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Fraser Cartmell: My journey to Hawaii 2015

There had been a long time between drinks. It was 5 years since my last (and only) race on the Big Island – the biggest race of them all in non drafting triathlon; Ironman Kona. This goal of qualifying for Kona once again had essentially started two years beforehand when I was on the island supporting Ali on her very first attempt at the distance, but started for me in serious earnest just over one year ago at IM Wales. However, with some reasonable reflection since returning home I can now grasp why it was this very (drawn out!) process that resulted in my finish time being over an hour slower than ever before in an M-dot. Undeniably, once I had qualified for Kona it was ‘head down, bum up’ territory. You believe in yourself to be able to ready on that given day, which admittedly was not that far away anymore. But you tell yourself it’s far enough away. As a brief background, qualifying as a Professional for Kona is determined by a points scale (Kona Pro Rankings, or KRP). Athletes accrue points via 5 scoring races, at least one of which must be an Ironman, and up to ...

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