1. In the past you've made 70.3s your main focus, so this year is a big shift. For some triathletes, Kona looms large as THE long course race. Others could take it or leave it relative to other options on the calendar. How would you describe your thoughts about Kona leading into this year? Have they changed?
I have always thought of Kona as the pinnacle of long course triathlon and that has not changed, however I didn’t expect to be here this year! At the start of the year I wasn’t planning to do any Ironmans, or maybe one. Once the t100 series wasn’t really happening for me I just decided to go for the Ironman series and here we are!
2. There has been a lot of focus on the women's perspective on having a women's-only Ironman Championship. Do you have any thoughts on the environment at the men's only championship? Does it change the race experience at all? Is there anything that you think is better or worse about that format from a male pro perspective?
I don’t think having a men’s only vs. Men and women’s world championship changes too much in terms of the race dynamics, but it certainly has a a bigger media hype feel having all media focused on the men for the day. There’s also the added “Kona” effect where everything is just way bigger here in terms of media. This is my first time in Kona, but it does certainly feel pretty small for a world championship venue and I really agree with the move to shift it to men only one year and women only the next, it’s a manageable number of people here but both genders would be too much.
3. What is the most meaningful thing to you that you have gotten out of a shift to longer distance racing this year?
Moving up to the full distance has definitely given me a fresh outlook on the sport. It’s almost like starting all over again except I’m starting at a pretty high level and still have lots of room to improve. The added excitement of the new distance has really made me excited for my future in the sport.
4. What is the best way to support you and RTS going into Kona?
My personal account and RTS will have lots of YouTube and instagram content coming out so definitely follow us there!
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