Kona Thoughts

o Word is Faris Al Sultan and Stadler got the flu a few days ago while training together in San Diego. I don't think Al Sultan started and Stadler dropped out at the turn around point in Hawi.

o I held Jaja of until mile 52!!! He ran a sick marathon, very impressed by his performance.

o Biking 112 after swimming in fresh water - no problem, biking 112 miles after swimming in salt water can lead to major chafing.

o Fewer clif and power bars and more Gu and Powergels worked well for me. Coke tasted soooo good on the bike, but watch out... They put the water and coke in the same water bottles. Coke burns the eyes when accidentally sprayed in the face.

o The weather was manageable, I'd say better that Louisville. Winds were no joke though. Climb to Hawi with the 30 mph head wind is tougher that you can imagine.

o Each leg of the race, you're surrounded by athletes. My friend told me to put myself right in the middle of the swim start, and it worked out really well. A few kicks here and there, but everyone is aware of each other which makes for controlled chaos. The first 10 miles of the bike course are a draft fest, since there are so many people out on the course at the same time. The run is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Surrounded by other runners, but complete silence for 75% of the race. You end up doing a lot of thinking.

IMKONA Facts

Going The Distance: Contestants swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. That's 140.6 miles -- farther than the distance between New York and Washington DC.

Weather: Contestants cannot escape the equator-strength sun, but that's not even their chief concern. Swirling winds -- called ho'o mumuku by native Hawaiians -- can rage between 25 and 45 miles per hour, with gusts up to 60 miles per hour. During the 2001 event, a few participants were actually blown off their bikes. Two-time Ironman champion Luc Van Lierde said, "You need to respect the weather conditions here - they are stronger than you are."

Fire: Madame Pele, goddess of fire and volcanos in the ancient Polynesian tradition, has had an important role in the Ironman. She is unpredictable, but you can count on one thing: Take a lava rock souvenir from her island, and your race will suffer until you return it. Just ask Mark Allen and Greg Welch.

Ice: Snow typically falls on the summit of Mauna Kea from January through March. With snow drifts reaching six feet, some Hawaii surfers head to the summit for snowboarding.

NELHA: Short for the "Natural Energy Lab of Hawaii Authority," this four mile out and back section of the marathon course crowns champions and crushes would be contenders at the same time. When contestants enter this barren lavascape from Kona's main highway, they have no protection from the midday sun. It's like entering a real-life Dante's inferno.

Queen Ka'ahumanu Hwy: Ironman's main arena, the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway is commonly called the Queen K. It cuts a snake-like path through the 100 year old lava beds that give much of the West Hawaii coastline a moon-like appearance.

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Tomorrow is game time. My keys to success are:

Respect the Distance

Respect the Weather

Enjoy the Experience

Smile at the Finish

JAJA

Today we spotlight a cyclist, info from the race program:

Laurent Jalabert is special. As a professional cyclist, he has been ranked number one in the world.

He has won Paris-Nice three times, four stages of the Tour de France, three stages at the Giro d'Italia and 18 stages at the Vuelta - plus the World Time Trial Championship.

In his first Ironman in Switzerland this year, he sandwiched a 4:39 bike ride between a 1:16 swim and a 3:11 marathon.

There is buzz in the cycling world. Jalabert is the most decorated cyclist to ever give the Ford Ironman World Championship a try.

When Jaja emerges from the water and gets on his bike, the world will be watching.

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It'll certainly be interesting to see how far into the bike I get before Jaja goes by. Let's see if I can make it to the airport on the way towards Hawi.

Track your Ironman

Live athlete tracking with text messaging.

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Sultan of Speed

Yesterday I provided a few excerpts describing the duel between Stadler and McCormack. Today, let's find out what Faris Al Sultan has to say about McCormack and the drama.

[From September issue of Triathlete]

Tri mag: After the Hawaii Ironman dust-up involving you and Normann vs. NcCormack, there was another episode that took place at a short-course race in Dubai, UAE. It's his contention that he attempted to approach you and bury the hatchet but that you were unresponsive to him.

Al Sultan: To be honest, I don't speak to him anymore, and I didn't speak to him in Dubai. After the race in Dubai, he wrote an article on Xtri.com, and every word he wrote there was wrong. After I read that article, I thought, "This guy is sick. He has a problem."

Tri mag: Will you speak to him at all leading up to Hawaii or will you simply keep your distance?

