I have a dream
No this isn’t some rip off of the great speech by Martin Luther King but is instead a place for me to publicly air my triathlon goals.
If the goal is written down then there is no shying away from it. It is there for all to see.
These goals do not come with a time limit as they may not happen for the foreseeable future, but I am allowed to dream. Right?
I have drawn some pictures to accompany these dreams. Apologies for the poor drawings in advance.
1. Own a GBR trisuit
This dream would culminate in me representing Great Britain as an Age Grouper. I am not saying at what distance or even event but I seriously want me one of these.
The reason I want one so badly stemmed from the recent ITU World Championships which were held in Hyde Park in September 2013. I was fortunate enough to attend and was wowed by the atmosphere. I badly want some of that. Everyone shouting “Go on GB”. It was overwhelming.
One day I will have one of those trisuits. It may be for any discipline of multisport but one day I will have one.
2. Experience Kona
I have tried and tried to ignore this bucket list race but let’s be honest, this race is on everyone’s bucket list. It is the pinnacle of our sport and was the venue for the first Ironman. Who wouldn’t want to race there?
Well I do and there are four possible ways to the Big Island, well five if you are a celebrity Chef ;o)
i. Place in an Ironman race and win a place. This is the true legitimate way to Kona and would be the way I would prefer to get there. The problem is I am no good at climbing hills on a bike and I am such a slow runner. Both of these can be improved on with the correct training though. Seriously though the hill thing is all about weight. I sit here typing weighing 15 stones (95 kg). If you are an average sized male reader let’s assume you weigh 13 stone (82kg). To replicate the difficulties I have climbing, go out find a hill get your bike and try cycling up said hill with half a bag of cement tied to your body. It’s no wonder I struggle with hills really. There are even races which would suit a non climber such as myself and who knows I may throw my hat into the ring at one of these in an attempt to qualify for Kona. For example:-
a. Kalmar in Sweden has a max elevation difference of 50m between the lowest and highest parts of the course. This would seriously allow me to get some speed on the bike.
b. Ironman Florida in Panama City. The highest point on this course is only 49m above sea level. This is another course which would suit my cycling style.
Don’t get me wrong there would be a lot of work to put in to get to Kona this way as my run is still awful and I would need to work on bike stamina but with enough work, I believe this would be achievable.
ii. Kona Lottery – for $40 you can apply for a lottery place. There are five places given to international athletes every year, more if I was a resident in the US. Who knows what is possible, but as Dale Winton said “you have to be in it to win it”. Subsequently I will be entering the Kona Lottery every year from this year in an attempt to get my way to the Big Island to crash the party.
iii. Kona Legacy – to qualify for the legacy programme you have to have completed 12 full distance Ironman branded events. This is my least favourite way of getting to Kona, with the average Ironman costing £350. This equates to £4200 in race fees alone without even considering travel to the races. Very expensive. But who knows. I will get there one day.
iv. Kona Auction – the WTC auction off several places every year with the proceeds going to charity. These slots got for upwards of $20000 though so aren’t cheap but are for a good cause. If I won the National Lottery though, this would be my way of going to Kona.
v. Be Gordon Ramsey. Don’t even get me started on this debacle.
There we have it my dreams laid bare for you all to see. Some may find them amusing but whatever it’s my life and they are my dreams.
As a friend of mine (@AJMEAGS) states #dreambelieveachieve and he has just been invited to train at the British Triathlon satellite site in Eastbourne. He had a dream, believed it was possible and has given everything to make it happen including winning silver at the World Duathlon Championships. Good work pal.
Thanks for reading,
Michael
If the goal is written down then there is no shying away from it. It is there for all to see.
These goals do not come with a time limit as they may not happen for the foreseeable future, but I am allowed to dream. Right?
I have drawn some pictures to accompany these dreams. Apologies for the poor drawings in advance.
1. Own a GBR trisuit
This dream would culminate in me representing Great Britain as an Age Grouper. I am not saying at what distance or even event but I seriously want me one of these.
The reason I want one so badly stemmed from the recent ITU World Championships which were held in Hyde Park in September 2013. I was fortunate enough to attend and was wowed by the atmosphere. I badly want some of that. Everyone shouting “Go on GB”. It was overwhelming.
One day I will have one of those trisuits. It may be for any discipline of multisport but one day I will have one.
2. Experience Kona
I have tried and tried to ignore this bucket list race but let’s be honest, this race is on everyone’s bucket list. It is the pinnacle of our sport and was the venue for the first Ironman. Who wouldn’t want to race there?
Well I do and there are four possible ways to the Big Island, well five if you are a celebrity Chef ;o)
i. Place in an Ironman race and win a place. This is the true legitimate way to Kona and would be the way I would prefer to get there. The problem is I am no good at climbing hills on a bike and I am such a slow runner. Both of these can be improved on with the correct training though. Seriously though the hill thing is all about weight. I sit here typing weighing 15 stones (95 kg). If you are an average sized male reader let’s assume you weigh 13 stone (82kg). To replicate the difficulties I have climbing, go out find a hill get your bike and try cycling up said hill with half a bag of cement tied to your body. It’s no wonder I struggle with hills really. There are even races which would suit a non climber such as myself and who knows I may throw my hat into the ring at one of these in an attempt to qualify for Kona. For example:-
a. Kalmar in Sweden has a max elevation difference of 50m between the lowest and highest parts of the course. This would seriously allow me to get some speed on the bike.
b. Ironman Florida in Panama City. The highest point on this course is only 49m above sea level. This is another course which would suit my cycling style.
Don’t get me wrong there would be a lot of work to put in to get to Kona this way as my run is still awful and I would need to work on bike stamina but with enough work, I believe this would be achievable.
ii. Kona Lottery – for $40 you can apply for a lottery place. There are five places given to international athletes every year, more if I was a resident in the US. Who knows what is possible, but as Dale Winton said “you have to be in it to win it”. Subsequently I will be entering the Kona Lottery every year from this year in an attempt to get my way to the Big Island to crash the party.
iii. Kona Legacy – to qualify for the legacy programme you have to have completed 12 full distance Ironman branded events. This is my least favourite way of getting to Kona, with the average Ironman costing £350. This equates to £4200 in race fees alone without even considering travel to the races. Very expensive. But who knows. I will get there one day.
iv. Kona Auction – the WTC auction off several places every year with the proceeds going to charity. These slots got for upwards of $20000 though so aren’t cheap but are for a good cause. If I won the National Lottery though, this would be my way of going to Kona.
v. Be Gordon Ramsey. Don’t even get me started on this debacle.
There we have it my dreams laid bare for you all to see. Some may find them amusing but whatever it’s my life and they are my dreams.
As a friend of mine (@AJMEAGS) states #dreambelieveachieve and he has just been invited to train at the British Triathlon satellite site in Eastbourne. He had a dream, believed it was possible and has given everything to make it happen including winning silver at the World Duathlon Championships. Good work pal.
Thanks for reading,
Michael
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