Kona Dream Project
The story of the project itself, from the first call with Andy onwards - the testing, the training camps, the decisions behind the plan, and everything that's gone into bringing it to life.
Kona Project Ep. 13: Everything We Had To Fix Before Chasing Kona Again
Three months of testing after South Africa turned up exactly where the performance was leaking - run durability, bike volume, swim rate - and locked in Ironman Japan as the real Kona qualification attempt.
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Kona Project Ep. 12: Ironman South Africa
11:04:23 in Nelson Mandela Bay - a crash in Lanzarote three weeks out, a knee and hamstring that never really settled, and a marathon I finished on willpower alone.
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Kona Project Ep. 11: What Life Actually Looks Like
Why things went quiet after Tallinn - two infections back to back, leaving my job, and a full move to the Netherlands - and what the winter training roadmap to Ironman South Africa actually looks like.
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Kona Project Ep. 10: Ironman Tallinn - The Breakthrough Race
9:46:01 at Ironman Tallinn - not a Kona qualifier, but the clearest proof yet of what eight months of real structure actually does: a huge bike improvement and a 3:15 marathon off it.
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Kona Project Ep. 9: Cotswolds Classic & A Mallorca Heat Camp
A huge bike PB at the Cotswolds Classic with no drama for once, then a seven-day heat and hill camp in Mallorca - six weeks out from Ironman Tallinn.
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Kona Project Ep. 8: What Really Happened At 70.3 Bolton
Food poisoning two days before the gun, a mechanical at 70km that nearly ended the race, and a 1:34 half marathon run through nausea - the real story behind the 5:25:40 on the result sheet.
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Kona Project Ep. 7: Race Week Prep For 70.3 Bolton
Our first proper taper week - a physio check, a strength session, an open water swim lesson in a Yorkshire river, and some hill strides, all ahead of my first Ironman 70.3 Bolton.
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Kona Project Ep. 6: Xterra Triathlon & Blood Test Breakdown
Two months of training catch-up, a first off-road triathlon at Xterra Weston Park, a surprise half marathon PB, and what a DNA gut map and a full blood panel actually turned up.
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