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 “pretty tough but pretty awesome” while Braden Currie admits his effort, potentially his last in Hawai’i, “wasn’t pretty”.
The 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championships produced the full gamut of emotions for New Zealand’s three pro men’s starters.
Cantabrian Phillips led the Kiwi tri in 17th in 8:01:11– a place shy of matching his 16th PB on Hawai’i’s Big Island – as Germany’s 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.
“It was pretty tough, but it was pretty awesome, I learnt a lot,” Hamilton said.
“The 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. I’m really proud.”
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 ‘Team Hammy” support crew of family and friends helped a lot.
“It gave me a boost every time, it was pretty cool seeing them out there even though I didn’t really say much to them as I ran past but I knew they were giving me their all,” Hamilton continued.
“I learnt what Kona’s 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.
“It’s a great experience to know what you’re up against on the global stage against some of the very best in the world.”
Currie was 28th, not what he’d 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.
“It was not pretty out there, I really, really battled on the bike all day,” Currie said.
“I don’t really know, maybe the head just wasn’t in the game and I was struggling to find the power and hang on.
“I ran fine, I felt fine on the run. I’m 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 I’d better get it finished so I stuck it out.”
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.
“Lucky 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 ‘friends.’,” Currie said.
“It’s a privilege to be a professional athlete. I am sorry I let the team down. I can’t 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 doesn’t make it any easier to absorb.
“I’m 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. “Thanks everyone for all the support. It’s been a pretty rough one this year. But it’s not over just yet.”
