All right, I want to welcome everybody on behalf of Feisty Media and hoka.

We are Feisty Media.

We are women's sports and health media company.

And you can get some more information at the start.

And you can also, if you love these here for the women's race shirts.

We have some stylish larges left.

And I want to thank HOKA for giving us this venue, supplying the food, bringing everybody.

Thank you.

And so what we're going to do is we're going to hear from our Ironman foundation and local athletes.

Yes, you can come.

Let's bring them up.

Come on and sit down.

And we will introduce you.

And then we're going to take a little break and then we're going to hear from our pro athletes.

So I need Vic, I need Danae, I need Mel, I need Becca.

All to come on up.

I think to start out, we all need to start by.

It is Vic's birthday today, so on three, let's all say happy birthday.

Ready?

One, two, three.

Happy birthday.

The best part is I got to do the race yesterday when I was so much younger.

Oh, we have a.

We have a cake for you too.

Oh, my gosh.

Is it a Martin gel?

Oh, thanks, guys.

Do you have water, ice and mortal for me to wash it down?

Thank you.

All right, so what we're going to do is we're going to hear from our.

Well, we're going to eat our cake, we're going to hear from our Iron man foundation athletes and our local Hawaii athletes and about Vic.

So we are.

We have Victoria Brumfield here, who's the USAT CEO and was an Ironman foundation athlete.

And let's start with you, Vic.

It was your first Kona.

Did it live up to expectations?

Oh, it exceeded it in every way.

It was so magical.

It really was.

And I mean, look, the island is incredible.

And the energy of having everybody from the sport here together and just the enthusiasm of all the women who've worked so hard to get here, that was incredibly special.

But also the experience that Ironman curated was unlike anything I've ever experienced.

I was saying I've never been married, but it kind of felt like I was at my endurance wedding.

It was just like everywhere I went, there was carpet rolled out and everybody was handing things to me and treating me like royalty, and it just.

It was so special.

I really, like.

I loved it.

And even going from aid station to aid station, I was telling Julie it wasn't just about my normal routine of getting from one point to another.

It Was that I knew when I got there that the volunteers would make me feel loved.

And it was just, it was like that every step of the way, with exception of the swim course, where I did not feel loved.

I was going to ask you, I heard you finish from like down the street, but I didn't see you finish.

What was that feeling like to finally come down that finish line after all the training?

It's so magical what your body does when you know the finish line is in sight.

And it's, you know, the whole run I was.

There were highs and lows.

And I just kept telling myself, no matter how good or how bad it feels, it won't last.

And you have that ping ponging pain, right?

Like it's in one side and then you're like, okay, just breathe into it and it goes away.

But then all of a sudden the other side hurts and it.

And you're always struggling throughout the event with different highs and lows.

But when I made that turn onto Ali Drive, I felt like I could have run a six minute mile.

Like, I felt so lifted.

Did you run a six minute mile?

It felt like it.

I think it was a 13 minute mile, but I felt so fast and it just, it was really special.

And the crowds that are out there, I can't believe they stayed up that late.

I was like, oh my gosh.

I felt like I was in the running the dark for like six, seven hours.

I kept asking volunteers.

I'm like, is it midnight yet?

Like, I was so.

It was so hard being out there in the dark.

But you didn't feel any of that when you got to the finish line.

It just felt illuminated and energetic and just special in a way that I don't think I've ever experienced at a finish line before.

I'm gonna ask each of you this, but I feel like we just heard about your high.

So what was your low point?

It's interesting.

There were a lot of challenges.

I don't know if I'd call them lows because every one of them, my, my girlfriend Brenda that I'm here with, we just kept saying that whatever is given to us is what we need to experience.

And so I will say the swim was much more challenging than I had expected.

And I just used it as an opportunity to practice.

Sheree, who was just put into the hall of fame, her mantra of calm, committed, courageous.

And I just, I did that rhythm as I swam.

And.

And so while that was a low point and that it was hard, it was so actualizing to know That I could call myself and experience it and still finish and feel good.

And I had a lot of those moments throughout the whole race where, you know, like a low point is I've been having a hip flexor issue.

But it held off until mile a hundred.

And that was just such a gift, right, that I could pedal for a hundred miles without that pain and on the run and it was just knowing that, that, you know, like, I talked to as many people as I could.

But then when I got to the energy lab, I just, I had to go totally inward.

I wasn't even talking to the aid station people.

I was just pointing at them like, you soup.

And.

But, but I think Julie Ma said this really well, is that sometimes you need to go inside and internalize to recharge.

And I felt fully recharged.

And when I.

When I went back out on the Queen K, like, I just knew I was going to be able to finish.

