Triathlon: – Exhausted, but happy and very satisfied, Monica Rinne from Wutöschingen and Daniel Groß from Gurtweil have reached the finish line of the Ironman in Hawaii and can now feel like proud “Hawaii finishers”. This is the dream of almost every triathlete, but it only comes true for a few. It was the first start for both of them on the Pacific island, where the long-distance triathlon world championships are held every year as part of the Ironman.
Even qualifying was a win for both of them. But then to make it to the finish line is the crowning glory. Position and time are almost irrelevant. But these are also very good for the starters from the Hochrhein, especially since they were not able to prepare optimally for the race.
Monica Rinne: “It was the adrenaline of the Hawaiian myth that carried me over the course.” | Image: Ralf Schäuble
After a training accident, Monica Rinne had to worry regarding her start until the end. That’s why she traveled overseas without running training. “It was the adrenaline of the Hawaiian myth that carried me over the course,” she says, surprised. The swim went optimally with a time of 1:19 hours for the 3.8 kilometers in the Pacific.
Second best German
She was also comfortable on the bike, but was very careful regarding the pace. The tactic should work. Despite a training deficit, the 60-year-old managed the final marathon well and reached the finish line in Kailua-Kona with a time of 13:52 hours. This put her in 24th place as the second best German in her age group W60. “It was just pure emotion,” she said, overjoyed at the finish.
It was also not possible for Daniel Groß to prepare optimally for his highlight as a triathlete. He had already planned his start for 2020, which was then not possible due to the corona pandemic. Nevertheless, he flirted with the “sound barrier” of less than ten hours for 3.8 kilometers swimming, 180 kilometers on the bike and 42.195 km running and almost made it. His watch stopped at 10:03 hours.
Daniel Groß: “I really enjoyed crossing the finish line. It was a great feeling to have made it.” | Image: Welte, Gerd
Nevertheless, he was overjoyed and very satisfied: “I really enjoyed crossing the finish line. It was a great feeling to have made it.” The hardships were extreme. First the sea currents and waves while swimming, then the unpredictable winds of the lava desert on the bike and finally the extreme heat while running. “On the running course we sometimes had more than 45 degrees Celsius,” he says. This is where cooling becomes a decisive success factor. Once overheated with body temperatures above 39 degrees, you have almost no chance. In addition, there are the mentally very demanding routes on the bike and the marathon, which, according to Monica Rinne, would not win a beauty prize.
As expected, swimming (1:11 hours) was the weakest discipline for Daniel Groß. It went great on the bike (4:57 hours) and there were no major problems in the marathon (3:47) either. “Right from the start I was very careful not to overdo it, which paid off in the end”, Daniel Groß ran a smart race. In his age group (M35) he finished 191st. At some point he wants to go to Hawaii once more. Maybe then the ten-hour barrier will fall for him.