best or greatest day of my life, it was just another day I got to spend with all of my favorite people. It wasn't the best day because Chris became my husband, he pretty much became that on the day we met. From the first week we started dating it was, "WHEN we get married" not "IF we get married". So my wedding day was just like "Well of course this happened." I'm not saying that my wedding day was better or worse than what I built it up in my head, it was just different. Just another day. I don't regret it one bit, but I would've been just as happy to elope. It's the person that matters, not the party.

And that's how Kona kind of felt.

I was so happy just to be in Hawaii with my parents and Chris. I didn't stress about the race. I drank wine, I ate way too much food, I went snorkeling almost daily, I drank so much Kona coffee I'm still feeling the buzz. I slept like a rock for 9 hours the night before and didn't feel one moment of nerves. I was just happy to be there!

I'm glad I went into the race feeling lowkey and grateful for the experience, because the race was nothing like I've ever experienced, and so different than what I had planned on. It would have been really tough for me going into this race with expectations for time or what it would be like, because everything changed from the second the cannon went off.

The first thing that threw me off was the calmness of transition when you walked in in the morning. In my head it was going to be buzzing with excitement and loud music and people yelling. But honestly, it was eerily quiet. No one was really talking to each other and I just remember thinking I could very well curl up on the beach and take a nap. Before Louisville and Santa Rosa I was so excited and I could just feel the adrenaline pumping. Before Kona I just felt sleepy and calm, wondering about how much pain I would have to endure that day.

This was also the first Ironman race I didn't have Chris by my side literally up to the point we jumped in the water. I definitely missed him and wish he could've been with me in transition for our pre race squeezes.

In what seemed like no time at all it was time to line up. You all bunch up together and walk the steps down to the beach and start swimming out to the start line. We treaded water for a bit and then out of nowhere - BOOM! The gun went off and I thought, "oops time to race!" 

A few hundred yards into the swim I realized my goggles were way too tight and it started a raging headache that lasted until I ripped my goggles off in transition. That was the first thing that had never happened to me before! Of all things I can't believe I messed up how tight my goggles were. And once the race started I didn't want to adjust them because I was scared of salt water getting in my eyes or losing them in a wave so that was my bad.

The boat seemed SO far away, and I swung wide and stayed out of the crowd because soon after my headache set in, major nausea came upon me. Another thing that's never ever ever happened to me! I'm a swimmer for God's sake, I don't get nauseous in the water! In my head I was thinking, "For God's Katie, what are you, pregnant? WHY are you nauseous right now." But in reality it was the waves, the salt water and tight goggles that caused my sickness. I kept having to sit up and take deep breaths and close my eyes so I couldn't see the bottom of the ocean rocking beneath me. I stayed way to the left because I knew if I got kicked I would just vomit. I've never been so relieved to get out of the water, and overall I was disappointed in my time of 1:10. I can do so much better, but I was just thankful to be done with that swim!

I was so happy to get through transition and out onto my bike. Overall the bike went pretty great. Of course it was windy and hot and windy and windy, but it's Kona - people who complain about the wind are being so ridiculous. Did you expect to come to the beach and NOT get sandy?

The first 30 miles I remember thinking it just felt easy and fun. "Not that bad!", I remember thinking. I made sure I soaked it in and took in the sights. After mile 35ish I remember it starting to feel hard with the wind and hills. I was so happy that I decided to keep my deeper Eagle wheels on my bike because even though it was windy I still felt comfortable in aero on them. I settled into my bike and prepared myself for the next 70 miles. The climb to Hawi was ridiculous, but I was SO happy to be at the iconic turnaround! And the descent out of Hawi was just amazing - finally a little break! And I loved that it was an out and back because I got to see all the pros come flying past. Between focusing on my nutrition and hydration and keeping my heart rate in check, taking in the sights and working on my tan, the bike went really well. 

The last 15 miles were really hard for me. This is when I started to feel "off". I couldn't quite figure out what was wrong, but I knew I felt more tired than I usually do the last hour and a half of the bike and kept having to blink and close my eyes to feel good. I assumed I was getting dehydrated, so I kept taking in more and more fluids and did a lot of self talking to keep myself calm and going forward. Have you noticed I talk to myself a LOT in races? Racing Katie is never lonely.

