Ironman World Championships 2018

Extremely pumped about 2018 season for triathlon, work and family! Tackling goals.

The year started with Alex and I discussing and deciding that after “taking off” from Kona in 2017 (due to

wedding, honeymoon, and kitchen re-model) that I could go “all in” in 2018. Immediately I started

developing a training plan that included Kona as my A-race, not just another race to cap off the season. I

started reviewing previous year race reports to figure out, “what changes are required to maximize my

performance in 2018?” The two key changes included an early season Ironman to allow for winter

training + Kona qualification AND joining the Julie Dibens (JD) squad. Both turned out to be perfect

decisions.

Many people have asked why Santa Rosa? So many reasons. Early season (June), stiff competition (many

EMJ teammates), easy to fly to San Francisco from Denver (direct SW flight), and honest bike course (no

drafting like Texas). Alex and I ended up staying with EMJ teammate, Ricardo Monroy & his wife Angela,

which was incredible. I got dominated on the bike by Derk de Korver, which was a good eye-opener if I

wanted to have a solid day in Kona. I was able to work my way up to 2nd place overall on the run, but if I

wanted to podium at Kona that plan wasn’t going to work. Thankfully, I had both Tour de France and

Leadville on my schedule to build up my bike! Ended up having my fastest IM (8:53) and fastest IM

marathon (2:57) which left me pleased yet seeking more. At the end of the trip I stayed with Tom &

Donna Tragur and visited Gu Energy Labs in Berkeley, CA thanks to Celia Santi! After reflecting on my

race at Santa Rosa IM, I set my 2018 Kona goal “Finish Top 3 in 30-34 AG”. No hiding from my goal, it

was signed and stamped on the Gu Energy goal wall!

Gu Energy Labs Goal Wall

Many people have asked why Julie Dibens (all in a good way)? Yet again, so many reasons. Personal

experience (proven triathlete), brutally honest (right to the point), 100% focused workouts (every

workout has purpose), incredible JD crew (pro athletes way better than me), and always present (she is

at our workouts and engaged). Best decision of my year. I trusted every decision, workout, and asked

questions openly. TRUST was the mantra of my season. Trust the training, body, and mind.

2018 Highlights

- Another EMJ team year! – Las Vegas tri camp, incredible sponsors, 70 crushing athletes with

work-life-community balance! Season highlight.

- Santa Rosa RM (8:53) – stayed with Ricardo, ran fastest marathon (2:57), 2nd overall

- Lake-to-Lake Tri (2:13) – right during middle of training block, strong bike/run, 1st overall

- Tour de France – traveled with friends, tour stages were epic, stayed in RV

- Leadville MTB Stage Race (6:38) – day after return from France, legs toast, 10th overall

- Leadville 100 MTB (7:28) – two big crashes, rode much stronger than 2016, 25th overall

- Kona IM (8:40) – executed race plan to T, race plan spot on, 26 EMJ, 9th Amateur overall

Kona IM

After Santa Rosa my attention quickly shifted to Kona. In 2018, I was not just going to Kona to vacation

and finish out the season, but rather to RACE. July & August my focus shifted from triathlon to outdoor

fun with Tour de France and Leadville MTB. Both were aligned with my #1 weakness … endurance bike

strength. During the week of the TdF, Rudy/Yoni/Andrew/Chris/Brad/I road >500 miles with substantial

climbing (Columbiere, Alp d’Huez, etc). The TdF environment was electric with cycling enthusiasts

everywhere! Upon return, it was right to Leadville (my favorite CO town) for the Stage Race and 100

MTB thanks to Gu Energy. After weekends with long MTB rides I quickly realized that my biking

endurance had substantially improved and my FTP was quickly climbing over 300W. After beating my

Leadville 100 MTB time from 2017 I knew that I was prepped and ready for a big Kona training block. I

established and documented my Kona goals and the intense training commenced!

1. Workout Consistency: Stick to the JD plan (don't push the easy ones, and commit on the hard

ones), Communicate early when conflicts arise.

2. Kona Preparation: Visualize success (dream how to execute on race day), Ensure all equipment

is dialed in (bike fit), Heat training (sauna).

3. Solid Nutrition: Healthy meals with body weight at 150 lbs, Practice nutrition on all workouts

(define the plan).

4. Strong Run off the Bike: Strength/Turnover mix (high strength = Mags & Switzerland + high

turnover = treadmill + Bobolink) … 6:40 pace.

