Ironman Hawaii; Race Day
Posted by TriStarAthlete at 10/20/2007 1:16 AM 
Categories: races,Brandon Del Campo,Hawaii,Ironman,Tristar Athlete TEAM
Categories: races,Brandon Del Campo,Hawaii,Ironman,Tristar Athlete TEAM
The day was a hot one and temperatures soared to the 90's on triathlons Championship day in Kailua Kona October 13th, 2007. Congratulations again to TriStars!
You vow
You curse
And you chant.
I'm done.
No way.
Never again.
Then the crowds
The lights
The Medal
The pain is all forgotten.
And you hope to get the chance
To do it all over again.
The following stories follow three TriStar Athletes who completed the Ironman setting new PR's and completing the worlds most prestigeous triathlon.
BRIAN MAIOLO; Race Report
I had always dreamed of qualifying for the IM World Championships. But I never really thought past the qualifying part. That’s what I was thinking about as I lay on the ground after hitting a large hole in the pavement during a long training ride. I didn’t know what I hit or what was wrong, but I knew that this was bad. Really bad.
Surgery was a week later and almost exactly three months before the race. It required a large metal plate, eight screws and a bunch of wire. While many were asking if I’d race or if I could possibly postpone my race for next year (you can’t), my coach, Dianna Ineman, was quietly putting a plan together that would get me to Kona.
It involved walking at ridiculous inclines on the treadmill and hitting the old school stairmaster while my arm was still in a sling. The next step was getting back on the spin bike, my old friend from IM Arizona. The next step after that was running, which came five weeks post-surgery. Swimming and cycling outdoors came at seven weeks. My doctor, Dr. Stephen Silver from ISK/Lennox Hill also had some plans. In addition to the surgery, he prescribed something called a bone growth stimulator to help my clavicle heal faster.
Three months went by in a flash. Well, most of it except the time spent on the Compu Trainer at Cadence (aka Dianna’s Dungeon) pushing crazy wattage. The long runs in the the park, along the Hudson and at Rockefeller State Park. The crazy hours on the spin bike at Equinox. And Labor Day weekend, which included a long run, followed by a 140 mile ride, followed by a 100 mile ride and 10 mile brick. Well, maybe it wasn’t a flash, but here I was about to do the race that I’d been dreaming about for years.
The race organizers make this race different than any other Ironman. It’s wrapped around Hawaiian culture. Plus, in every way, they really make the athletes feel special. Which is why they were stamping my race number on my arm race morning, as opposed to writing it like any other IM. Oh, and as I was making my way into the water, Navy Seals were parachuting into the ocean right before the Pro’s went off. No, this is not just another race or just another Ironman.
My plan was to stay a bit left and behind the masses, to stay away from the mayhem. But as I entered the water (this is a water start), I figured that I’ve come this far why not go for it and start near the front in the middle. I won’t say I regret that decision. But I certainly obtained my share of kicks, elbows and gridlock. I’ve never been in a race with so much congestion. Still, I got out in 1:05. Not bad for a non-wetsuit legal race and collarbone held together by screws and chicken wire.
The bike is a big part of makes Kona “special.” If you don’t play your cards right you end up getting a head wind going out and coming back from Hawi (the town where you turn around). Thankfully my coach had some plans to help me avoid this. This was one of the points where you have to trust your coach. It amazes me how people will spend so much money and not listen to their coach. If I’ve learned anything it’s that you find a good coach and then you let them coach.
Another great thing about this race. A rather large peloton flew by me in the first hour of the bike. Not cool at all, but at the next sin bin I saw them all. I wanted to kiss the next race official that went by me, I was so happy even if perhaps this was just beginner's luck. The rest of bike was ugly, windy, and hot as hell. In my ear, I could hear my coach telling me to watch your nutrition. I also had some friendly reminders on the race course: namely athletes who got off their bikes and were lying on the ground because they were so out of it from the heat, humidity and dehydration. Usually that sort of thing only happens during the run. Uh oh!
There are headwinds and rolling hills as you make your way back into Kona. Hill after hill after hill. I almost cried when I finally got back to Kona. Later I discovered that those weren’t tears, that was just sweat. My plan was to keep my transition times as short as possible. So when I got off my bike, I limped as fast as possible through transition, threw my sneakers on, grabbed my nutrition and took off.
And by took off, I mean I watched my pace so I didn’t blow up in the first 10k. The crowd is going nuts and it’s so easy to run too fast early on. Thankfully, Cliff was out there cheering me (and the other TriStar athletes) on. It was funny cause he was telling me what I was telling myself. “Good cadence, way to keep your feet moving, just keep it nice and steady.” Athletes were blowing by me at this point. Pacing (and nutrition) are everything in an IM, even a Kona virgin knows that. As fit as these athletes were, I had a funny feeling I’d be seeing them later in the race.
Everyone talks about the Energy Lab. How tough that section of the run is. My coach had me run it during the week so I’d be prepared for it. But it’s one of those things that you just have to experience. It’s hot. There are very few spectators out there. And it’s that dark part of the marathon where people traditionally fall apart. It was at the energy lab that I saw an athlete that I’ve trained with before. I knew that if I kept my pace I’d reel him in. He must have heard me coming. (At every aid station I’d been pouring water over my head on my body to try to cool off, so you could hear me coming a long way away.) About a mile later I did just that. He mentioned that if I kept my pace I’d break 10:30.
