07.01. Nachmelden für Ironman EM 2009 in Frankfurt?
07.01. Hamburg Triathlon 2009, Startplatzkontingente werden knapp
06.01. World Triathlon Corporation kauft Ironman Rennen in den USA zurück
06.01. Achilles' Verse
05.01. Deutsche Meisterschaft im Wintertriathlon: Gute Bedingungen in Freudenstadt, Streckenpräparierungen in Kniebis sind angelaufen
02.01. Siegerland-Cup und Triathlon Buschhütten ausgebucht
01.01. Diskussion: "Der olympische Triathlon hat aber nicht den Glanz, einen Hero zu produzieren"
01.01. Red Bull Tour of Sweden  mit Jonas Colting vom 17.-31. Mai 2009
30.12. Achilles' Verse

HOT: Neues im Forum

Ironman Hawaii 2004 - das 3athlon.de Special::

Mark Allen talks II

And So It Begins

Ironman week officially kicks of on Tuesday evening 5:00 pm with the Parade of Nations. However, it unofficially embarks Monday morning at the Kailua Pier with what for many athletes is their first dunk in the warm ocean waters that surround this relatively small mass of land. The pier itself has been renovated and will be the transition area for both the bike and run segments for the first time ever in Ironman history on the Big Island. But that action takes place on Saturday.

Until then, 'Dig Me' beach hosts the greatest accumulation of humans on the planet with body fat percentages somewhere in the less than Whopper Size 5-10% range. It’s a chance to catch a glimpse of someone more famous than oneself in the sport of triathlons, and to show off to the world what a year’s dedication to training and focusing on this race can do to sculpt the human body. I know longer race, but for sure I have to at least look like I might when I step down the hallowed moss covered steps that lead from the pier to the beach that becomes the stage for this crazy parade of ultra fit bodies! The top contenders do their best to look normal and blend in. The less than contenders do their best to look like champions even if the goal is as pure as to just cross the finish line. Enough looking around, time to swim…

Many things define this race. One is that everyone competing is prepared to the max. No one just shows up for THE Ironman. This in itself is a factor that raises the bar and energy of each person racing. A second factor is the Big Island. Needless to say, but still worth honoring, is the fact that there simply is not another place on this planet with the same feel of the island here. It has a way of turning little concerns into big ones. Big issues can be overwhelming. And depending upon one’s level of peace with the island, this element of Ironman Hawaii can either take your race to what is undoubtedly super human, or it can turn a once lofty dream into a challenge of ominous proportions.

A third piece of the Ironman puzzle is the weather. If the winds are strong, forget a good time, and don’t forget to pack a few extra calories to get you through a race that could be over an hour longer than normal.
But this year, the trend seems to be going for hot and sticky. The usual trades that blow have subsided and have been replaced with a slow locomotive of a wind from the south that is pushing uncharacteristically sticky humid air around the island. Even Dave Scott was heard wondering how he ever competed in these kinds of conditions as he left the airport on arrival. Peter Reid while doing one of his final rides near Hawi just recently said there was a tail wind all the way up to this little town that will be the turning point on race day. This never happens. Never!
Interesting…

What will be served up on Saturday is still a mystery. The weather predictors have been mum on what we can expect. Perhaps they don’t know.
Or perhaps they are nervous to tell us what they do know! We’ll keep you dialed into this part of the race as we get closer.

The official start for the Mark Allen Online clients kicked off this morning with our Team breakfast. It was a great chance to meet the people who have been following our program for so many months now, to put a face to the names on the many emails that have passed back and forth. We have people from as far away as South Africa competing with our program, and as close as Marty Allen, the oldest Big Island resident who is competing at the grand age of 74!

People had great stories of their arrival here, and for sure the book is not yet finished on their Ironman experience for this season. We will be following each of them on race day, as well as the others who are here.

So keep tuned. The week is just beginning. And as always, Ironman has a way of playing itself out on its own terms. We will be bringing you that view as it unfolds.

Yours in Sport,

Mark Allen

Mark Allen Online