We find ourselves on the eve of the Ironman World Championships this weekend, which seems like no better reason to get into the swing of things with a good ole giveaway. Especially now that the hangover has eased off after the Giveaway Extravaganza this past summer.
This time I’ll be giving away a new Garmin FR920XT (or, a Fenix2 Special Edition, if you prefer that instead). And by ‘I’, I mean, my usual partner in giveaway crime – Clever Training!
The rules are simple here, simply drop a comment below with the following:
To Enter: Your best or first memory of watching Kona (be it in person, or on TV/interwebs) down below. In the event that you haven’t watched any little snippet of it ever, then…well…I can’t help you there.
Simple enough? Good.
The giveaway entry period will run through Monday, October 13th, 2014 until 11:59PM Eastern Time. I’ll be giving you one device (either the FR920XT or Fenix2 Special Edition, with the HRM-RUN strap) from Clever Training. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on roughly Tuesday, depending on if the interwebs work in Malta for me on Tuesday. One entry per person. If you choose the FR920XT your name will be put in the queue to receive a unit from Clever Training (you don’t skip the line though), but if you want a Fenix2 instead, you’ll get that shipped immediately.
This giveaway is sponsored by Clever Training, which I’ve got a great partnership with. As you probably remember, by picking up sports technology gadgets from Clever Training you support the site. And on top of that, all DC Rainmaker readers get an exclusive 10% off all products they sell (basically every sports tech company/gadget/device) using coupon code DCR10WHP or now via the VIP program. And most of all, you support the site in a big way – so I appreciate it!
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Watching Chrissie Wellingtons win in 2011, despite being injured just before Kona
Watching Crowie wining!!! Awesome athlete!!!
I used to watch with my Dad in the early 80s. We were both fascinated by the sport. Now I’m a triathlete too!
White I was not able to run 2 miles, remembering seeing them swimming, cycling and running all those km… And so fast! Didn’t know anything about the sport at that time but that’s how I began to train!
Being Inspired!
I vaugely remember seeing it on TV in 2011 after deciding to do my first sprint tri and thinking I will never be able to do this because I could never run a maraton…3 years later and I’m signed up for my first Ironman.
Being in awe of the endurance and drive of the competitors. And the desire to go and do it myself.
Today when I found out what Kona was.
Julie Moss
Watching the people who have done it for close to 20 years, whose bodies are failing them as they close in on the finish line to the point where you can see it become a literal mind over matter situation….powerful stuff and the definition of dedication.
I have never watched the Kona event. However I have been quite fixated on triathlons after a former college teammate finished the Ironman in Madison WI.
Saw Greg Welch training on world world of sports in early 1994 before his win that year, which had some highlights from previous years. Also saw the race on TV late that year or early ’95. I still watch this race in front of the windtrainer today, Welchy vs the Man rocks!
Seeing Normann Stadler win in 2004.
I’m always moved by the participants who just barely make/miss the various cut-offs.
Don’t remember the year, but I remember being in awe at what they could do. Running a marathon was enough of an accomplishment, nevermind the swim and bike before hand!
yesterday, when i saw the highlights on TV, and the German winner
I’ll have to go there!
First real experience with Kona was reading the Chrissie Wellington book. I then watched on youtube the historical rival between Mark Allen and Dave Scott. Very motivating and overwhelming at the same time.
Allen vs Scott. Never got old.
Watching Sister Madonna Bruder in 2006, I think cross in just under 17 hours and set a new record for oldest person! So sad that she DNF’d this year 🙁
My first memory was watching the NBC broadcast (or wide world of sports) in 2005. I was a year out of college, out of shape, and lazy. Watching it was memorizing, and I got the bug right then and there. Loved it ever since. It truly changed my life for the better.
There are so many incredible moments: Iron war, Macca winning – when he told everyone that he would, Craig Alexander keeping quiet and then owning it, Chrissie winning after being injured, but I think my favorite may have to be this year with RInny making up 15 minutes on the run and just reeling them all in. Incredible!
Watched TV highlights many years ago in the 90’s, but really got into watching it. Mostly just sole YouTube highlights.