And.

And it was really magical.

So I would say that the low points were.

They always ended up being the most memorable highs because I worked through them.

That was, that was very insightful.

I feel like.

Yeah, I think everybody who raced yesterday, whether they finished or not, probably had that experience.

So before we moved on, before the race, you did tell me that you always make friends on the run.

Did you make new friends on the run?

No, because you women are all locked in and nobody wants a friend.

I tried.

I. I also was in the very last age group, so I didn't start until 7:40 and I was slower of that group.

And so it was hard to find a group of people because it was definitely much more spread out.

The good news is I didn't get any penalties for drafting, which I did like placid, and got a five minute penalty and had to yell at everybody that went by, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

But I didn't get any penalties this time because I was alone the whole time.

All right, well, congratulations, Vic, on your first Kona.

Thanks.

All right, and next up we have Danae Madamba, one of our local Hawaii athletes.

I don't know if everybody knows how the Hawaii lottery program works.

Do you want to just explain it very briefly?

You just apply and then they tell you that you got it and then you're like, happy and sad at the same time.

But this is the second time I got the lottery, so I did it in 2022.

So it's different coming from somebody that didn't actually earn it.

Earn.

I mean, you Know like you earned it.

No, no, earned it.

But you know, I didn't get a first place in my age group somewhere, but I did really good on both, both times.

So I'm pretty happy.

Excellent.

And I do know though that you have raced world championships like in Latte.

You've raced the Boston.

See, so was I. I'm more of the half earner.

I was just.

I mean, you've raced all over the world.

What is it like doing a world championship in Hawaii with friends and family?

I mean, is it different?

Yes, it's great.

I had so much.

Like I started triathlon.

I mean, I did my first Ironman when I was 58.

Oh, wow.

So just to be able to do this and have, I mean, it's like, you know what I mean?

And to have all my friends with me is great.

And they're close by so they could make it.

So my husband.

What's up with all my stuff?

But it's, it's, it's really nice that they're all here with me and it.

Was a hot day.

Did you feel like you had a local advantage?

I didn't actually feel hot.

I know, I know.

You know what?

I honestly had a really good race.

I, I had some moments that I, you know, of course, like that we have.

But they, they really.

I just kept saying, just keep going.

You're okay.

Just keep going.

You know, I, I really.

It was smooth.

Other than the, the swim that was rough.

This one was not what I expected.

That's what you're all saying?

Yeah, I mean it looks lovely to watch.

I swim here a lot and it was rough for me.

I know you just said obviously that you started at 58, but the 60 to 64 age group had 80 women in it.

It is getting big and competitive.

Very competitive.

Like, do you.

I mean, I'll be 65 next year.

Oh.

So that's.

I was at the end.

So I'm gonna win everything next year.

Because I always compare my time to the 65 year olds and see how it's gonna do.

You feel?

It feels, it feels like there are more and more women doing this.

Like we had the first ever 80 year old finish yesterday.

If you saw it was crazy in.

The 70s is so competitive.

Like they're fast.

I mean 13 something like I have news for you.

You are part of that.

You are also an inspiration to women.

And you're faster.

You have to get faster.

I got faster this time from the last time.

So.

Excellent.

I was going to say, do you have any advice for, you know, women who are in their 40s or 50s and want to keep doing it, want to, you know, keep racing into their 60s, 70s, 80s.

What have you learned?

Well, I started when I was 58, right, I mean a little bit before that.

So I, I, I can only get faster, right?

I mean, in a way, I mean, I just, I can't say because when I was 40 I wasn't doing this or 50.

So what got you started?

You know, I was 50 years old, my mom was, is 69 and she passed away and I was like, oh, I think I better do something.

And so I just started doing little stuff, like 10Ks and stuff like that.

And then I saw Iron man on the, like, I think they were showing the ironman.

I'm like, I'm going to do that.

And I literally, that's how it got into my brain and I was like, okay, I'm going to do that.

And I went and did Switzerland.

I travel a lot and so I just do things abroad.

And I went to Switzerland and did my first Ironman.

I signed up and I'm like, oh shit.

Game on.

How much time did you give yourself between sign up and.

Oh no, I hired a coach.

I didn't go in there blind.

I have a coach that's been with me all this time.

Amazing.

So tell us like we asked Vic, what was your high, what was your low?

High, of course is finishing.

I mean I felt so strong in the end.

Like the last five miles, four or five miles was.

I just couldn't wait to see my friends.

I'm like, oh, where are they?

So that part was good.

I don't know.

I.

Mile 14 on the run.

It's about my low.

14 to 16 was pretty much, oh my God.

