Oct. 19, 2006 -- This morning, several of the top pros took time to meet with the tri media in Kona. On the women's side, Australia's Michellie Jones, who finished second here last year, was joined by fellow Aussie Kate Major plus New Zealand's Jo Lawn and Austria's Kate Allen. Although six-time Kona winner Natascha Badmann, from Switzerland, was absent, her competitors offered their take on how they expect Saturday's race to play out and on their preparations for the event.
Triathlete was there and brings you a quick round up of some of the women to watch this weekend.
Michellie Jones: Although many have picked the ultra-talented Jones as the favorite for this year's race, the Aussie remains focused on just one goal: finishing.
"My triathlon career is pretty complete. I'm happy to win a silver medal at the Olympics, happy to win silver here last year. Look at how many Ironmans I've done - three - compared to some of the others. I still have so much to learn. Natascha [Badmann] has won this race how many times? I just have one goal: I want to finish the damn thing.
In Olympic distance, you go as hard as you can for two hours. At Ironman, you're still going hard, but you pay for it later if you go hard too early. You have to be mentally tough just to get across the finish line - and this is where experience come in.
Jo Lawn: After a successful season thus far, which has included wins at a storm-shortened Ironman New Zealand, in March, and at win at the Quelle Challenge, in Germany, Lawn has emerged as one of the top-tier Ironman athletes.
"I didn't do anything after Quelle [in July]. I went to Spain, got refreshed, then returned to Boulder [Colorado]. I began focusing on my Hawaii training in August.
I've been taking mini-steps toward the top of the podium [finishing fourth in Kona last year, fifth in 2004]. Doing well at this race is all about experience and desire - who can dig the deepest.
I've had a good year, but you have to be firing on all cylinders all day long [to get top results in Kona]. Hopefully this year I'll take a couple more leaps up the placings."
Kate Major: After taking third in Kona in 2005, Major struggled due to illness in the early part of the 2006 season. Still, Major, who unleashed a stunning 3:02:19 run here last year to reel in most of the women's field, is back on track and looks to be in fine form heading into Saturday.
"I didn't have the best start to my year. I got sick before Ironman New Zealand, and it took me about six months to get over it and start feeling better. But I'm good health-wise and back on top of it now.
Last year, when Greg [Welch, the 1994 Hawaii winner turned Ironmanlive commentator] told me I had run a 3:02 marathon, I didn't believe him until he showed me on paper. I didn't feel like I was running that fast - if I can feel like that again I'll be happy.
I've learned a lot, but with each race being different, you never fully learn or figure it out - it doesn't make it any easier to win, and everyone starts with a clean slate. It doesn't matter come race day, and you can never count anyone out."
Kate Allen: After winning Olympic gold in Athens in 2004, Kate Allen finished fifth in Hawaii in 2005. Despite a tough start to 2006, Allen has her training on track and the talented Aussie-turned-Austrian will be a serious threat on race day.
"I did some altitude training this year. The training was good, but the racing results were not good. In fact they were disastrous. I don't know what I did wrong, all my testing was good, but I didn't want to risk Kona by returning to altitude for a third time, so I headed to Mallorca [a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea] instead.
I was a bit disappointed with my bike last year, so I've been focused on that. I know I can have a good run. I'm in good shape there."