5. Injury Free: Strength workouts 3x per week, LVL mobility daily with plan provided, yoga 1x per

week, massage every other week.

6. Targets: 1:00 swim, 4:50 bike, 3:00 run, 0:05 transition = 8:55 total

Weeks leading up to the race my fitness was quickly improving and I could see on my Training Peaks log

the upward trend. The entire season was a build (3 peaks) with max fitness just in time for Kona!

- Santa Rosa CTL = 191 Max

- Leadville CTL = 194 Max

- Kona CTL = 198 Max

Training Peaks Performance Summary

The Kona training build consisted of some key confidence workouts that I stored in my back pocket for

mental ammunition on race day.

- Negative split run with TO on Monarch … 5:31 pace on way home

- 4.5 hr bike to Masonville with race pace intervals … nailed every one including sweet spot effort

- 17 mile run straight up to Switzerland Trail … epic 7:10 pace up 3,000 ft

- 6.5 hr bike to Big T → Glenhaven → Nederland with JD & Matt Hanson

- 24 mile run with Alex on Bobolink … 6:15 pace + 8 mile run on treadmill after

I focused intently on optimizing my equipment (bike position, gel storage, run bib, etc) and nutrition on

every long workout to ensure I was ready on race day. I wanted getting ready the morning of Kona to be

like every other weekend!

Pre-Race

Busy week at work prior to the Hawaii flight building rocket engine turbopumps, locomotive

turbochargers, and torpedo propulsion equipment to keep the mind occupied (with little anxiety). I kept

reflecting on the incredible workouts I had leading up to Kona and reminding myself the hard work was

already completed. My parents were flying in Tuesday PM (freaking amazing) and Alex on Thursday PM

as she is swamped at work. A quick snapshot of my brief notes from pre-race…

- Pivotal workouts … 130mi in mountains (13k+ ft climbing) + 32mi run day with 24mi @ 6:15 pace

- Convergence of all critical projects at work … still maintained work-life balance

- Arrived 4 days early, limited acclimation, great flights … perfect timing!

- Acclimating in sauna pre & post key workouts really helped with sweat rate … 3-4x per week

spent 20+ minutes in high temp + humidity environment

- Underpants Run brought some good smiles with the EMJ team

- Felt Bicycle check & tune was amazing … replaced all questionable items and bike 100% ready

- Felt comfortable every minute because I remember the course and the experience (4th year)

- Meet up with Julie D to talk through race plan & ask lingering questions

Leadville Kona Santa Rosa

- Connecting with Island at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park night before race ☺

- Staying with the EMJ team on Ali’i was super convenient for team events and incredible view

On race morning I always do my same pre-race routine. Eat breakfast at 4:30AM (2 pieces of bread,

banana, peanut butter, chocolate chips) otherwise known as the Rudy special. The night before at our

family pasta dinner I wrote the friends/family sayings on my arm. Just to share a few…

Mine – “Trust Patience” … race my race linked to my training plan

Alex – “☺” on my right thumb … smile throughout the day, you do this for FUN!

Dad – “Trust the Process” … the body and mind are ready to crush

Mom – “Courage” … in Irish writing

David – “Malone’s Never Quit” … don’t give up no matter what

Greg – “Proud” … proud of yourself and everyone is proud of you

Boulder Buddies – “Big T” … stands for Big Thompson which is a long ride we do many weekends

2018 Kona Underpants Run with Team EMJ

Swim (57:53, 46 AG, 257 OA)

My swimming focus continued in 2018 with Rallysport Masters Swimming sessions 3 days per week with

some incredible coaches (Austin Vinton, Julie Dibens). On Mon/Weds/Fri I completed 4k yd swims with

focus on efficiency. I know my technique is terrible (breathing every stroke, head all over the place, no

kick, etc) so I was focusing on efficiency instead of time. I have been able to increase my pace to 1:20

/100 yds during workouts, but minimal open water swim training. During the swim, I just kept thinking

about the hard swim workouts every morning in Boulder with some of the top athletes in the world. I

kept telling myself, “long, smooth strokes and fight right until the end. Its only 1 hr!” Next year I need

to focus on this area with technique improvement. My quick highlights of the swim portion…

- Practiced in salt water 15 mins day before in my race kit and realized my underarms with the full

length tri suit sleeves & skinsuit rubbed horribly … applied tons of anti-chaff race day

- Applied significant anti-fog to goggles because in 2016 unable to see during spotting (foggy)

- Early morning water wadding at start saw many EMJ guys … great guys! Reminded me why I do

the sport. Just chatting and mentally preparing for the cannon.