Al Sultan: I don't want to speak to him. As I said, I think that he has a problem and I don't think there will be a reason for me to speak to him.

Tri mag: Does all the fracas with Macca trouble or motivate you for the race?

Al Sultan: I don't need that kind of excitement. The races where I focus on one other person to beat didn't go well. I'll focus on myself and having a good race. The more I focus on myself, the better it will be.

Pros go off at 6:45 am, age groupers at 7 am. The stage is set for a showdown between Stadler, McCormack, and Al Sultan.

Sister Madonna

I think she's 78. She competed at Ironman Canada this year and is gearing up for tomorrow. What a crazy nun.

Sister Madonna was spotted several times in Kona. She's got a broken toe, so it'll be interesting to see how she does tomorrow. Last year she finished 51 seconds before the cut off.

Normann vs Macca

The Stadler-McCormack duel is real. Everywhere you look there are magazines hyping up the rivalry building up to race day. So to pass some time, here are some excerpts from Inside Triathlon magazine:

Chris McCormack on Normann Stadler's Hawaii victory and ther duel...

CM: People say, "Oh in another mile you would have caught him!" I say, "No way mate! Another mile I wouldn't have made it. That was everything I had." I crossed the line, hugged him and said, "Well done, mate." I went back to my house and my wife and I said, "I won my seconds place today. I can live with that." That was the first time I've been ecstatic with second. It took a world champion to have his best day to beat me.

At the press conference, I said, "I didn't think Normann was that good." But I meant that in a positive way as another athlete saying, "Mate, you were amazing today." And he took that the wrong way. See, I had a perfect day. And when I have perfect days, I don't lose. And still this guy beats me. That is what I was trying to say, but I was attacked for it.

On the post-race party...

CM: Just before the party after the awards ceremony, I saw an online interview where Normann said I should be ashamed of myself. [In the online interview, Stadler was quoted saying, "You know Macca drafted. He was alway in the pack. We all know he was cheating."]

The Aussie way is that you don't talk about people behind their backs-you confront them. So I went up to him in the club and said, "Normann, can I chat with you for a minute?" Normann said, "What is your problem?" I said, "Mate, you're saying some things about me. What's the go? If you got something to say, say it to my face." He said, "I never said anything." The I showed him the interview on a Blackberry. He said, "The race was yesterday." I said, "I didn't have a problem with you yesterday. You beat me, man. You were incredible. But I have a problem with you now. Look, if I'm just a useless joke, then who did you beat, mate? You just beat up on a bunch of nobodies. I've raced you my whole career. I've kicked your ass more than you've ever beaten me. Come on, man! Give me that respect."

On his Hawaii process...

CM: When I first went to Hawaii, I saw a bunch of slow donkeys. I thought, "The thoroughbreds are now coming to the big race and you guys are gonna get flogged." I thought, "Peter Reid swims 5:20 for 400. He runs 40 minutes for the 10km. He can't beat me! I'm a thoroughbred." That was my attitude. I did my first Ironman and won it. Did three halves, undefeated. Can't beat me.

On playing mind games...

CM: The mind games that happen in pro sport, they're no sappy little love story. They're real. This year, someone's going to win Ironman Hawaii and I want that to be me. Normann wants that to be him. Faris wants that to be him. Beke wants that to be him.

After a while, I had a chat with Faris. I said, "Look, man, what's the go?" He said, "I don't like the way you race. You're very tactical." And then it hits me. I said, "Faris, you've won this race. Unlike you and Normann, I've never won it. I'm going to be tactical because I want to win the friggin' thing.

I enjoy teasing Faris. The other day, we exchanged e-mails. I wrote, "I say I'm going to deliver, I deliver, mate. I said I was going for a world record [at Quelle Challenge Roth] and I came within three minutes [McCormack finished in 7:54:23]. I don't fail." He replied, "Yeah, you failed in Hawaii." I said, "So have you -- eight times, mate, and you won it once! You failed seven times." It's not mean, it's just two guys trying to get the upper hand.

From the other side...

Normann Stadler listens to all of the rhetoric, but he pefers to do his talking on race day by blowing the field apart on the bike, just like always. His tactics are as complicated as a right cross to the face. He smiles and says little. But what he does say speaks volumes:

"Stadler TWO," he says softly.

"McCormack ZERO."

My prediction? Chris "Macca" McCormack will cross the line first. It's going to be fun watching them battle it out on Queen K and then along Alii Drive.