Lisbeth Kenyon winning her age group for the 3rd time at 48 in 2013! Go, Lisbeth!!
The first memory-when It was first televised and the woman who bonked crawled across the finish line.
Every year I am always in awe of the wave of people and the water churning at the beginning.
Iron War..Mark Allen performance was spectacular
Faris al Sultan ride and run in Speedos!
My earliest recollection was watching the battle between Dave Scott and Mark Allen in 1989. Ironwar was epic! I wish I could find it on DVD to watch it again.
Watching Alex Craig in 2011!!!! Tremendous race!
my first memory is randomly turning on the broadcast in college and watching the whole thing in awe.
I remember watching it on TV for the first time and being blow away by the diversity of body types. Back then, I thought only lean, mean, fighting machines were racing endurance events. It was a beautiful and inspiring realization!
It was about ’88 (showing my age) – World Wide Sport, not too much IM shown on Irish TV back then, or now!
My first time was actually via YouTube. Can not imagine getting to see it live, but would love to some day.
Watching Mirinda Carfrae’s running form during Kona 2013.
Watching it for the first time and thinking to myself are great these athletes are. Watching it now and still thinking how great these athletes are….
watching Julie Moss on youtube!
Going to Kona on a family vacation in 1999 then a few years later watching and realizing that I was actually there at the finish line and never knew it. One day I hope to go and cross the finish line but even then I probably still won’t know where I am after 140.6 miles of racing.
Following my country folks – Nina Pekerman and Gilad Rotem! Go Israel!
It was challeging watching the very unstable live stream some years ago, because there was nothing on tv at all. I love the live report on german television, we had in the last years.
Watching Kienle, this year and last, rip the rest of the fields legs off on the bike!
I remember watching Peter Reid taking 2nd in 1999. So proud of him!
last weekends event, mirinda was amazing
It’s so difficult to choose, but watching Rinny break another marathon course record was awesome! I find all of these athletes extremely inspirational!
For me the most exciting moment is always the race start.
swim start always pumps me up, best one was back in 2012 day before we did the urbanathlon CHicago
This year, watching Rinny chase down the leaders – being patient but consistent.
Dave Scott & Mark Allen in the 1980´s on RTE
I have not followed Kona much in the past but had a blast following it on Twitter over the weekend. The amount of people commenting and following the race was amazing.
Several other people mentioned it above, and I can’t remember if it was on a stream or a replay on a sports network but it was very inspiring for me to see Harriet Anderson finish just before the cutoff a few years ago.
Best moments are watching Rinny run.
I watched my first ironman championship in 2002 and couldn’t tell what it takes to finish all 3 events and literally have no idea what that distance means until one day my friend take me to a 70km ride. My but hurt for more than one week after that ride and I realized what ironman is.
Shortly after discovering this website I learned about Kona and started watching the madness on the web.
Amazing!
2014 race! I was working during the live broadcast, but got away just in time to fire it up and see Rinny pass Ryf on her way to victory. She is otherworldly!
I remember watching the swim portion when I was a teenager and marveling at how big the field was.
chrissie wellington bike & run with a huge wound!
I think it was 1985 on TV. Now I watch it online.
I watched the ABC newscast in college and watched two women battling it out/crawling across the line to finish: Sian Welch & Wendy Ingraham. It was amazing to see how much they were willing to give to finish and I still can’t imagine doing that to myself.
That Alex Zanardi completing it without legs was amazing!
Watching Cristian Bustos, a chilean triathlete, running neck to neck with Mark Allen for the 1992 Ironman Championship firtst place
It makes me wish I could (but am glad I haven’t) actually step up from olympic to ironman!
Watching Carfrae run down whoever happens to be in front of her!
Go to fuck yourself and your fucking watch!
I’ve always been amazed while watching Kona each year, ever since I was a little girl, but now having done a few triathlons, watching last year’s was simply awe inspiring. Nothing like seeing Rinny kill the run.
Watching Chissy Wellington win and due the Blazeman roll after the horrific crash.
Watching Al-Sultan win in 2005 rocking the speedo and man bra!
The 1997 finish line between the two woman that had to crawl, epic!