And I kept walking, I walked a little.

I'm like, no, no, no, don't do it, don't do it.

So I tried not to walk at all.

Like, you know, I just was wanting to finish already but I was really, really, really nervous for the last two weeks.

I felt like I was under trained maybe or I was questioning my abilities and I actually had a really good time, you know what I mean?

Like I did really better than I expected.

But like I said, I really was questioning my training, everything.

My coach is like, no, you're okay.

So I, I was like a nervous wreck.

Oh man, I, I think there's probably some athletes here who can relate to that too.

So there's not.

My friends all know how I was, I was a mess, you know, like, I just couldn't shake it.

Well, you got in the water.

Yeah.

And then it was gone.

Finally.

All right, Congratulations, Danae.

And next up we have another local athlete, Mel Selvage.

Um, on your.

I know on your HOKA application or HOKA local athlete application, you wrote that you needed a big goal and this one seemed really big.

Was it big enough?

Too big.

I just started triathlon this year, so I'm like a back of the pack newbie.

And I qualified at CANS because anybody that wanted to go could basically.

And in knowing that Ironman had made this change and that the only way I'd ever qualify again would be if I got a spot in the lottery, I took it.

Even though I was already over trained and there really wasn't a whole lot of time to like boot up and do it again.

So it was, it was.

The second one was like harder than the first for that reason, you know, but was amazing.

I, I didn't know how to ride a bike with clip in pedals at the start of this.

So it's been a big commitment to learning and that's not going to put me on the podium.

That just was to get me across the finish line, which I did.

Congrats.

Thank you.

You said you needed a big goal because you were going through a lot personally.

Right.

And you wanted something to move forward.

Did you kind of find that in Ironman training?

So there was a lot of hard that I couldn't control and I needed to make myself really busy, I think when I started this.

And you know, Ironman's a kind of hard that you can control and makes you feel strong and takes up a year of your life.

So at least you get to the end of another year and some time passes and you can be in a different place.

So it's been an amazing year and it's been.

I listened to your podcast or clip on Instagram the other day talking about how much time it takes up out of your life and how it's nice to have lots of options for women besides just Ironman.

It's been a challenge too, to like.

It's been lonely, you know, to spend that kind of time on a bike and it takes a lot of time.

Everyone here knows, right?

So I'm ready to like reenter society now.

But it's been incredible.

You're gonna re enter society.

I mean, if you don't have a training group, it's a lot of time on your bike.

You have stand up, paddle boarded, like between the islands.

You summited El Capitan.

Those are Obviously like different challenges, but they are also challenges.

What did you bring over from that to this?

You know, there are things that take a long time, you know, and those things you have to finish.

You know, when you're four days up El Capitan on a seven day ascent, like the last three days aren't optional.

You have to finish.

You know, there's like no other way down.

If you have a chase boat, you know, I guess you can get on your boat, but you have to finish.

And so I actually had a pretty hard race yesterday and I, I dropped my salt coming out of T1 and I just had cramps all day on the bike.

And so I just had to adjust my game plan because I was here to finish, not to beat anybody else.

So, you know, it's a mindset, I think that, you know, you suffering is like a learned skill, kind of surviving it, you know, so it definitely made a difference, right, that it wasn't my first big hard physical challenge.

And what were your kind of highs and low?

I mean low would be dropping your salt and nutrition.

That's a low.

What was your high out there?

You know, I can point to a couple on the race, but it was the year.

It was the training, it was the anticipation.

I don't know if anybody else did this, but I cried all week long here.

Like everybody made me cry.

I got to meet my hero.

Julie Moss.

I just want to say I learned about triathlon when I was 9 years old watching the Wide World of Sports on my grandma's TV.

And Ironman wasn't 100 races, it was one race.

It was this race.

And it was one of the only times where we knew about it because of a woman.

Right?

And it's taken me, I can't even do the math, a lot of years since then.

So like, and I have to shout out Dan, Dan Gampon back there somewhere.

Like, so he made all the Hawaii athletes feel so special.

And I'm the only athlete that I know of here from Maui and I wouldn't have known anyone.

And he hooked us all up with each other.

So I've had community here.

It's been.

And they're all super badass at this for a long time and really accomplished and it, it's just been the most amazing week.

So it was like if I didn't even start the swim, it was still going to be incredible.

But my high point came early.

Did anybody else see the dolphins on the swimming?

I got so off course, I was just swimming with the dolphins and I, you know, eventually I looked up and I was like, oh, geez, I've got to go that way.

But it was, it was worth it.

It was.

It was so cool.

And then, yeah, I was on the struggle bus all day long.

But I, when I had planned.

Okay.

