My Road to Kona
On October 14, 2004, I was in Kona, Hawaii and had completed the 2.4 mile swim and 106 miles of the 112 mile bike segment of the Ironman Triathlon World Championships when a race official stepped in front of me and disqualified me from the race. My disqualification was due to a failure to meet the 10 hour and 30 minute cutoff for the swim and the bike. I was angry and disappointed with my performance, and it is a race I will never forget.
After my disqualification in 2004, I made it my mission to get back to Kona and accomplish what I had set out to do; finish Ironman Hawaii. In order to race in Ironman Hawaii, a triathlete must earn a slot through a qualification race. For the handcycle division, competitors must place in the top two at one of two qualifiers, Lubbock, Texas or Antwerp Belgium. This structure ensures that qualifying for Kona is a special privilege and that eligibility is only for the elite.
Disappointments in Texas
In 2005 and 2006 I traveled to the trials in Texas and earned a third place finish both years. I missed qualifying by one position and was defeated by stronger and faster competitors. After each of the trials I was increasingly motivated to train harder and increase my competitive edge. My greatest challenge has and continues to be that my fellow handcycle athletes possess significantly more muscle function than I do. My injury prevents me from using any muscle groups below the T5/T6 level; which translates to completing a 140.6 mile race using only my arms and shoulders. Despite this adversity, I resolved to do whatever it would take to achieve my goal of finishing Kona.
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In 2007 I once again competed in the trials in Lubbock, Texas. For this race, I rode a new titanium recumbent-style handcycle that was more aerodynamic and overall more suitable for my injury level. I had a spectacular race and cut 43 minutes off of my 6 hour race time. This, however, was still not quite enough. I missed qualifying by 5 minutes and 10 seconds. Once again, I was disappointed that I did not qualify, but also deep down I was proud that I had made such great improvement. Not willing to accept that my quest for the year was over, a month later I traveled to Antwerp, Belgium to compete in the European trials. I again took a monumental one hour off of my half- Ironman time only to miss qualifying by two minutes.
Recommitting for Kona
Before the trials in 2007 I was a bit worn down from all the training and sacrifices and had kicked around the idea of making it my last year of trying to qualify for Kona. After coming so close at the trials in 2007, I just couldn’t give up and I pledged myself to a whole new level of commitment. I was confident that I had more to give to my training but I also was well aware that it was going to take an effort far beyond what I had given over the previous four years.
In the fall of 2007, I set out to enhance my equipment and developed a handcycle that would be superior to my competitors’ equipment. With the help of my dad, we developed and fabricated the first ever carbon fiber triathlon handcycle. In addition to developing new equipment I researched and developed an extremely aggressive training plan that would enable me to reach my goals.
That winter I trained with intense focus and treated every single workout with emotional intent; an intent that I hoped with enable me to reach me goal of completing Kona. As I progressed with my training, in turn my attitude also improved and soon I realized that I was not only capable of finishing Kona but winning Kona. In hindsight this shift in attitude was the one variable that gave me the edge throughout the season.
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| Building my new handcycle | Racing with my new handcycle |
2008 Trials in Texas
In June of this year, I once again traveled to the trials in Lubbock, Texas. I was confident in my ability but felt more than ever that I had something to prove to both myself and my competition. Just as I had visualized and after three years of failed attempts, I won the trials and a slot to the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii! I took 32 minutes off my time from the previous year and beat the competitors that had defeated me year after year. More importantly, though, I had elevated my game to a whole new level.
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| Racing in Texas | Finishing in Texas |
Stay tuned, I'll be updating my web site shortly.
-Jason
