Hawaii and Ironman . These two words can strike fear into the toughest of competitors come October every year . Because no matter how many times you have travelled to this particular Pacific Island you never really know what you are going to get . Every athlete fears the unknown and the Big Island is famous for throwing up a few curve balls just when you are not looking .

This year two of the sports ’ greatest athletes , Jan Frodeno and Daniela Ryf faced any fears they may have had headon and created their own piece of Kona history .

In just over eight hours of tough racing side-by-side with fellow German Sebastian Kienle , Frodeno broke away to win his second Ironman World Championship . He set his day up with 48.02 swim and 4:29.00 bike ride but it was not enough to hold off Kienle who caught the lead group with an incredible 4:23:55 ride . The two men headed off onto the run together where fans were treated to a battle in the mode of the 1989 Ironman War . Frodeno ’ s strength in the second half of the marathon allowed him to pull away slowly just after the half-way point .

By the time they hit the Energy Lab , the lead was out to two minutes and at the end of the race it was a win for Frodeno by

AGE GROUP ATHLETES

3:32 . An Olympic Gold Medal , two Ironman World Championships and the World Record performance at Challenge Roth earlier in the year opens up the debate : Is Jan Frodeno the best male triathlete we have ever seen ?

Jan Frodeno wins his second Ironman World Championship

Can you ever imagine completing an Ironman and stating , “ I didn ’ t feel any pain ?” Well that is exactly what Switzerland ’ s Daniela Ryf said moments after crossing the line in a new course record time of 8:46:46 this year in Kona . Ryf ’ s incredible race began with a swim of 52.50 that saw her exit Kailua Bay just four seconds down on swim leader Meredith Kessler , but after the turn at Hawi , the famous turnaround town of the bike leg , Ryf went about re-writing the record books .

Gaining time with every pedal stroke Ryf entered T2 with an eight-minute lead over Germany ’ s Anja Beranek , but more

This story , My Hawaii , is focused on the age-group athlete , the weekend warriors who sacrifice time away from family and friends , sneak off from work at lunch times to fit in a swim or a run and live the multisport lifestyle for very little kudos . In this article we have asked four athletes to write in their own words what Hawaii means to them . importantly with a 22-minute lead over Australia ’ s own Mirinda Carfrae .

However once Ryf had fastened her running shoes there was no looking back . A 2:56:52 marathon took Ryf to the top of the podium while Carfrae re-established herself as one of the toughest Kona competitors running herself into second place in a time of 9:10:30 . After being hit by a car just days before last year ’ s race , Carfrae was back and said after the race , “ I was just trying to put together a solid marathon after such a rough day . Honestly , Daniela was in a different league today . I ' ll take the best of the rest today ."

The Australian professional women faired well with Carfrae claiming second and the consistent Carrie Lester gaining 10th place . The Aussie men had a tougher day with Tim Van Berkel finishing 19th in a gutsy display and David Dellow in 24th place . Hats off to Luke McKenzie who once again showed his character by finishing the race in 35th place in what was a tough day for the Gold Coast native .

Daniela Ryf sets a new record at the 2016 Ironman World Championship

You will be suitably inspired by these incredible people .

DAMIAN JEFFERY

To stop me from walking during the run leg in my qualifying race at Cairns , my thoughts were with my cousin who is only 49 years old and transitioning into a wheelchair . He suffers from Muscular Dystrophy , as do a number of my family members .

I realised in qualifying for Kona that I had a voice , and this led to me becoming an ambassador for MD Australia .

My employer also supported me by asking me to be a company health ambassador . This united those around me to raise funds ( we raised over $ 5000 ) and awareness for MDA , on the road to My Hawaii . I started a blog sharing my journey , tips from people who inspired me and informing people about MD . It also gave my cousin a purpose as he set a goal of representing Australia in shooting in the Tokyo Paralympics .

I hadn ' t ever travelled overseas and with a tight budget and family commitments , my wife Helyn and two girls , Alyza and Sienna couldn ' t make the trip . This led me to taking the tour with Tri Travel who really helped prepare me well for race day , so when the time came to brace for the Hawi cross winds and the energy lab , I was ready .

Mark Allen ’ s speech during the pre-race

dinner about Kupa ' a and Ohana really summed up my journey . Hawaii taught me to not be so hard on myself and to savour the moment . My girls wrote me a note before I left , telling me they would be proud no matter what time or place I came . So I took the time particularly on the run to embrace the spirit of the race and the island . I walked the red carpet , high-fiving kids and supporters , taking it all in .

I had a fantastic day , all of the fellow athletes , their family , locals and the very special volunteers made this possible . The race was everything I expected and more .

I ' ve made new friends , met a lot of my role models and learnt about the history of triathlon . I leave Kona with a full heart , the experience of a lifetime and as a better person . Mahalo .

MULTISPORT MAGAZINE | 9

Multisport Magazine Issue 22 | Page 9

AGE GROUP ATHLETES

FIRST UP , THE PRO RACE

AGE GROUP ATHLETES

DAMIAN JEFFERY

To stop me from walking during the run leg in my qualifying race at Cairns , my thoughts were with my cousin who is only 49 years old and transitioning into a wheelchair . He suffers from Muscular Dystrophy , as do a number of my family members .