Because I listened to Julie's talk.

I was walking up Pilani like I'm not going to try and run it.

And I walked up it with the 80 year old competitor and she was having a hard time and she was like her clock started well ahead of my clock.

So I was, I thought, gosh, I don't know if she's gonna make it.

I sure hope she does.

And she did.

She did.

She did.

Yeah.

So, so cool.

Like I'm stoked about the back end of the race.

Is the front end.

It's really cool.

So she looked amazing.

So.

Well, congratulations on.

On your first Kona on this year, on everything.

Are you.

I was.

You were telling me a little amnesia.

Are you going to do it again now or is it a. I will.

Never qualify again unless Ironman changes their policy.

I just want to be really clear about that.

And there's the lottery.

That's a possibility.

But yeah, to, to be able.

I like, I've never been in an all women's sporting event that was about extraordinary achievement.

Like where I felt like I couldn't even carry the sneakers that have the gals here.

It's extraordinary and it's.

Yeah.

You know, it's been so cool that I got to be part of this as it is now and hopefully there'll be something else like this, if not Kona in the future.

Yeah.

Amazing.

Well, before we wrap up.

All right, here's my.

Now that you guys have.

I know you've done it twice.

This is both your first times.

What is your tip then for other women who are doing Kona for the first time?

You have to think about it and you have to go to the.

I need it.

You need, you need help.

You need your friends and your, the whole community to help you because it's.

You can't do it alone.

You need.

I mean I needed my coach, I needed my husband, all my friends that helped me train and all my friends helped me train on this.

And it.

I don't think I could have done it without them.

Yeah, you need a whole crew and.

A lot of money.

I mean, it's kind of true.

Yeah.

It helps.

You know, Big is your advice to also be rich.

Yeah.

So assuming you have a coach and a crew and a lot of money, my Advice based on my experience as somebody who wasn't here to get a placing, I was here to experience it is just enjoy every moment because it really is so special and unlike anything else I've ever done.

Amazing.

I don't even know what to say.

Yeah.

I don't know if my path would line up with anyone else's but this is my first year doing triathlon.

But this is like after a lifetime of doing sport.

Like it takes a lot of build up I think to get the stuff and learn the skills and get the stamina and all of it.

So start small and be patient.

And you guys are doing an awesome job of creating those.

You didn't start small is what she said.

Yeah, no, I started with a 5k.

Right.

Like not.

I maybe didn't start small in triathlon, but it's been years and years of like building up the, you know.

Yeah.

It helps if you already do some of the sports.

Yeah, probably.

Yeah.

I mean I.

Okay.

So my boyfriend's here and we've been learning.

Well, I'm swam as a kid and he's been learning to swim as an adult and it's people that have to learn how to swim from scratch as an adult.

It's a, it's a tough field.

I'm seeing all these nodding heads right now.

Right.

So there's like, if you've already done the sports, it's a little easier to put it together.

But you know, it's be patient, you know, and take your time, get your coach, learn all the things.

Yeah, I think that's great advice.

So thank you so much you guys for joining us and congratulations and thank you.

I mean congratulations to everyone.

I know we have a lot of athletes here who started, who finished.

If you got out there, congratulations.

It was a tough day.

So we are going to take a quick break.

I believe there should be desserts out soon and then we are going to come back for our pro athletes.

After you have dessert.

Have some amazing athletes joining us.

We have Olympic gold medalist Gwen Jorgense who is at her first Kona.

And we have five time Ironman world champion, five times any point three world champion Daniela Reeve who is doing commentary.

And then we have our three time 70.3 world champion was racing yesterday, Taylor Nib.

I feel like we're going to start Taylor, everyone wants to know first and foremost the question I feel like everyone wants.

Are you okay?

How are you feeling today?

Did you recover last night?

I don't think you recover in a night from that.

So yeah, I guess I'M as good as I can be, and I just need to respect my body the next six months.

Sure.

Yeah.

Can you walk us?

I mean, I. I know we were talking.

Julie was talking to.

At the finish line.

We were all kind of watching on the big screen what was going through your head.

Can you walk us through what happened out there and how it went down?

Or do you not remember?

Well, at what point do you want to.

How early do you want to start the day?

Hmm?

Why don't you give us an overview of what happened out there?

Maybe we just start with the run.

Okay.

And I don't know if Max here from Roka, but he kindly told me at 30.44k on my watch, which that's about 12k to the finish line, that I just had 10k left.

He was actually more accurate than I was because my first thought was, I have 12k left.

And then at that point, I kind of knew it was getting tough.

And I. I did.

I was doing the math in my head, and I was like, okay, if you just run 4 30s, you'll be good kilometers, right?

