I am currently back in beautiful New Zealand. It is great to be home, even if it is only for a short time after a busy year of training and racing on the road. My debut at the Ironman World Championships was 3 weeks ago in Kona, Hawaii. The conditions out there are like nowhere else. The winds can blow you off your bike, the temperatures can hit triple digits with 80% humidity—and let’s not forget the sharks! I had spent the 7 weeks leading up to Kona training on the island with the 2007 World Champion Chris “Macca” McCormack. His knowledge was invaluable and we had a great time drilling each other into the ground. I was as prepared as I could be.
When race day rolled around, everything started unfolding great. I came out of the 3.8km swim in a good position, road the 180km bike well, and came off with the main group of guys. Then it was onto the 42km run. I ran the first half in 7th place and was on the verge of cracking into the top 5 when my body started to shut down, and I started to run backwards. The fluids and foods I was taking in were not going through my body. Instead they were just sitting in my gut. When I eventually crossed the finish line in 11th position my whole body had swollen terribly. All in all, I had a great time in the race and learned a lot that will help me in future years to achieve my goal of being the World Ironman Champion.
2009 has been an interesting year. I started off the season with the New Zealand Ironman down in Taupo. This was my first time racing the full Ironman distance. I had a great day and came in second behind 8-time winner Cameron Brown. From there I went to train and compete in the United States to escape winter in New Zealand. Between April and July, I competed in 5 events in the U.S. (3 firsts, a second, and a something else) and another Ironman in Germany, which also doubled as the European Ironman Championships. The competition in Germany was great—probably the second toughest Ironman outside of the World Championships. But the spectators where even more amazing. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets, and there was seldom a quiet moment out on the course. I ended up having a tough day, but still finished 9th.
After a good rest following Ironman Germany, I was ready to prepare for the big race in Kona. So after 4 weeks at home, I was back on the road and off to the Philippines. This was one of the highlights of my year. It was an inaugural event, yet the entire experience was world-class, and we were all treated like rock stars. The temperatures were a little hotter than the Ironman in Hawaii, so it was good preparation. Among the top competitors racing where Cameron Brown and Chris McCormack. I managed to have a great race and come away with the victory.
Now I’ve been home from Kona for 3 weeks, and I’m preparing to leave for my final race of the season: the World Half Ironman Championships in Florida. I am returning to the event as defending champion, but with only 5 weeks between this race and the Ironman World Champs, I am a little unsure of my expectations. I will be sure to fill you in on my return. In the meantime, here’s a 3 News interview (http://www.3news.co.nz/Bozzone-eyes-up-next-ironman-title/tabid/317/articleID/127671/cat/70/Default.aspx) I did while back home here in New Zealand. Enjoy.
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