Hey guys Taren here.
With the Ironman Kona 2015 World Championship coming up so soon today we’re talking about
everything you wanted to know about how the pro race stacks up but were afraid to ask.
Stick around to the end and I’ll give you my two picks on who is going come out on top
of the women's and the mens race.
A-Race Taren
Starting out with the men’s race ZEE German UBER-Biker, defending champion and part-time
professional potty-mouth Sebastian Kienle hasn’t raced much this year, and he’s
got a history of holding back in the Ironman 70.3 world championships, so we don’t really
know if his second place finish in Austria indicates just how fit he really is.
If he is in good shape, you can expect him to be 3-5 minutes down out of the swim, absolutely
kill the field in the 180 mile bike, and then just hold onto his lead on the run.
I think that the top contender to dethrone Kienle is clearly former Olympic gold medallist
and the guy who beat Kienle at the half-ironman World Championships: Jan Frodeno.
Jan quickly transitioned from short course to ironman racing and is probably the fastest
swimmer and runner in the field.
He’s a big man at 6 feet 4 inches tall which does tend to hurt athletes in the Kona heat
but that didn’t stop him from coming in third at his Ironman Kona debut in 2014.
For added cool points Jan actually owns a company called Frodissimo coffee, and anyone
who helps spread dark nectar is ok in my books.
Other athletes who have had good, but spotty showings in Kona and could contend if they
manage to get everything to come together on the day are 2013 Champion Frederik Van
Lierde.
And the best trucker hat wearer in the field 2013 runner up Luke MacKenzie.
Top US contenders are former NCAA All-American swimmer Andy Potts, last year’s runner up
but best hat winner Ben Hoffman could also contend.
A Kona rookie and all around good guy who I would watch out for is my fellow Canadian
Brent McMahon who proved he can handle the Ironman distance when he won Ironman Arizona
in 2014 when he set a course record of 7:55:48 and that was actually the fastest Ironman
distance debut in history.
The women's side of the race comes down to the unbelievable run speed of defending champ
Mirinda Carfrae, and in my opinion her only real competitor is Swiss triathlete Daniella
Ryf.
Carfrae has been the class of the field for years and has yet to finish lower than third
in Kona.
She holds the overall female course record, and last year came from over 15 minutes back
on the bike to run a course record 2:50:36 marathon which was the third fastest marathon
of the day…for either men or women.
Don't expect her to have a great swim or bike but her run speed has typically been enough
to win Kona.
And in related news, I think she has a crush on me.
Yep.
Two time defending half Ironman world champion Daniella Ryf is far and away Carfrae’s biggest
contender.
She just stepped up from short course triathlons to the Ironman distance in 2014 and has crushed
the fields in the 70.3 worlds for the past two years.
Ryf uses her awesome swim and bike speed to build up a big lead, the question is whether
or not she can hold off Carfrae on the run.
Other athletes who have been knocking at the door but haven’t been able to win in Kona
are top-notch swimmer and Instagram selfie expert Jodie Swallow.
The Swiss Miss Caroline Steffen.
And probably the most consistent athlete to never have won in Kona Rachel Joyce.
Meredith Kessler is probably the top female US contender but she's always had a really
tough time in Kona.
The one US female athlete I’m really eager to watch debut is the super talented, and
well-inked up Heather Jackson.
I think she could develop into the US’s top contender in the future…but probably
not this year because it's her first dance in Kona.
Now if I had to bet on who would be winning the races I would be putting my money onJan
Frodeno on the mens side, and Mirinda Carfrae on the women's.
Having won the half-ironman worlds on a day when he even said he would be holding back
it’s clear that Jan has done a great build up throughout the year.
And until she shows otherwise Carfrae has proven she’s one of the best athletes to
have ever raced in Kona, and as long as she’s close after the bike and comes into the race
healthy it’s tough for anyone to think that they can beat her.
I want to know who you think will be winning on Kona, so tell your picks for both the women's
and mens races in the comments below.
If you like the video as always give us a thumbs up below that's much appreciated.
We'll also be coming up with a How To Watch the Kona Race whether you're at home or you're
actually in Kona, so if you don't want to miss that video make sure you hit the subscribe
button.
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Thank you for watching, kill your next A-Race…especially if it’s Kona!