I started feeling better the last few miles when I realized I had done it! I had finished the Kona bike course and overall, it wasn't as bad as I had built it up in my head to be. It was all about attitude and keeping everything in perspective. I was so happy and excited just to be on the course in the first place, I didn't care my bike time was slower than my other races. For the Kona course I was okay with a time of 6:20.

That's when the trouble set in.

I got off my bike and immediately felt like I had stepped onto a raft in the ocean. Usually I rip through transition 2 with fire on my ass running 6 minute miles and ready to tear into the run course. This time I could barely walk. I kept locking eyes with volunteers and I guess my face looked panicked because every one of them made strong eye contact and asked me, "ARE you OKAY?" I don't even think I responded to any of them.

Panic was setting in and I started thinking I might not actually finish this race. I dragged my hand along the railing to keep from falling over. "What is happening!?" I kept thinking. I've never felt like this before! I'm not a person to get nauseous or dizzy or anything, pretty much ever. The only other time I felt like this was the few minutes after I got off the "Mission to Mars" ride in Disneyworld with Julie.

I didn't know what the hell was going on, all I knew was that I could barely see the fencing in transition and could barely pull it together to get my run stuff on. The volunteers into transition had to help me sort through my stuff and even put my shoes on because I fell over when I bent down. Between taking insanely deep breaths and trying to smile my way through whatever was going on, I somehow found my way through transition and I just had to assume I had gotten all the right stuff. I knew if I could just get onto the run course I might have a chance at starting to feel better.

I started running out of transition and honestly it was all I could do to keep running on the yellow line on the road. I put that as my main focus and kept thinking just keep moving forward, it doesn't even matter if you crawl. You and your stupid body are finishing this race. My head felt like I was in a fog and I could hear people cheering but I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Other athletes were running past me encouraging me to run and in my head I would respond but I couldn't get my mouth to form the words and say it aloud. I saw Chris and my parents out of transition and Chris walked next to me and was so excited and asked me how I was doing and all I could do was shake my head and mutter "no good".

He was so excited and cheerful I just remember staring at the ground wobbling around in a forward direction and thinking, "Excuse me, but F*** you" (Sorry, my love. It was the Ironman talking, not me.)

Later Chris told me he was thinking that I didn't look like I was going to finish based on how I was walking and talking, and he was thinking "oh shit this is bad" while talking to me.

And of course, he told me to drink more water. And of course, I listened. He is a rocket scientist, after all. 

The first 5 miles were hell. I was on the verge of tears the entire time and this time, not from the pain of racing fast. This was just pure disappointment. I was mad at myself for somehow screwing up my nutrition, mad for having to walk, ticked off that I was disappointing all the people who were following me in my race, including my amazing Eagle bike sponsors who built me this incredible custom bike, pissed off that I worked so hard to qualify and my parents and husband came all the way to Hawaii to watch me race and here I was feeling sorry for myself walking along the famous Ali'i. My mind was fine, my muscles felt great, and for some reason my body wasn't in on my plan for throwing down a solid marathon time. This was my dream race. All I wanted to do was go to Kona, even if I didn't talk about it that much, and here I was doing everything I could just to walk in a straight line.

It literally felt like when you're absolutely shit-faced drunk and trying to put on a "sober face" in front of your dorm building RA (...not that I know what that feels like...........). When you're talking deep breaths in through your nose and trying to focus on a dot on the wall so you don't fall over and throw up.

The dizziness somewhat subsided, and in place the burps and belches and stomach cramps set in, somewhere around mile 2.5. I felt it in my throat. That feeling. It wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of when and how much. And would it stop after it started? And would I feel better after it happened?

And then, right at the 5 mile turn around point. In front of the officials and cameras. In front of the huge crowd gathered at the Ali'i turn around. I spewed. GLORIOUSLY. Everywhere. All over the ground and, as someone pointed out later, all over my shoes (I didn't notice it at the time).