- Started on left side at second Roka bouy (left of the middle)

- Absolutely clean water for me the entire swim, minimal spotting required

- Focused on current stroke and efficient stroke, added length as I got fatigued

- Did not wear Garmin … morning decision to just go free, went with the feeling

- 57 min swim … happy & well-positioned

Swim Start Overhead Picture

Bike (4:34:59, 25 AG, 110 OA)

Mentally I knew the bike was the most important part of my 2018 race! I had put in the hard work with

several rides >125 miles with high quality start to finish. I worked with Mat Steinmetz ~4 wks to dial in

my front end position allowing arms to extend forward. My goal was to maintain a 132 bpm HR @ 245W

with ensuring proper nutrition and focus on cooling down at every aid station. Like Santa Rosa, I was

confident if I focused on my race that I could soar on the run. I focused on spinning my legs and getting

ahead on my nutrition during the initial miles to start hammering on the Queen K.

After Mounting Bike in Kona

In 2014, I can remember panicking when everyone was passing me in the early miles thinking “What is

going on? Am I ready for this race?”. This year not the same thoughts; rather calm, cool, and collected.

The draft packs were present on the Queen K (not as bad as 2016), but I just stuck to my race plan. I

pushed consistently pretty hard the 1st 56 miles to work back up to Nick Noone and Clay Emge with two

5+ mile sections pulling the entire way (you can see it on my power & HR). At Mile 40 I could see the

wind playing with people mentally and I was 100% expecting it. I just put my head down and worked

hard until Hawi when I knew I was continuously moving towards the front. I was thinking, “The endless

long rides on Big Thompson, Estes Park, Golden Gate Canyon, etc are paying off!” Just continue to make

this ride look easy ☺ The way back to Kona I had one goal … stay aero (efficient) and keep HR at 132

bpm. With 15 miles remaining, I was fully prepared for the strong headwinds like previous years, but

they never came. There was a tailwind mostly the entire way back to Kona! When I saw the airport my

inner smile emerged because I knew there was only 7 miles until the dismount. I started thinking about

my game plan on the run since that was my last chance to attack. My quick highlights of the bike

portion…

- Good position early on with sights of Steve Jackson, Nick Noone, and Clay Emge on highway!

- FELT IA10 was fast … thanks Felt Bicycles for tuning at Kona and replacing some parts

- Slowly built through out and HR never dropped (~130 bpm avg)

- Pushed hard from Puako to Hawi to bridge gap to top riders

- Worked hard never to draft, latched to end bike group early on Queen K (w/ 6 bike lengths)

- Nutrition was spot on … 1 bottle per station & gel every 30 mins & salt tab every 1 hr

- Knew exactly where the wind was bad from 2014/15/16 … mostly tailwind this year

- Stayed in aero position >90% of ride … practice translated well

- Having larger gear for tailwind super helpful … learned from 2015

- No caffeine gels entire bike ride … saved it for Cola on run

Training Peaks Bike Performance – 243W normalized power, 82rpm avg, 130bpm avg HR

Run (3:02:26, 5 AG, 35 OA)

The run at Kona always feels like a death march even though this year the bike was fast & felt like much

cooler temperatures. The run started off on Ali’I Drive when I told myself, “you can run down 50% of

the people in front of you”. Within 6 miles I had passed many top amateurs (and pros) and I knew

because every spectator was chanting, “GO EMJ, you are #2 EMJ and #10 Amateur!”. At the turnaround

I slowly started to feel my legs lose the spring, but I knew I could run comfortably to Palani Dr. I was

internalizing the pain I was feeling and focused on an efficient run stride (out, NOT up). Every minute on

Ali’I Dr I was thinking about my friends and family that supported me on the journey. Random smiles as

I realized I was living the dream with my wife and family in the crowd supporting. A brief walk / run up

Palini Dr was my mental “reset” and now is when the race really starts. Onto the Queen K I reminded

myself how much I love the pain! I took a 2 min bathroom break which allowed a big gap between Clay

and I. The Pro’s started coming to the finish which gave me a spark and the aid stations just came and

went one at a time. I was thinking, “Patrick Lange is crushing it, but after all he is the best in the world.

This is the Superbowl of the sport and I am HERE!” Soon enough I was in the Natural Energy Lab

thankful that there was only 10 miles left. I was consistently running sub-6:30 min/mile pace, but then

walking aid stations to cool down and refuel (making my avg pace 7:00). I could have gone FASTER!

