Congratulations to Kona Ironman Competitors Rachel Ross, Tommy Nielsen, and Ain-Alar Juhanson!
15 October 2008
Congratulations to Rachel Ross, Tommy Nielsen, and Ain-Alar Juhanson on their performances in Kona last Saturday! All three of these amazing athletes battled extreme conditions all the way to the finish line, and have agreed to share their experiences with TrainingPeaks to help increase awareness of what it takes to race in the hardest Ironman in the world.
For Rachel, a mother of three, the race started off hard after months of injury kept her from getting in the training she wanted. “I knew it was going to be a hard day. Six weeks of training after months on end of injury, then Kona – which is never easy! Race morning came too soon.” Although she managed to keep away from the crowds and feel good in the swim, she wasn’t satisfied with her time. “I swam inside, away from the crowd and didn’t get beat up. I was never scared. I also didn’t get the draft and swam slower than last year in spite of big swim gains. I was really disappointed with my 1:04.”
The bike was the toughest section for Rachel. “The bike was what daunted me the most. My coach and I broke it up into pieces to focus on, and I counted my way through them. The powertap decided not to work, in spite of new batteries and being reset, which was a disappointment. I raced using my heart rate as my guide, keeping most of the ride in high zone 2/low zone 3. The ride was going OK until Waikoloa, then all hell broke loose. The cross winds were lifting my front wheel off the ground and dropping it a foot over.. it was scary, and some people crashed. The climb to Hawi felt great, I felt that false flat feeling and blew through a lot of folks on the way up. Coming down the same thing was going on with the wind pushing me around and I slowed way down. Coming back, I did my usual sucky space out. My time of 5:35 continues the trend (3 Konas: 5:22 5:28 and 5:35) of getting 
slower. You can’t fake it in winds like that, and my six week build from zero to 112 wasn’t enough.”
The run was also challenging for Rachel. “The run did not start off well. I ran the first mile in 6:35. oops. My husband told me the AG winner was 20 minutes up. My legs did not want to go. My brain yelled walk, it’s useless, quit, and every step of the day was a battle. I kept picking places up ahead to quit. Or walk. I didn’t talk like I usually do. I had no bounce to my step, but I was in my target high zone 2 HR. My salt dissolved so I picked up salt tabs on the ground along the way and ate them. Really. In front of the big group of friends cheering me on up Palani I was waving and trying to smile, then — ooh! a salt tab! pop it in mouth and back to running. They said it was 108 in the energy lab and I believe it. I ran 3:21. For a grand total of 10:06 — my new Ironman personal worst, in both time and placement. I was 3rd in my AG, 4th amateur. I am nothing if not consistent: four IMs, all within a ten minute range.”
Still, Rachel was satisfied with her effort. “But I am happy. I’ve never run so hard, or fought so hard to keep moving. Not walking a step was an accomplishment in itself. I got what I expected. I knew it was going to be hard, and it was. I’ve only raced in easy Kona conditions, and these were not them.” Check out a pre-race post about Rachel on the TrainingPeaks blog, and read more about Rachel on her blog.
Tommy Nielsen, an elite age grouper, finished his season this year by coming in 3rd in his age group at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on Saturday. Reflecting on his race, Tommy says, “I was very happy with my performance. It exceeded my expectations as I had been injured for 5 months leading into Ironman Hawaii. I was afraid I could not even finish the race and then to make the podium is absolutely awesome.”
Although he had a rough start, the swim ended up going well for Tommy. “I did not get a good start to the swim. Someone dragged me under as the canon went off. However, I was able to make up for that poor start and ended up exiting the water in just over 55 minutes, which was 1.5 minutes faster than last year. A good start to the day.”
Tommy felt good on the bike but struggled with the run. “The bike ride went perfect for me. Especially the last part was very, very good and I overtook a lot of people… I had a hard time on the run. It was to be expeted as I had only done one 20km run before the race… even today, five days after the race, I’m not quite able to walk normally. My legs still hurt too much. No complaints at all, though, you know – it reminds me of a good performance!” To learn more about what it takes to finish this high up in the pack in such a difficult race, you can view his biking file in the TrainingPeaks File Viewer and also watch a video of him crossing the finish line.
Ain-Alar Juhanson, a professional triathlete, finished the swim in just under an hour, the bike in just over 4 hours, and the marathon in a little over 3 hours. Compare the files of these two athletes on their exceptional performances in Kona on what was a very challenging day! You can view Ain-Alar’s exact times and watch him crossing the finish line, and check out Ain-Alar’s biking file.
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