Facebook reminded me of this photo from 2011.
This photo was taken by my dad at the Kona Plaza, just a few days before my 2nd Ironman World Championship. Karel was just a cyclist at this time so for his first time to the big island, Karel explored every challenging bike route that he could find.....off the IM Kona bike course.
Karel didn't understand or care much for the sport of triathlon back then, except for the fact that I loved the sport and he supported me in all of my swimbikerun goals and dreams.
It was only a few months after the Ironman World Championship, as we were driving home from USA Crits Speed Week, when Karel mentioned to me that he was getting "too old" for competitive cycling and he was ready for a change in sport. Although he still loved bike racing, Karel wanted a new athletic challenge to keep him healthy, competitive and active. Whereas once Karel didn't understand why anyone would run when they could ride a bike, he started to dedicate himself to triathlon training, which meant learning how to swim and run off the bike.
Since Karel and I met in 2006 (when I completed my first Ironman), we have now completed a combined 21 Ironman distance events and too many half IM events to remember. We have raced on the big island of Kona a combined 6 times and have helped a few of our Trimarni athletes qualify for the Ironman World Championship.
With no plans of stopping our triathlon hobby anytime soon, we are loving sharing this swimbikerun lifestyle together and with so many like-minded individuals. Ironman World Championship race week is now a special time for me and Karel as it has an interesting way of reminding us of how much fun we have had with the sport of triathlon. It has truly enriched our life and as coaches, we get to share personal triathlon journey's and experiences with our athletes.
Although we are both extremely competitive, we work hard to improve our physical and mental skills and love to race, there is great personal enjoyment for the sport of triathlon, which we also see as a way for us to stay physically and mentally healthy as we get older.
As we gear up for another Ironman World Championship (although this year we will be glued to our computer, instead of being in Kona), all next week on my blog I will be sharing a few Kona Race Week mistakes that I see/hear Ironman athletes make year after year and how to manage all the pre-race hype to ensure athletic excellence on race day.
Picture from 2015 - our first IM Kona together.
This photo was taken by my dad at the Kona Plaza, just a few days before my 2nd Ironman World Championship. Karel was just a cyclist at this time so for his first time to the big island, Karel explored every challenging bike route that he could find.....off the IM Kona bike course.
Karel didn't understand or care much for the sport of triathlon back then, except for the fact that I loved the sport and he supported me in all of my swimbikerun goals and dreams.
It was only a few months after the Ironman World Championship, as we were driving home from USA Crits Speed Week, when Karel mentioned to me that he was getting "too old" for competitive cycling and he was ready for a change in sport. Although he still loved bike racing, Karel wanted a new athletic challenge to keep him healthy, competitive and active. Whereas once Karel didn't understand why anyone would run when they could ride a bike, he started to dedicate himself to triathlon training, which meant learning how to swim and run off the bike.
Since Karel and I met in 2006 (when I completed my first Ironman), we have now completed a combined 21 Ironman distance events and too many half IM events to remember. We have raced on the big island of Kona a combined 6 times and have helped a few of our Trimarni athletes qualify for the Ironman World Championship.
With no plans of stopping our triathlon hobby anytime soon, we are loving sharing this swimbikerun lifestyle together and with so many like-minded individuals. Ironman World Championship race week is now a special time for me and Karel as it has an interesting way of reminding us of how much fun we have had with the sport of triathlon. It has truly enriched our life and as coaches, we get to share personal triathlon journey's and experiences with our athletes.
Although we are both extremely competitive, we work hard to improve our physical and mental skills and love to race, there is great personal enjoyment for the sport of triathlon, which we also see as a way for us to stay physically and mentally healthy as we get older.
As we gear up for another Ironman World Championship (although this year we will be glued to our computer, instead of being in Kona), all next week on my blog I will be sharing a few Kona Race Week mistakes that I see/hear Ironman athletes make year after year and how to manage all the pre-race hype to ensure athletic excellence on race day.
Picture from 2015 - our first IM Kona together.