Photos: Korupt Vision for Ironman
By Kent Gray/Triathlon.kiwi
Mike Phillips came within a whisker of matching his Kailua-Kona best, Ben Hamilton described his debut as âpretty tough but pretty awesomeâ while Braden Currie admits his effort, potentially his last in Hawai’i, âwasnât prettyâ.
The 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championships produced the full gamut of emotions for New Zealandâs three pro menâs starters.
Cantabrian Phillips led the Kiwi tri in 17th in 8:01:11â a place shy of matching his 16th PB on Hawaiâiâs Big Island â as Germanyâs Patrick Lange claimed his third world title in 7:35:53..
Phillips was 31st out of the water, worked his way up to 26th after the 180km bike and then produced a 2:54:35 marathon to chip away another nine places.
“Awesome to race the best guys in such testing conditions here on the island,” Phillips said on social media.
“Played the long game hoping to pick up some more on the run, but pushed a bit too hard in the Energy Lab which made for a long last 10km!”
Hamilton was a thoroughly impressive 25th on debut, finishing in 8:09:35.
âIt was pretty tough, but it was pretty awesome, I learnt a lot,â Hamilton said.
âThe swim was okay, I had to ride pretty hard and think I did equal best power on the bike in challenging conditions. First half of the run I was feeling okay and then forgot to fuel in the Energy Lab and had a couple of tough moments coming out before I pulled it back together. Iâm really proud.â
The 25-year-old Aucklander, who ran a 3:00:15 marathon, took a lot from his first visit to the biggest stage in the sport. Having his âTeam Hammyâ support crew of family and friends helped a lot.
âIt gave me a boost every time, it was pretty cool seeing them out there even though I didnât really say much to them as I ran past but I knew they were giving me their all,â Hamilton continued.
âI learnt what Konaâs like, some not easy conditions but not as hot on the bike as what I expected. Just a lot of lessons that I can hopefully take forward for future years.
âItâs a great experience to know what youâre up against on the global stage against some of the very best in the world.â
Currie was 28th, not what heâd hoped for in what shapes as his final start in Kona.
The Wanaka 37-year-old strangely struggled on the bike and then had to battle that disappointment to finish the run 2:54:25.
âIt was not pretty out there, I really, really battled on the bike all day,â Currie said.
âI donât really know, maybe the head just wasnât in the game and I was struggling to find the power and hang on.
âI ran fine, I felt fine on the run. Iâm gutted but it is what it is. I think I had the thought that this will probably be the last time I do this run so Iâd better get it finished so I stuck it out.â
Writing on social media later, Currie reflected on a another frustrating result near of the end of a tough year but vowed to fight on. The 70.3 world championships in mid-December are now the focus.
âLucky to have my family here with me at the start and at the end. And lucky to call the many people from the brands that support me to do the sport âfriends.â,â Currie said.
âItâs a privilege to be a professional athlete. I am sorry I let the team down. I canât express how I felt today watching the race ride away from me. I know it was a brutal ride and many of us paid the price but it doesnât make it any easier to absorb.
âIâm glad I finished. Had plenty of banter with the many casualties as the kms ticked over out there. Many of us will need a bit of time to heal the wounds inflicted. âThanks everyone for all the support. Itâs been a pretty rough one this year. But itâs not over just yet.â