This really helped cause at this point of the race I needed something to shoot for. Around me there were some interesting sights and sounds. There were pro’s walking. Athletes vomiting. And the ever-present sound of my water-logged sneakers. It’s these dark times in a race that I personally look back at my training. I’ve felt worse before... how about those speedwork sessions on the track and treadmill, or the long intervals seated, in the aero position trying to keep my HR between 88-92% of my max? As bad as I was feeling, I’d felt worse and let's not forget, this is Kona.
Thankfully being in Kona also means the marathon is really only about 25 miles. Just get yourself near Alii Drive and let my rents and the rest of the crowd do the rest. Thankfully, my sister and my girlfriend, Brooke, were on the outskirts of town so really all I had to do was get to mile 24 and I’d be OK. They had commandeered a bullhorn and were cheering me on. I didn’t really hear what they were saying, but it was so nice to see them.
A few minutes later I hit Ali’i Drive. This is the moment that I’d been training for, for years...literally. And when you build something up in your head for so long, it’s so easy for the actual experience to be a bit of a letdown. Who am I kidding, as I approached the finish line there were thousands of screaming fans, my parents, sister, girlfriend and Mike Rielly, the voice of IM, screaming the four words every triathlete wants to hear…Brian Maiolo, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!
Special thanks to my Kona spectating crew: Brooke, Mom, Dad, my sister Christine and Cliff. Gels, salt pills, coke, gatorade and water were just a small part of what kept me going mile after mile after mile. Also a big thank you to Cliff for his generosity and the generosity of TN sunglasses, Lara Bar and Fuel Belt. And last, but certainly not least, I would not be writing this report if it were not for the tremendous amount of time and effort and the undeterred belief and encouragement from Dianna. Or, as I like to call her, "the Assassin."
Mark Levitt; Race Report
You vow
You curse
And you chant.
I'm done.
No way.
Never again.
Then the crowds
The lights
The Medal
The pain is all forgotten.
And you hope to get the chance
To do it all over again.
The following stories follow three TriStar Athletes who completed the Ironman setting new PR's and completing the worlds most prestigeous triathlon.
BRIAN MAIOLO; Race Report
I had always dreamed of qualifying for the IM World Championships. But I never really thought past the qualifying part. That’s what I was thinking about as I lay on the ground after hitting a large hole in the pavement during a long training ride. I didn’t know what I hit or what was wrong, but I knew that this was bad. Really bad.
Surgery was a week later and almost exactly three months before the race. It required a large metal plate, eight screws and a bunch of wire. While many were asking if I’d race or if I could possibly postpone my race for next year (you can’t), my coach, Dianna Ineman, was quietly putting a plan together that would get me to Kona.
It involved walking at ridiculous inclines on the treadmill and hitting the old school stairmaster while my arm was still in a sling. The next step was getting back on the spin bike, my old friend from IM Arizona. The next step after that was running, which came five weeks post-surgery. Swimming and cycling outdoors came at seven weeks. My doctor, Dr. Stephen Silver from ISK/Lennox Hill also had some plans. In addition to the surgery, he prescribed something called a bone growth stimulator to help my clavicle heal faster.
Three months went by in a flash. Well, most of it except the time spent on the Compu Trainer at Cadence (aka Dianna’s Dungeon) pushing crazy wattage. The long runs in the the park, along the Hudson and at Rockefeller State Park. The crazy hours on the spin bike at Equinox. And Labor Day weekend, which included a long run, followed by a 140 mile ride, followed by a 100 mile ride and 10 mile brick. Well, maybe it wasn’t a flash, but here I was about to do the race that I’d been dreaming about for years.
The race organizers make this race different than any other Ironman. It’s wrapped around Hawaiian culture. Plus, in every way, they really make the athletes feel special. Which is why they were stamping my race number on my arm race morning, as opposed to writing it like any other IM. Oh, and as I was making my way into the water, Navy Seals were parachuting into the ocean right before the Pro’s went off. No, this is not just another race or just another Ironman.
My plan was to stay a bit left and behind the masses, to stay away from the mayhem. But as I entered the water (this is a water start), I figured that I’ve come this far why not go for it and start near the front in the middle. I won’t say I regret that decision. But I certainly obtained my share of kicks, elbows and gridlock. I’ve never been in a race with so much congestion. Still, I got out in 1:05. Not bad for a non-wetsuit legal race and collarbone held together by screws and chicken wire.
The bike is a big part of makes Kona “special.” If you don’t play your cards right you end up getting a head wind going out and coming back from Hawi (the town where you turn around). Thankfully my coach had some plans to help me avoid this. This was one of the points where you have to trust your coach. It amazes me how people will spend so much money and not listen to their coach. If I’ve learned anything it’s that you find a good coach and then you let them coach.