I just remember it coming on so fast I didn't even have to think "oh sh-!" But I did look to make sure I wouldn't projectile vomit on anyone and ruin their life. As I was spewing about 3 gallons of Gatorade and water on one of the most famous run courses in the world, people started cheering and one woman yelled "GET IT ALL UP HONEY! YOU'LL FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!"

And you know what? I did.

SO. MUCH. BETTER.

I stood up after emptying my stomach and felt like a whole new person! It was magical! I immediately took off into a run, much to the astonishment of the people around me.

Guy: Was that you throwing up back there?

Me: Yea!

Guy: Wow that's quite the comeback

Me: I feel AMAZING!

Even though I felt like I could take off and pick people off one by one and probably still have a decent marathon time, I still had to keep in mind that I just emptied my entire body of any hydration and calories I had taken in that day. The other problem was I came upon an aid station a mile later and realized I could not. COULD NOT. drink ANY Gatorade or take in any GU. Just seeing it made my stomach churn and I felt like I had to throw up again.

Okay.....so no Gatorade or GUs. This was not in my plan, because Gatorade and GU WAS my plan.

From there on out I could only take in ice cubes, pretzels, oranges and if I forced myself, sips of water. I drank ALL the chicken broth. I probably ate an entire chicken in the amount of chicken broth I drank - all while laughing that at the athlete's meeting the day before I smirked at the thought of drinking chicken broth while racing. I shouldn't have laughed at the concept...the Island Gods were toying with me for thinking I was too good for chicken broth.

And that's how I squeaked out a semi-decent Ironman marathon time (4:50 isn't a bad marathon time actually all things considered) and saved my race. The rest of the marathon flew by and I was so happy and astonished I brought it all back that I didn't even care about my time, I felt like I was floating for 20 miles - even though I was actually just walking through aid stations. It was the best feeling coming back from the pure hell that was the first 5 miles.

Prior to the race I wasn't expecting to finish the race in the pitch black but as I was jogging it out on the Queen Q with my little glow stick, barely able to make out the pavement or anything around me because it was SO dark, I felt so happy. I was kind of glad I finished in the pitch black quiet, it gave me time to reflect on the race and soak it all in. It was the true "Kona experience". I had a ginormous grin on my face the last 6 miles of the race because I was just so happy to be finishing Kona. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

If I can think of my absolute favorite part of the race, it would be the last stretch on the Queen K in the dark, focusing on not falling on the cracks in the pavement trying to make out the people coming towards me, following the light of my glow stick. I wish I could relive that run over and over again. I wasn't in any pain and I wasn't tired - I felt like I could go forever. I just felt so happy and it brings tears to my eyes just thinking of that few miles.

Crossing the finish line was awesome! It really was all the screaming and cheering that makes it all worth it. I couldn't believe I was crossing the Kona Ironman finish line. Done!

 Finish time: 12:29:49

It wasn't my fastest Ironman. It wasn't my most joyful Ironman. It wasn't my hardest Ironman. But it was the most special. Santa Rosa actually still felt harder mentally and physically to me, but that was the first time I've gotten so sick in a race and doubted even finishing and came back with flying colors. The body is amazing.

I don't feel like I have any beef with Kona, I know a lot of people get ripped to shreds on that course and feel like they have something to prove so they want to come back. I feel like Kona and I are in a mutual respect with each other and I'm cool if I never go back, but it would be awesome to race it again just because I just really liked being there. But I would be okay with just having that one experience.

I love Ironman so much, I really feel like it's "my distance". And even though the training is brutal and the races are tough, they never feel that bad to me, even in my darkest moments. The truth is I just love that distance and the challenge, I love pushing and pushing and pushing and it never feels like something I don't want to be doing. Through the nausea and pain and heat and wind, I never once wished I was somewhere else doing something else. I'm so thankful for the experience and everything that triathlon and Ironman has given me. I don't plan on doing another Ironman next year (3 in a year was a lot), but I don't think Ironman and I are over forever. If something is that hard and makes you that happy, you should never give it up.

Until next time!

-Katie