Kona - The Men

Has anyone else noticed that there seems to be a lot of Kona hype this year?

I might just be imagining it, but there seems to have been a lot of talk about Kona on Social Media over the past few weeks. That might be expected, but I remember last year being a lot quieter, while I remember 2015 being a bit more like this year.

I suspect it has a lot to do with how many of my friends are over in Kona. 2015 I knew quite a few people over there, while last year it was a quiet year among my social group. This year once again I know quite a few people over on the Big Island so that is probably having an influence on my news feed. Either way, it is starting to get a little exciting around here. 6 days to go, the countdown is on and I suspect the first signs of nerves are starting to hit the bellies of the people over on the Big Island.

I am hardly an expert, but given the amount of hype there has been around Kona this year, I thought I might do a couple of blogs about what I am expecting/hoping to see in the men's and women's fields.

As always it will be interesting to see who stands ups to be counted at Kona and who doesn't. The obvious money is on Frodeno to defend his title, and while that is the sensible choice it will be interesting to see if somebody else can challenge him. Over the last couple of years I think Frodeno has changed the Ironman landscape. Before Frodeno a sub-8 Ironman was a modern miracle, now it is business as usual. If you aren't winning an Ironman in sub-8 hours it is either an indication of a slow field or a super tough course. To me that improvement in time has been driven by Frodeno.

Having said that, lots of others have stepped up to the challenge. I still think Frodeno leads the pack, but perhaps not as clearly as he once did. If he has a good day I don't think anyone will touch him, however, having a good day at Kona is not a given. If something goes slightly amiss during his race then who knows what might happen. Like everyone I am also very keen to see what Patrick Lange can do on the run, can he replicate his 2016 miracle. As always, interested to see what Lionel Sanders can bring. Last time they had a big head to head was Oceanside and that was a bit of an anti-climax, but this is Kona so if people are going to be firing, this is where they will do it. Of course Sanders no longer has the title of being the 'Ironman World Record Holder' having lost that to Tim Don, but he is still a compelling athlete to watch. Of course the nice thing about Kona is that none of these guys may feature and it may be somebody from completely left field who has the blinder, I guess we shall wait and see. So many talented guys in the men's field, so if Frodeno has a bad day, there really are numerous others who could step up. It should be a great day to watch.

Unfortunately for my patriotism I can't think of any Aussies who are likely to threaten the pointy end. There is lots of talented Aussie men there no doubt, Van Berkel, Tim Reed, Josh Amberger to name a few. But I can't see any of those guys pushing the podium this year. They are all phenomenal athletes, but they all seem to be having quietish years on the IM front (other than Amberger's big win at IM Cairns). If they have good races I can see any of those guys cracking top 10, but I am not sure top 5 is likely. Still, I am hardly an expert so I would be happy to be proven wrong. Of the Aussies, a couple I would love to see do well is Michael Fox who is such a hard worker and has been seeing great dividends this year and Nick Kastelein. Kastelein's victory at IM Switzerland was a great gutsy effort and amazing to watch. He is pretty early in his Kona story, but it would be awesome to see him have a good day out.

I personally will be watching Patrick Evoe. I remember talking last year with Patrick about Kona, and all he wanted was to get back there. His entire season has been built around Kona and so it was great to see that he qualified. Hopefully he has a good day out.

On the age group front it is looking like a fairly quiet day within my social group. I have quite a few male mates over there, and while they are great athletes, I am not sure many of will be pushing podium places. Blake Kappler is always a compelling one to watch. He has produced some great Ironman results, but has never quite managed to nail a Kona. Last year he had a nasty crash leading into the event that really de-railed his plans. This year though he has been quietly, but consistently getting some big results. This year could perhaps be his year to finally smash Kona. James Debenham is another consistent performer from Perth. While I am not sure he is in the running for a podium, it would certainly be great to see him do well and get up the pointy end of his age group. Another mate, and fellow Swim Smoother, Ashan Weerakkody should be a strong contender for swim honours. If he can put a good bike together then he could be looking at a good result too. Ashan is a great runner and tends to excel in tough conditions, so it will be good to see how he goes.

While not all that many of my friends from Perth are clear podium contenders, I often feel that is almost irrelevant in the age group field of Kona. For most of the field simply being there and making it to the finish line is going to be a great achievement and something to be admired. Watching them achieve that should be a lot of fun.