Yes.

Okay.

Because I was like, okay, 22nd.

Okay.

Like, I like to solve EG.

And then I walked in aid station.

I realized I lost way too much time in that.

And I was like, if you keep walking, you might not get running again.

So I was like, just have no regrets.

You don't want to get second.

And I did not get second.

I know you went through a lot of medical tests and stuff yesterday.

I assume you just overheated, right?

Yes.

Just overheated.

Yes.

Sorry.

All my other measurements were apparently impeccable, except for my core body temperature.

So I got to have that stuck up my butt, which is what an experience, what the word party yesterday was.

There are a lot of highlights.

With.

About 15 people around, by the way, and you have to go an inch in.

So I learned a lot yesterday, and it had to stay in because you have to watch the core temperature go down.

So, yes, lots learned.

But guess what?

It's one thing I need to fix.

And so, like, I think that's fun to have that information because learn and grow and be better next time.

And you can't do that without acknowledging how you fell short.

Sure.

There you go.

We'll move it to Daniela now for you soon.

Take a break.

Danielle, I heard you on the commentary.

I know I have so many more questions, but I feel like not for public.

I heard you on the commentary.

As Lucy was collapsing first.

And then.

And you know, that was shocking.

And then we saw Taylor and I mean, Chelsea dropped out.

There was just.

So was it the wildest race you've ever.

I felt like it was a crazy race.

In your history of racing, how crazy was that race?

Yeah, I mean, it's not like I could watch that many Ironman World Championships because normally I was in there, but yeah, I definitely.

It was absolutely crazy.

The drama out there, also heartbreaking.

Of course you want them to see succeed and they put so much hard work into it and I definitely thought, you know, things are looking good and then it's just.

Yeah, you get surprised, but that's what racing is about here and you just really don't know.

And I, I felt really with Taylor because pretty much at the same spot is where I also had a bad moment one day, 2014, where I had to let Rini go.

And yeah, it's tough moments, but you learn so much from these moments and I'm sure she will be back and get it.

Get, you know, learn from it and then even be faster than what we saw yesterday.

Obviously you're commenting on tv, but is there anything in that moment you want to say to Lucy or to Taylor, like, oh, just do X thing.

I mean, yeah, you want to.

You want to say, like, just keep going.

But I mean, yeah, of course they tried and it's.

Yeah, I was also looking how they put the ice, you know, on their bodies and you just hope that they can recover from it, but it is tough and I think once you overheat.

I've been there two years ago where I also walked quite a bit out there quite early on the run and it's just so brutal.

And yeah, I mean, there's not really much you can do.

You just have to try to cool yourself down and.

And also, I mean, if you want to win the race, you have to try to keep pushing and that's where.

Yeah, it just shows that this sport is.

Yeah, it's on the limit and sometimes you have to go over the limit to.

To give your try and try to win.

I just started thinking about limits in there in my head and I got distracted.

Sorry.

But when you were racing, I mean, obviously like you said, you had to walk sometimes.

Did you ever have other races like that where you're like, oh, no, I'm at my.

Like, this is the limit I just went past.

Or does that just sort of end badly?

I mean, yeah, I had some races where I felt like I was lucky not to see the power.

I probably pushed because I would have been scared that I would not make it to the finish.

But yeah, in the end, it's really about looking after yourself.

And I think if we also compare, like, I never had to run shoulder to shoulder to someone, I think that's a whole different thing.

You know, they pushed each other so hard.

If you're alone and you just focus on yourself, it's, to be honest, it's much easier.

You can just listen to yourself.

But when you then also have someone next to you, it just brings you.

Yeah, it's.

You want to win, you're there for the win.

And that's.

I never had.

I, I always tried to go as hard as I could on the bike, so I never had to run next to someone shoulder to shoulder.

That was also always my motivation to go hard on the bike.

That makes sense.

Well, let's hear from Gwen.

This was your first Kona experience.

It's quite the one to watch.

Did that make you want to do it or never?

The race was super impressive, but it did not inspire me to want to do one.

Being out there was absolutely brutal.

I have a completely new respect for these athletes.

And you know, I seen, I've trained with Taylor, I've seen her in training.

I live in the same city as her and yeah, just watching that was.

It gave me a lot of respect for, for her and, and the other.

Athletes out there and where were, like, what did you do during the day?

Were you spectating it?

Did you?

I mean, because when you're spectating you're like, man, spectating is hard.

Is it different for you, spectating or as an athlete?

Well, normally I say the spectator has a harder job, but yesterday definitely the athletes did.

