Australian Triathlete – December 2018

Kona 2018. What. A. Race!
We (team AT) were on the edge of our seats as the big day on the Big Island rolled in, eager to see who would be crowned the 2018 King and Queen of Kona, and how the day would unfold.
On a day with near-perfect race conditions (only light winds on the Queen K? Unheard of!), course records plummeted as history was made on the 40th anniversary of the IRONMAN World Championship. From the women’s swim course record (Lucy Charles, 48:14), to the men’s bike course record (Cam Wurf, 4:09:06), to the overall men’s and women’s course records, Kona 2018 has officially been dubbed as the fastest IRONMAN World Championship race in history! The 2018 King and Queen of Kona have been crowned. Patrick Lange crushed his own course record, taking the win in 7:52:39 (sub 8!), and after a shaky start to her day (jelly fish in the swim) the unbeatable Daniela Ryf proved testament to ‘never giving up’ as she fought her way back to the top of the women’s field, winning her fourth consecutive title in 8:26:16 – a new women’s course record! Finally, to the Aussie Age Group Kona Class of 2018 (from page 26) - “You are an IRONMAN!” We couldn’t be more proud of you all.
With that we bring you the 2018 Kona Souvenir Edition. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Happy training, racing and everything in between.
Mahalo,