The Road to Kona...Race Day

I walk up the hill out of transition, jog down into "the pit", then walk back out. I figure I'll start my running once I get to the next downhill. That downhill came sooner than I wanted, but I knew I needed to get going if I was going to make the final cutoff of 17 hours. I jog a little, then walk a little. I then jog a little more and walk a little less. This is going okay. I think I'm gonna be fine. I'm in downtown Kona now and there are lots of people around. I turn to go up Palani Hill, the same hill I sprinted up at the start of the bike. Got no problem walking this time. No sprint in these legs at this point.

It's dark now. About the 11-mile mark somewhere in the lava fields. My stomach is churning. Tums have been solving this all day, but not this time. Up comes my stomach content. I start walking more to hopefully settle down my stomach. It seems to work. I start running again, but my stomach doesn't like it. I am having trouble even keeping water down. Not sure what to do. I keep walking and start doing the math. With a brisk walk, I can make it to the finish before midnight. But all my training prepared me to run the marathon, not walk. I didn't want to walk. The Ironman doesn't care how you trained. Come race day, sometimes you've got to bite the bullet and accept what the day brings you.

After passing the turnaround in the energy lab, I've accepted that I'm gonna have a long walk ahead of me. My stomach won't settle down. My focus now is on sub-17 hours. I jog a little here and there, but walking is still getting me to the finish line. Approaching town I can hear the spectators cheering. I'm getting excited. I'm just about to finish the Hawaii Ironman World Championship. The time is irrelevant, as long as it's less than 17 hours.

I make the final turn down Ali'i Drive. Only about 400 meters left. I break into a slow jog. I don't want to go fast now. I've been pounding the pavement all day just for the opportunity to enjoy this last home stretch. People in the second floor restaurants are shouting encouragement. More people on the street reach out for a high-five. The announcer spots me down the street. The crowd goes nuts. The NBC cameraman follows me into the chute. All the pain of the day disappears. Encouraged by the crowd, I pick up the pace a little. I can't help myself. I cross the finish line. "I won!" I tell myself. "Just like everyone else who crossed this line today, I won!"

Don Terlson
Ironman (16:38:02)