Tenth Anniversary on the Big Island

Michi is celebrating his anniversary on the Big Island. He first visited Kona for the World Championship race in 2009, after qualifying for it a year earlier at IM 70.3 Monaco. This was also his first long distance race.

His best result so far has been tenth place in 2018, followed by 13th place in 2010 and 2019. This year he is accompanied by his family (wife Chrissi and kids Lola and Maya). Having his family close by gives him lots of strength, although it is not as easy for him to keep focussed as it is for other athletes. But the Gumpoldskirchen native couldn't imagine it any other way!

Survive, bike, run

There are a lot of first-timers at Kona this year and thus many young, strong swimmers on the start line. Michi doesn't reckon with a top position on the swim and expects to emerge from the ocean about six to ten minutes down, depending on how the race pans out. As always, it will be without wetsuit, but he is well equipped with his Blueseventy PZ4TX Swimskin.

There will be a few minor adjustments on the cycling route, which will bring some, but not too dramatic changes. Michi has the privilege of being one of just five athletes on the road with the brand new HED Jet180 rear wheel, which should give him an aerodynamic advantage. Discs are not allowed on the Big Island due to the partly gusty crosswinds.

It will all come down to having the correct race strategy, having perfectly dialled-in nutrition and simply showing "what Michi Weiss can do" on the bike! He plans to complete his own individual time trial, slowly but steadily working his way up through the field while successfully contending with the elements of heat, wind and humidity.

An acclimatization period on the Big Island of over two weeks was part of the optimal preparation. He is familiar with the conditions and with the mental challenge that is the brutal Kona run course, where mind must prevail over body and stopping is simply not an option. It will be a race where routine counts and Michi can leverage his vast experience.

The purely financial goal would simply be to finish within the top 15 due to the better prize money, however Michi simply wants to just do his thing and see where it takes him on the day.

For Michi, this year's favourites include the Scandinavians Kristian Blummenfelt, Gustav Iden and Magnus Ditlev as well as German superstar Patrick Lange.

A retreat high above Kona

Michi and his family are very lucky to be able to stay with friends 700m above Kona and can largely escape the #KonaSpam. He also benefits from this in terms of his regeneration as the temperatures there are much more bearable (approx. 5 degrees less). Despite the remote location, friends often come by for dinner and one can relax away from the hustle and bustle of the race week in this quiet oasis.

The Lower Austrian athlete simply can't wait for the race on Saturday. It's a proud moment after the last-minute qualification following races in St. George, Lanzarote, Klagenfurt and Lake Placid. The most important thing now is to stay injury-free and really go all-out!

 

Race start: Saturday, 06:25AM (18:25 Austrian time) - click here for the complete PRO start list

 

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