Ironman World Championships

Well, it seems like it was just a few short weeks ago that I was heading to Canada to race in my first Ironman. And now, I'm getting set to do it all again on the island of Kona, Hawaii. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster with my health and fitness the past few weeks. Nothing serious but a sprained ankle, a good head cold, and then some pain and swelling in my nether-region aggravated by too much cycling. It's kept me from training full-on the past month or so.

But, the base training is there and I feel good about being able to better my time of 11:58:02 in Canada.

Here's the skinny:

Who:Aaron Brougher (participant #1449)
What:Ironman World Championships
When:Saturday, October 13th (start time is 7am local)
Where:Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Why:Why Not!?!
How:Swim, Bike, Run...140.6 miles in total in under 12hrs

Comments:
You can follow my progress by going to http://www.ironmanlive.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship, clicking TRACK AN ATHLETE, and punch in my race number or last name. I'm not sure where the check points will be for this race, but the swim should be around 1hr 10mins total. The bike should avg. above 19mph...or just under 6hrs total. And the run, well...I'm still hoping I can get down to around 4hrs. But that will depend on the ol' IT Band. If it stays pain-free...a 4hr marathon is quite possible.

On a normal day, the Kona Ironman is probably not the hardest Ironman out there. Canada's bike course is VERY hilly. Other courses have very hilly conditions on the run as well. Kona is fairly flat with a total elevation change of about 700 feet. But! And it's a BIG but...if the heat, humidity and wind are all high on race day, Kona can borderline on dangerous. Nutrition and hydration are paramount not only to do well, but to finish. I'm sure you've all seen the footage of people stumbling across the finish line. No thanks!

Yeeeeeeeeeeeah Man!

Aaron Brougher