So I got to be in an air conditioned place for the swim and the bike and then out on the run, I was doing a bunch of efforts trying to follow Patrick as he was giving splits to Taylor, which was actually really difficult.

It was the hardest workout of the week.

What?

Obviously this week you've also got to see a lot of age group athletes, got to do a lot of events.

Um, what is it like?

Kind of, because in world triathlon racing you don't race with age groupers, right?

So out here getting to see, you know, see the age groupers kind of racing side by side with the pros.

I mean, what do you think about that?

Do you want to, is it, is it aspiring or would you rather stay in your own race?

The being here, the, like leading up into the race was super cool.

Um, just seeing all the events and how the community was involved and people just coming out to things like this.

Before the race, I was a bit shocked at how many people wanted to do things, and I thought it was super cool just how people were getting out there and in the environment and in the community.

Yeah.

So that was fun.

Awesome.

And Taylor out there with all the age groupers, I mean, were you here?

Were people yelling at you while you were running?

Were you hearing them?

Do they cheer you on?

Well, on the bike, when we turn around from Hobby, then you start to get that energy.

I'm actually realizing that by the time.

Yeah.

I don't think I was even noticing that on the Queen K on the way back.

And that was.

That was what I would have.

Yeah.

On the run, you weren't noticing it.

Oh, yeah, You.

I don't remember that.

Okay, fair.

Sorry.

It gets very, like, locked in tunnel vision.

What parts do you remember?

I actually mentioned, obviously, running Shoulder.

Shoulder.

What is that like?

You know, when you're both going so hard, shoulder to shoulder?

Is it fun or not?

Well, honestly, and people can tell me I'm wrong in retrospect, it didn't.

Like, I felt like it was.

I was just trying to run my race and run my pace.

And I was very shocked to come up on Lucy again because I figured, like, once you passed me on Polani, like, well, there she goes.

Like, title number two.

Congrats.

Daniel's like, what?

But then she wasn't, like, losing time, and I was like, oh, she's hurting.

Like, that was.

You could just see that.

And then running next to her, I thought it was around 21 or 22k.

That's half marathon for Americans.

And I thought it was kind of ironic because you do know we have the same coach, but we do nothing together, and we do all different workouts.

And so I thought it was kind of ironic how, like, somehow he got us to, like, the same place at the same time.

Now, he had a rough day yesterday.

I think he may have had the worst day.

Oh, no.

And then he flies back with two red eyes.

So that's what he gets.

But.

Were you getting.

I mean, she said, obviously people were running around giving splits.

Were you getting splits?

Did you know what was happening?

We've heard mixed kind of reports from the pros.

If they knew what was happening out there.

Well, so we entered the energy lab kind of together at that aid station.

I think that's where she fell off.

And then.

Well, like, not entered the energy lab.

It was near the gas station.

And then at the turnaround which really isn't that far away.

Like, 3, 4K.

I had two minutes on her, and I was like, ooh.

And then I was.

I was like, exiting the energy lab.

I saw Rhys on a bike going down into the energy lab.

And I'm like, there is only one reason why he's going down there.

And so, like, I kind of knew before anyone told me, but you just kind of.

Because he wouldn't.

You're not allowed down there, so you're only going down there if there's something bad that's happened.

But.

But actually, Dan's wife was watching the race, and he.

She gave him a call.

Dan's our coach.

Separate, separate teams.

And she's like, you need to pull Lucy.

She's looking awful.

And so Lucy told me this this morning, so.

But Dan couldn't get in.

Reese figured out how to get in, so Dan sent a medical car down to her.

Like, he said, a car.

But.

So it was all there when it happened, but.

Oh, interesting.

I didn't realize you couldn't.

I mean, I guess.

Yeah.

Unless something bad happens, you can't get down in there.

Yeah.

So it's top.

So you were still.

I mean, you were with it enough at that point.

And, I mean, from our perspective, you guys all looked like you were still running.

You all look amazing.

So it's sometimes hard to know what's going on internally, so.

Well, yeah, and I wasn't really paying attention at that point.

Like, at a certain point, you just stop looking at your watch and it's just like, you got to race it.

And I thought, like.

And that's probably the danger.

Like, and that's why I really respect Lucy because, like, she's a racer and I love to race, too.

And that's when.

When you put two of them together might not be great.

Sometimes there will be good times.

Sometimes it'll be like yesterday, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Oh, all right, Daniela.

I mean, you've been.

You've been here so many times.

And I will say.

And I. I kept being like, is it just my memory?

It feels hotter.

It feels more humid.

And then obviously it was a very tough day for a lot of people.

Was it hotter?

Was it more humid?

Were the conditions tougher yesterday?

Or is it just kind of the island's always is going to deliver what it delivers?

