What actually happened at Kona: Paula Findlay's full race debrief from swim to finish line.

Paula raced the Ironman World Championship in Kona, and this is the full, unfiltered debrief. No questions this week. Just Paula, Eric, and Nick working through the whole day: the rough, choppy swim, the windy bike leg, and a marathon that became something else entirely. This episode is the whole story: The days leading into Kona: the commitments, the exhaustion, the headaches, and whether the race week experience matched four years of FOMO The TTL Kona Donut Run recap, Malasadas, two kilometers in the heat, and a star-studded crowd The swim: rough conditions, a swollen lip, disorientation near the far buoy, and finishing in good position despite it all The bike: treating the first half like a 70.3, riding above watts to chase people, Race Ranger dynamics, and what Paula would do differently Navigating the aid stations in 28mph crosswinds on a day when the fastest male pro bike split was 4:11 The run: from the first steps on Ali'i Drive to the Energy Lab turnaround and back, what it actually felt like, minute by minute Rachel Zelenkas, Kat Matthews, and the camaraderie that got Paula to the finish line Lucy Charles, Solveig Løvseth, and a day that humbled the entire pro field Whether finishing without a medical reason to stop is something to be proud of What Paula thinks about doing it again Kona TTL gear still available, Energy Lab hats, Castelli technical apparel, socks, and swim caps A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To help support the podcast, and if you have a question for next week, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast