Photo: Korupt Vision
By Kent Gray/Triathlon.kiwi
While Ben Hamilton giddily eyes his Kona debut and Mike Phillips talks of the “privilege” of making his third start in Hawaii, Braden Currie concedes this is probably his last “roll of the dice” for glory in triathlon’s spiritual home.
The Kiwi trio will line up alongside more than 50 pros in Saturday’s mouthwatering VinFast IRONMAN World Championship (local time). You can watch live on Ironman’s YouTube Channel from 5am NZ time Sunday here or via proseries.ironman.com
Currie was good enough to finish 3rd at the delayed and relocated 2021 World Championships in St. George, Utah (delayed till May 2022 due to the pandemic) and has two top 10s in Kona, 5th in 2018 and 7th the following year.
However, his pursuit of happiness in Hawaii has been elusive in recent years. Illness forced him to DNF in 2022 before Ironman controversially split the worlds between Kona and Nice and sent the men to France last year.
That cut another chance for Currie in Kona and he didn’t have much fun in Nice either when a drafting penalty saw him finish 16th. It all adds up to even greater sense of occasion – and urgency – in 2024.
“To be honest, it’s probably going to be my last Kona considering next year we’ll go to the World Championship in Nice,” said Currie whose other start in Kona was 30th on debut in 2017.
“So, it feels like my last good chance to roll the dice, everything’s there for me. It’ll be an amazing feeling to have a great result at a World Champs race again. I feel like I did it in St. George, I put everything out there that I had to, and I know that I’ve still got the ability to do that, to have a great race. I’ve just got to put it all together.”
The Wanaka 38-year-old is expecting a fast and furious day amongst the lava fields of the Big Island.
“It’s going to be fast, there’s no doubt about it, everyone’s going to be pushing,” Currie continued.
“I think the big thing about this year is everyone’s got such different dynamics. Everyone’s got different strengths, there are some phenomenal swimmers that are going to push that swim really hard and obviously, some big bikers that need to make big moves otherwise they won’t be in the race, Magnus Ditlev, even [Sam] Laidlow, maybe Lionel Sanders coming back into the race, guys that need to make those big moves and need to get to the front of the race, need to blow the race apart to have a chance at doing well.
“So that ride is going to be very hard, I would say, and explosive.But I think that’ll probably lead to some pretty big explosions at the same time. Then there’s the runners like Patrick [Lange] and a couple of other guys who are maybe in the low 2:30 marathons, even in Kona, so they’re going to be probably playing a bit of cat and mouse.
Currie admits it’s already been a “big year” racing “on three continents, including in America twice” chasing the new riches offered by the Ironman Pro Series. But he’s happy with his prep.
“I’m healthy, injury-free, and looking forward to it. I had a big 10-week block in Noosa since Frankfurt where I’ve just been working hard, chipping away, and it’s gone well.”
Phillips, meanwhile, will look to eclipse his Kona best of 16th in 2018. The Christchurch 33-year-old was 39th the following year but unfortunately DNF’d in Nice last year.
Like Currie, he’s hopeful of eking more out of an already long season.
“It’s been a pretty packed season, but I feel good. The body has held up well, and I’m actually feeling stronger as the season progresses,” said Phillips.
“Racing at a high level always takes a toll, but it also prepares you for the next challenge. Heading into Kona, I feel like I’m hitting my peak at the right time.
“Racing here is a privilege. Kona is the pinnacle of our sport, and just being on that start line means a lot,” he said.
“It’s the race everyone dreams of growing up in triathlon, and to represent not only myself but also the team and everyone supporting me is huge. It’s a moment where all the hard work comes together, and you get to test yourself against the best in the world on the biggest stage.”
While Currie and Phillips have plenty of IRONMAN World Championship experience, Hamilton punched his debut ticket with third place at March’s ANZCO Foods Ironman New Zealand (pictured below).
“It’s a bit surreal, I completed my first professional race in June 2023 and 16 months later, here we are in Kona preparing to race the very best of long course triathlon,” said Hamilton.
“Kona was a goal for me at the start of the year, so I’m super proud to be here and I look forward to being an underdog again on the start line.
“My prep has gone very well, I included a lot of specific heat training for the conditions so I was well adapted before arriving in Kona, and by the time race day comes around, I will have 11 days on the island in the natural climate.”
The 25-yeear-old Aucklander heads into the weekend off the back of his biggest professional result to date, a win at last month’s 70.3 Sunshine Coast, a “great confidence booster for me” that he hopes “to carry that across to the full distance here in Kona.”
Just uttering Kona is surreal all the same.
“It’s a privilege. I finished school wanting to be a professional cyclist and one day ride the Tour de France. With a change of passions, I now want to pursue triathlons to the highest level,” he said.
“Kona is the pinnacle and I get to race this year for the first time, and I’m sure I’ll experience the toughness of the course on race day.”
