You should be so lucky! I love the lottery; some say it’s the gateway to heaven. I agree. When does a mere mortal get to toe the line with the world’s best, on the same course, on the same day?

Not often. But now 200 lucky or crazy people have a daunting six months ahead.

First step is to actually “really” qualify! I know, you’re saying “Hey, I got in through the lottery!”

You sure did, but one of the requirements now is that you complete a half Ironman. Hey, if you’re a winner here in the lottery, a “Half” will be a walk in the park.

Whether you win the Super Bowl, College National Championship, or anything big, then it’s off to Disneyland. That fairy tale place that’s full of kid’s dreams which, once conquered, are certainly etched in minds forever. Kona is also magical. As a matter of fact, the memories are neither etched nor forged. They are real … very real.

Athletes from all corners of the globe will try to qualify all year long to fulfill their lifelong sporting dream ... becoming a part of the Ironman family.

I just wanted to give you a heads up on your next six months:

Firstly you need to book your trip. Ironman has an official travel company that it works with, Anthony Travel. You can contact them at www.anthonytravel.com. They offer a discount to all participants including airfare, accommodations, and car rental. It’s nice to get that organized early.

After fulfilling your qualification then training becomes a critical component.

I always worked off a 16 week plan. The first 4 weeks were dedicated to creating a base so that the next phases were easy to accomplish. Those four weeks are set aside for endurance based mileage, that’s slow mileage just getting through some days with 2 sports in a day or even attempting your first brick day. Brick day! What’s that? A brick workout is when you ride a ridiculous amount of miles, and then throw in a run afterwards. Just get those 4 weeks under your belt, then you can ask your significant other if your marriage is still intact! If the answer is yes, do more miles. No? Sorry, no refunds.

I always recommend that you find a race a month or every six weeks. Why? To break the monotony of just training without having an idea of how you are actually doing. Or you can give yourself a test. My favorite test was every three weeks after the initial month, I would swim three miles, have brekky (breakfast for you non Aussies) then climb aboard my vessel and ride five or six hours, and then a t-run (transition run AKA BRICK run) of around 45 minutes to one hour, depending on time of training. Now, that may scare you, but it’s only done every three weeks, and only three times ever throughout your training.

I have had many people ask me “Do I need to complete the distances in Training?” Not really, but I will suggest, if it makes you feel better, that the swim and the bike portions can be done at an easy pace. (But do them separately!) The run, however, I don’t recommend it. Why? Because recovery time is far too long, its weight bearing, whereas swimming is nothing but hydrotherapy, and the bike, yes, the large muscles get a workout, but never hit the ground like running.

Enough on training, lets get to the good stuff. Arriving in Kona. OK, another subject that’s a great debate, Acclimatizing. Some say a couple of weeks, some say a week. You know what? Either of those will work, but I suggest that you get there in the middle. Ten days was always great, you had time to unpack and unwind, also get used to the time change and the biggy. Adjust your body to the humidity of the islands. An increase of fluids is almost necessary, but a double edged sword here. Too many fluids in, leads to too much going out, along with all of your vital minerals. Just know your nutrition and your body, that’s all I can say. It’s a great idea to start well ahead of getting to Kona in order to start the body’s change well ahead of time.

OK, other reasons to get there early. Know the course. Arriving early will allow you to take a drive over the course if you don’t plan to swim/bike/run it. That may sound crazy, but rather than do it all at once, you can break it up. I always swam the course three times, and biked the complete course in stages. The first couple of days I got there to unwind and ease into the training. I took a swim for 30 minutes the first day, and rode out 45 minutes and returned, that got me past the airport and back.

The next day I rose early and rode to Kawaiihae and back, and ran. The next day I drove to Kawaiihae and rode the section to Hawi and back. It really gives you a great perspective of the course -- the only way to do it.

I ran the course “broken” too. I drove to the energy lab and ran the out and back section, and ran from the energy lab to town.

I must remind you all though: be careful and obey all traffic rules, and please wear clothes. We are visiting Kona!

Race week: It all starts with a Parade, a tradition that started here and it is simply amazing. You get to proudly walk behind your country’s flag. What an honor! About a mile walk on the Tuesday afternoon finishing at the Expo, which immediately opens. Talk about a great way to kick it off, thousands line the streets of Kona, and the famed Alii Drive has almost as many people on it as race day. Look around and soak it up, because it really is a spectacle.

When you do finish up at the expo, take your favorite poster or autograph book, because the big guns of Ironman are usually floating around, and an autograph is never too much to ask for.

The welcome dinner, Thursday evening, is always one of my favorites. There’s plenty of interesting video clips and information that you may or may not know. The folks at Ironman know how to put on a show, and this years is another cracker, some little birdie told me!

Friday, a day of rest, and a day to register your machine, the bike. Get this done early to avoid long lines, and then the day’s yours. Also a great day to send your family and friends on a day trip, but make them get home to cook you dinner by 5PM! Bugger them, remember, it’s all about you!

Saturday — race day. This is the day you have been waiting for over six months.

You deserve this day, a day that is full of surprises, in more ways than one. Enjoy the moment, run your race, and we’ll see you at the line!

I will be writing several updates throughout the year, if there are any items that you would like to read about, then email us. I will endeavor to get all the info to you.