Watching a snippet of McDevitt cross that made me think, “maybe I could do this…”
Just a replay, on Youtube, nothing fancy
First time was a youtube collection of Kona’s greatest finishes. Some years ago. Incredible!
Watching Mark Allen in the early 90s as a high school kid. Shear amazement at what these folks could do from the eyes of a track runner.
Sister Madonna’s 2006 (?) Kona race, finishing less than a minute away from the cut off time. That and when one year a former The Biggest Loser contestant almost made it by 10 (15?) minutes. I highly respect their mental grit to keep going despite knowing they might very well not make it.
It’s got to be the ’97 women’s finish. Awesome!
First time i know Kona, was on 2002, when my friend of the same triathlon’s team went to Kona to partecipate.
Don’t remember year but I remember thinking they are crazy. Went to Kona in 2008 on a family vacation and thinking wow this is where the magic happens.
watched it as a teen in the 80’s!!
During a vacation to the Hawaii islands, and bumped into people racing!! My first time viewing an actual race. Was amazing !!!
This weekend because a good friend of mine was participating for the first time.
Watching it on tv and thinking these dudes are crazy!!!!
When I was probably 12, I saw the video of Rick and Dick Hoyt (Team Hoyt) racing Kona. I thought the race sounded like the stupidest for of suicide, but Team Hoyt got me interested in triathlon.
Seeing Sebastian Kienle win his first Kona.
Watching the Chrissy Wellington 2008 Kona race when she got the flat tire, and still came back to win. Watched it over and over again!
I remember watch Team Hoyte cross the finish line. So amazing and inspiring. All the athletes are but Team Hoyte is always a tear jerker.
My fave was my first – naturally! I was training for my first tri, a sprint, and watched in awe as the Ironmen and women rocked the Kona course – totally inspirational!
Always watch re-runs on the trainer while prepping for the next race. Always motivational.
Wasn’t my first Kona memory but was certainly impactful – Watching Lew Hollander finish in 2011. I was a NCAA Div 1 runner back in the 90’s – my first Triathlon in ’96. I’m now 40 years old and still doing it and was inspired to see that it’s possible to keep going. I remember thinking, if Lew can do it, I have no excuse to not do it.
This is the first year I’ve been into tris, so it was my first time watching Kona (via the webs). It blew my mind watching Kienle and knowing he did a sub 3 marathon after the first two legs. And then realizing all of the top 10 males did.
One of my favorites was working a graveyard shift a few years ago, when I was just starting to get into running, one of my co-workers queued up that year’s presentation of the race on youtube (we were allowed to watch tv/internet at this job) and I watched it, fascinated. Yes, completing a full length ironman was bucketlisted during that hour. I’ve since watched the last several years’ races on youtube as well, it’s a fascinating race. I completed my first marathon this month, need to get a bike and start putting in some work on it and in the pool.
Watching the 2007 Ironman World Championships. The entire coverage on NBC was awesome, and really got me into the sport. Watching Stadler puking on the bike, and Badmann get back on the bike after her crash. Wow. I wanted in.
I remember watching a few years ago before I was into triathlon. I couldn’t believe the runners were drinking coke during the marathon!
Watching my husband watching the tri on TV, and him saying that it didn’t look so hard and that he could do that, if he wanted to. He still hasn’t even tried a sprint distance, and it is close to 20 years. Amazingly, something always comes up to stop him from training.
Macca/Crowie rivalry, especially when Macca got the other riders to push the bike just to get separation from Crowie. Great stuff.
watching amazing seniors stumble cross the finish line…made me wonder about the worthiness of all my excuses…
For me, the start of the race is almost a holy moment! All those nervous faces before hitting the water and the family hugs!
Julie Moss crawling in the early 80’s. It was a great example of determination.
My only experience of Kona is through youtube. They are crazy.
I will make sure to watch Kona 🙂
Just remember watching it as teenager and thinking that the participants must have been super humans.
Sian Welch & Wendy Ingraham in 1997…
I remember my father showing me Julie Moss crawling to the finish, struggling si fighting, while he was saying: “If you want to be good, you have to accept the pain and go beyond it. Once ytou do that, there is no pain anymore, it’s only you and your heart”. Many years I did not understand…