Volunteers informed me that I was Top 15 amateurs which was encouraging (plus I could see everyone

in front of me at the turnaround). Short story, there were NOT many athletes without a PRO bib

number in front of me. I re-passed Ryan Guilano (3rd AG) with 2 miles to finish and was starting to fade

with the aid stations feeling like miles apart. Soon enough I was turning down Palani and ready for the

finish! I was thinking about how fortunate I am with such good health and how much I LOVE the process

of training. With .25 miles to finish I started to feel light headed (likely because of pace + crowd noise)

and had to stop to re-group and prevent pass out which is when Ryan Guilano passed me to take 3rd AG.

What a day. I had no clue my time, but the huge finisher screen read, “8:40:00”! Hot damn, good day.

Training Peaks Running Stats – 133 avg bpm HR, 6:58 avg pace

Lets get to some of the key run highlights…

- Legs felt amazing after getting off bike … 7 miles in feeling solid until Palani Dr

- Consistent pace for entire section of Ali drive … 6:20-6:40 pace

- Ice down pants, started drinking coke … survival strategy ☺

- Latched onto Clay Emge (EMJ team) and maintained ~90s gap throughout (except after potty)

- So many fans yelling, “Go EMJ” … little smile each time

- Extensive focus on Palani Dr … really regrouped and mentally prepared for Queen K (walked)

- Aid station to aid station on Queen K … nothing special, but maintained

- Really feeling depleted at Energy Lab with the slightly longer out and back

- Turn back onto Queen K started getting salt tabs and chasing next person

- Last 1.5 miles was blackout and just get to the finish … passed on Ali’I for 3rd in AG!

- Race motto … what can I do right now to improve my situation!

- Crossing the line in 8:40:39 was best feeling ever … the hard work paid off!

Potty break Walk Palani

Run on Ali’I Drive

Post-Race

- Thanked every volunteer … literally every single one. They make the race day special!

- Spent time with my family … Alex and my parents cheered all day and supported all week!

- Don’t even think about tri for weeks … time to tune the skis for winter

- Went out to Keei Café for Alex 30th birthday celebration, absolutely delicious

- EMJ team parties were fantastic … great food and minimal tri talk!

2018 Kona IM Finish – 8:40:39

Immediately following the race, we quickly showered up and went to Keei Café to celebrate Alex’s 30th

birthday with my parents. We went to the same restaurant with my brother in 2014 and enjoyed the

fresh Ahi tuna steaks. Absolutely love her to the moon and back. She was pivotal in making this dream a

reality with cooking nutritious dinners, supporting my weekend workouts, and just being amazingly

supportive. My turn to give back!

Post-Race Dinner at Keei Café

Sunday after the race was filled with more fun. We traveled to Coffee Shack in Captain Cook for

breakfast because it overlooks the ocean. Then we went to Greenwell Farms Coffee Plantation to get

chocolate covered macadamia nuts and tour the coffee plantation. What a cool process. Later in the day

we attended the EMJ after party with teammates and families which was amazing! Lastly we went to the

Awards Banquet were 4 EMJ teammates were recognized (Nick Noone 2nd 18-24, Clay Emge 2nd 30-34,

Matt Malone 4th 30-34, Tom Trauger 3rd 55-59). I absolutely appreciated Daniella Ryf speech where she

recognized all the other top females for pushing her further than ever AND after getting stung by

jellyfish not giving up. Keep fighting and see where you end up! Unfortunately, Alex had to fly home for

work. What an amazing day with my family.

2018 Awards Banquet with Koa Bowl

Thank you to everyone who fueled my triathlon addiction in 2018. My amazing wife, Alex Klebe, who

supported and enabled my training every day for over a year. My parents for constantly encouraging me

to dig deeper and explore the world. My coach (Julie Dibens) for huge single year improvement and

attention to every detail. My Boulder buddies for pushing me through the mountain pain every

weekend. My EMJ teammates for pushing me to explore my potential and teach me about the sport.

Our EMJ sponsors (Every Man Jack, Felt, Louis Garneau, ENVE, Boco Gear, Garmin, Gu Energy, Sock Guy,

Normatec Recovery, Lululemon). My work, Barber-Nichols, for allowing me to maintain a healthy work-

life balance and explore incredible turbomachinery boundaries. Lastly, all my amazing friends who treat

me like an insane person for working out 20-25 hrs per week!

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