Well, I was sweating a lot yesterday, and I was also just standing around talking.

So, yeah, it was definitely very warm, and I think it was even warmer outside than it was here in town.

That's what I've heard, but I think it's.

Yeah, it's just that humidity that makes it so hard.

Then we had the rain in the morning, which just brings out even more when then you have the sun coming in.

But I love what Taylor said.

She wouldn't change her thing, and I think that's the best attitude.

You just have to go hard and try and you don't want to have any regrets.

I think that's the worst to have.

If you have regrets not trying hard and.

And yeah, so it was definitely a tough, really, really tough day.

Obviously, Taylor is also gonna, like.

You know, we talked a lot about, like, lessons learned and learned and move forward.

What.

How many times do you feel like it took you before you, like, nailed it here?

How many times of, like, learning lessons before you really were like, man, I knocked that one out of the park.

Yeah, I would say it took me.

It was one year, but also one and a half years.

But I think you.

That was the only third Ironman.

Right.

So it took me more Ironmans than that to actually nail it.

So I had.

I did three in the 2014, and then I think I did three.

So on my sixth Ironman, I nailed it.

So next one will be good.

All right, Taylor, what lessons do you think you learned that you're going to carry forward now?

Well, there are a lot of lessons.

That's a very blank answer.

I think if you had told Lucy or I.

If you told Lucy you need to run a 25945.

Probably.

I haven't done the math, but someone told me if I had run a 301 marathon, I would have won it.

I don't think I would have believed him coming off the bike, but I think, like, the race is always going to have the prizes and so you just never know what's going to happen.

Um, and I do.

Like, one of the lessons I learned is like, I really respect this race and I really love this race and I want to come back.

Vic is here and I feel sorry.

Well, yeah, I was like, oh, well, this is the last time.

And then I'll focus on LA and then I'll come back in 2029.

But I think I have to come back next year first.

Sorry.

Don't worry.

We'll mix it up.

Yes.

But, yeah, so I think.

And just there's a lot I did right.

There's a lot I can improve upon.

And so, yes, I'm excited to keep learning.

And.

Yeah, yes, you're gonna, you know, take care of your health.

Like you said, you really gotta watch the heat for the next six months, right?

Yes.

I probably will have to pull out of two of my races at the end of the season, so.

Is what it is.

But, like, that's also where I hope my career's long and so.

Cause, like, to be able to do things, people learn things.

I don't think I can race three Ironmans in a year and then go back to short course.

So I have to play my cards right.

We'll see.

Yeah.

So I don't know if I'll make every perfect decision, but that's not the aim.

It's kind of like, how do you roll with it?

How do you learn with it?

Based on what you do, what do you do next?

And that's almost more important.

And Gwen, obviously you've come back from, like, a lot of different injuries, a lot of setbacks.

I know you're kind of coming back from another surgery right now.

Do you have advice about having a long career, coming back from these, like, setbacks and kind of how to bounce back?

Injury, I think, is the, you know, really brutal part about sport.

But for me, a lot of times when I have a setback, I get more motivated.

It really shows me internally, like, what I want to do.

Yeah, I had surgery a month or two ago, and when that happened, it.

I really was, like, it could have been a turning moment.

Like, I should retire.

I'm, you know, 39.

I'm very old for the sport, and I had the opposite effect of just, you know, I want to do this.

And, like, it just was a really good internal reflection of.

Of what I want to accomplish.

And I think, you know, we can.

We do a lot of hard things.

I'm not doing Kona, so that's harder, I think, than what I've been going through.

So if you guys can do Kona, you can get through an injury.

I.

That sounds.

That's good advice.

Yes.

If you can do Kona, you can get through an injury.

You kind of mentioned you guys live near each other.

I know you don't train all the time together, but you do sometimes.

What is it like having a group of people to support you?

You know, in Boulder, a good.

A good squad.

Does it help, you know, keep it fun, keep you going?

Yeah, I think it keeps you honest.

And, you know, Taylor, when she shows up, I swim with her a few times a week.

And, you know, I know she's always going to be pushing it.

So I know that I'm going to get to get a really good Workout in.

So, yeah, I think, you know, it's.

It's a attitude of, you know, wanting to.

To bring something to a group as well and wanting to improve the.

The group as a whole.

And I think that makes it exciting and it makes everyone better.

And you're still having fun, right?

I am, yes.

For sure.

Taylor is, too.

She laughs and talks a lot.

Do you ever give Taylor advice about, you know, not.

I'm not.

Like, she's always coming to me for advice.

It's so weird.

She calls me on the phone.

It's like, what should I do in my Ironman?

What do you tell her?

