The 21 Race Winning Streak
The end of the streak
September 26th would mark the day I flew into Kona for the 1990 Ironman World Championship. This would be my eighth trip to the Big Island to race, but my first as a returning champion and boy did that make a difference, especially in the dramatic way it happened. The locals had always been amazing to me, but in 1990 I found myself signing autographs for people who had barely known my name in previous years. All anyone could talk about was the war with Dave Scott the previous year, and I was overwhelmed with kindness and good wishes from athletes, locals and spectators for the entire week. Any mention of the streak was a poor second to the 1989 conversation.
Two key notes on the 1990 Ironman. First, as if to remind us of the incredible gift that Madame Pele had bestowed on us the year before, she gave us a hellish race day revamp that showed why the Ironman in Hawaii stands apart from everything else in endurance sports. It was so hot shoes were melting on the highway.
By the time darkness descended on the age groupers, the medical tents were full and even the darkness was blistering. My winning time was nearly 20 minutes behind my finish in 1989.
The second thing was that at some point on the marathon that day people were telling me that one of the toughest athletes ever, and someone who was absolutely oblivious to the heat was working his way up the field. Scott Tinley was having a day and all I could think of was not crumbling. I held on to win my second Ironman Triathlon World Championship and the streak stretched to 21 wins over three seasons as I headed into 1991.
It was January of 1991. I was home on a rainy Sunday, staring out the window at nothing in particular thinking about planning my year. I had been overwhelmed with demands on my time after the 1989 Ironman. This moment in my living room was really the first time I’d had a chance to digest all that had happened in the previous or so 30 months.
The day darken into night and suddenly I felt exhausted beyond anything I had ever experienced. I know now that I had been granted a temporary reprieve from the emotional toll that had been like deferred payment on a huge loan. But now I knew the payment was due…with interest.
I knew the streak was over before I started the first race of the new season. Every workout was strained and all I had to measure the new normal against was the time I had spent in the streak. I was actually training well, just not training like I had in the streak.
The season opener was an Olympic distance race on the Gold Coast of Australia. The 1991 edition of Mark Allen was badly in need of service. Mike Pigg in his usual dominant fashion came up with the win. I struggled in a distant second.
I have to admit after all these years that having that race was a huge relief. Now people could rest in the knowledge that I was indeed mortal, and we could battle it out on a level playing field again.
I now know that I never actually experienced the streak, I lived it. I remember a quote from Bruce Lee that goes, "Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, and it becomes the bottle," and so in the months of racing I had been water. Not by design but rather by destiny. I took the form. The tradeoff that comes with a streak is that it's almost impossible to remember something I will never forget.
A final note to the readers. Everyone gets on a streak at one point or another. If not necessarily as dramatic as mine, at least as magical. Whether it’s art, athletics or love, you’ll know that feeling when your participation seems otherworldly without effort. My advice? When you feel it, go with it. Don’t allow yourself to step outside of it until it kicks you off of the tracks.
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THE STREAK
1988
Bermuda
Reunion Island
1989
Pucon Triathlon, Pucon Chile, half Ironman
America’s Paradise Triathlon, St. Croix Virgin Islands, half IM
World Cup Triathlon, Surfer’s Paradise Australia, Long distance
Nice International Triathlon, Nice France, Long Distance
President’s Triathlon, Dallas Texas, Olympic Distance
Heineken Triathlon, Lancaster England, Olympic Distance
Coors Light Biathlon, San Francisco California,
ITU World Championship, Avignon France, Olympic Distance
Music City Triathlon, Nashville Tennessee, Olympic Distance
Bud Light Ironman Triathlon World Championship, Kona Hawaii, Ironman
1990
Pucon Triathlon, Pucon Chile, Half Ironman
Isla de Pasqua Triathlon – Easter Island
World Cup Triathlon – Gold Coast, Australia
Triathlon des Hautes de Seine, Paris France, Olympic Distance
Nice International Triathlon, Nice France, Long Distance
Säter Triathlon, Säter, Sweden
Vancouver International Triathlon
Chicago Sun-Times Triathlon
Ironman World Championship, Kona Hawaii, Ironman Distance
This was very interesting. I'm hopping in at a later date, so I'll have to go back and read some past ones to catch up! I'd be interested in learn about how you think racing in triathlon (especially in Kona) has changed over the years.