Another great thing about this race. A rather large peloton flew by me in the first hour of the bike. Not cool at all, but at the next sin bin I saw them all. I wanted to kiss the next race official that went by me, I was so happy even if perhaps this was just beginner's luck. The rest of bike was ugly, windy, and hot as hell. In my ear, I could hear my coach telling me to watch your nutrition. I also had some friendly reminders on the race course: namely athletes who got off their bikes and were lying on the ground because they were so out of it from the heat, humidity and dehydration. Usually that sort of thing only happens during the run. Uh oh!
There are headwinds and rolling hills as you make your way back into Kona. Hill after hill after hill. I almost cried when I finally got back to Kona. Later I discovered that those weren’t tears, that was just sweat. My plan was to keep my transition times as short as possible. So when I got off my bike, I limped as fast as possible through transition, threw my sneakers on, grabbed my nutrition and took off.
And by took off, I mean I watched my pace so I didn’t blow up in the first 10k. The crowd is going nuts and it’s so easy to run too fast early on. Thankfully, Cliff was out there cheering me (and the other TriStar athletes) on. It was funny cause he was telling me what I was telling myself. “Good cadence, way to keep your feet moving, just keep it nice and steady.” Athletes were blowing by me at this point. Pacing (and nutrition) are everything in an IM, even a Kona virgin knows that. As fit as these athletes were, I had a funny feeling I’d be seeing them later in the race.
Everyone talks about the Energy Lab. How tough that section of the run is. My coach had me run it during the week so I’d be prepared for it. But it’s one of those things that you just have to experience. It’s hot. There are very few spectators out there. And it’s that dark part of the marathon where people traditionally fall apart. It was at the energy lab that I saw an athlete that I’ve trained with before. I knew that if I kept my pace I’d reel him in. He must have heard me coming. (At every aid station I’d been pouring water over my head on my body to try to cool off, so you could hear me coming a long way away.) About a mile later I did just that. He mentioned that if I kept my pace I’d break 10:30.
This really helped cause at this point of the race I needed something to shoot for. Around me there were some interesting sights and sounds. There were pro’s walking. Athletes vomiting. And the ever-present sound of my water-logged sneakers. It’s these dark times in a race that I personally look back at my training. I’ve felt worse before... how about those speedwork sessions on the track and treadmill, or the long intervals seated, in the aero position trying to keep my HR between 88-92% of my max? As bad as I was feeling, I’d felt worse and let's not forget, this is Kona.
Thankfully being in Kona also means the marathon is really only about 25 miles. Just get yourself near Alii Drive and let my rents and the rest of the crowd do the rest. Thankfully, my sister and my girlfriend, Brooke, were on the outskirts of town so really all I had to do was get to mile 24 and I’d be OK. They had commandeered a bullhorn and were cheering me on. I didn’t really hear what they were saying, but it was so nice to see them.
A few minutes later I hit Ali’i Drive. This is the moment that I’d been training for, for years...literally. And when you build something up in your head for so long, it’s so easy for the actual experience to be a bit of a letdown. Who am I kidding, as I approached the finish line there were thousands of screaming fans, my parents, sister, girlfriend and Mike Rielly, the voice of IM, screaming the four words every triathlete wants to hear…Brian Maiolo, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!
Special thanks to my Kona spectating crew: Brooke, Mom, Dad, my sister Christine and Cliff. Gels, salt pills, coke, gatorade and water were just a small part of what kept me going mile after mile after mile. Also a big thank you to Cliff for his generosity and the generosity of TN sunglasses, Lara Bar and Fuel Belt. And last, but certainly not least, I would not be writing this report if it were not for the tremendous amount of time and effort and the undeterred belief and encouragement from Dianna. Or, as I like to call her, "the Assassin."
Mark Levitt; Race Report
Race day was truly amazing. Haluk flown to Kona to support me, so had Cliff Scherb the President of Tri Star and an accomplished triathlete in his own right. My level of confidence gave me almost no anxiety at the swim start. Having never finished ANY of the 3 distances I was about to do, I had every confidence I would complete the race. When the cannon went off, I started the swim with no anxiety at all-yes I got jostled around a bit, but I knew I would complete the swim no problem which I did. 
I took my sweet time in T1 knowing I was in for a long day on the bike and prayed that my left knee had 112 more miles in it. While the bike was very difficult, I did manage to finish it. I would compare the bike to riding a bicycle on the sun, uphill, in a hurricane with the wind coming at you face first! For me, it was that brutal. Never was I more happy to comment to another cyclist, “I can’t wait for the marathon”-and I had never done one before!! The marathon was great-Haluk ran with me for sometime encouraging me literally every step of the way. Cliff even joined in on the fun and rode his bike alongside me as well keeping my head screwed on correctly! The last two miles of the run was incredible-it is literally down hill as thousands of spectators are screaming encouragement. As you inch closer to the finish line, millions of thoughts crossed my mind-all the long rides, long swim and long runs-all the support from my family and friends, and all the help of Haluk. Without each component working together, my dream would have never been realized. For the rest of my life I have a new family-one that only a small handful of people in the world belong to-the Ironman family. My dream was fulfilled as Mike Reilly shouted into the microphone late Saturday night on October 13th…..Mark Levitt from
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