Go faster.

Okay.

Yeah.

No, I mean, Taylor, it's.

It's.

It's great.

My husband manages Taylor, and she comes over for dinner, and she's always so lovely.

She'll bring an orchid and play with the kids and.

No, it's just.

It's really nice to have just a good human in my life.

Life.

Awesome.

Maybe I should start calling you up more.

Be better.

Go faster.

All good, easy advice.

There were a lot of, you know, age groupers who also were not able to finish yesterday.

It was a tough day.

I think we're going to find out ultimately, you know, it was a pretty high DNF rate.

What would you tell them to, like, about their accomplishment yesterday and how to kind of keep going?

Well, so earlier in the year, this might be disclosing too much.

Oh, no, I sent.

No, no, no.

I sent.

I sent a message to my team because, so after San Francisco, I got second, and I asked them, how do you treat me differently when I win from when I don't win?

Because I felt like there's just, like, crickets in the group chat versus, like, when I win, it's like, all good.

And so there's like a Buddhist philosophy of the second arrow.

And so the first arrow is what the bad thing that happens to you, which is out of your control.

But then the second arrow is your response to that.

And so you get to determine if you're hit by the second arrow.

And so how do you reframe it?

What can you learn from it?

How do you move on?

I was talking to my psychologist probably two weeks ago about perfectionism, and it's very much rooted in shame because the idea is that, like, if you think that you must be perfect in order to be loved, then, like, it's hard to admit versus if it's like, you know what?

Like, I wasn't good enough on that day.

Like, you talk about surpassing limits, but I think you can't, right?

Like, you find your limit and that's the limit.

And having the privilege to find that, I mean, that's pretty cool.

But so then, like, it's one day, one race.

I mean, just because if you had won the race, it doesn't mean your life's perfect.

What?

We were talking about this before.

Give her advice.

Yeah, it seems like it's just not me talking the whole time.

I get yelled at for talking a lot during this.

I can't imagine.

No, yeah, no, that's.

That's great advice.

Right.

You determine how you respond to something, Daniela.

I mean, again, like, we have a lot of age group athletes here, a lot of women who got on that start line yesterday and they had different experiences.

What kind of.

What would you tell them?

You know, you're kind of the Queen of Kona.

What advice would you give them?

Yeah, just keep trying.

I mean, I've had injuries, and it's.

It's all about being patient, and that's not going over a bit.

It's not easy.

I definitely wouldn't call myself a patient person.

And also, you don't want to be too patient, because if you're.

If then you start to not care anymore.

Right.

So if you don't want to keep improving, then you also kind of.

That seems like there's no goal.

But in the end, it's all about keep trying and.

Yeah.

Keep believing in yourself and trying to find someone.

I mean, actually, I had the pleasure, like, Taylor's.

How do you call him?

Your.

No, no, no, no.

Yeah, yeah.

What?

Movement specialist.

So she actually shared her movement specialist with me.

He treated me last year here because I wasn't running anymore, and he fixed me.

So, yeah, she got a good team there.

And I think, yeah, it's just about finding people who can help you.

And sometimes, yeah, you might just have to look a bit further, and eventually you'll find someone who can actually help you fix the problem.

And what.

What else do you have planned here on the island?

So we're going to end with.

Now that you're done with your.

We'll ask each of you.

But now that you're done with your duties, because you were commentating, are you going to enjoy the Hawaii?

I will.

We're going to Oahu tomorrow.

First time.

And doing some surfing.

Actually, I've never surfed in my life.

I've just done bodyboard.

How do you call it?

Body surfing.

So, yeah, just nice house on the beach and just do nothing.

Really look forward to it.

Yes.

All right.

And Taylor, how are you going to recover from this?

Not like in life, like here.

What else do you have planned in Hawaii?

A flight in seven hours?

Well, I have strict instructions to not stay in any sort of heat in an incapacity right now.

So I take my health very seriously.

And so I hope Hawaii will always be here.

And if I do the right things now, then hopefully I'll be back next year and there'll be hopefully many more years where I can enjoy it.

Absolutely.

And Gwen, I mean, I know this isn't a vacation, but what else do you have planned here?

I'm on the same flight as Taylor, home to see my kids.

But I really feel like this place is healing.

If you're not doing the Ironman, but just being able to swim in the ocean and see the fish.

And I hate swimming in a pool.

But like, this is so refreshing.

The only thing I wanted to do today was get in the water, see some fish, see a dolphin, which I did.

I was super excited.

So I just think this, this place is pretty magical and it's pretty cool to experience it.

Amazing.

Well, thank you so much and let's congratulate all of them.

Thank you.

Sam.