Two weeks have passed since the Ironman World Championship in Kona. Long enough for the adrenaline to drop. The body has recovered, ordinary life is back. In that ordinary quiet, I can finally measure what I lived.

I did not expect to qualify for Kona. Three months to prepare a world championship, between work, travel logistics and a crash course on the time-trial bike. It was intense. Sometimes too much.

Then you land on the island. The work is done. You take each day, and the festival around the sport. On race morning, a calm excitement. You cannot start a day like that without some doubt — and still feel ready.

A long, choppy, beautiful swim. The water was clear, full of fish. I swam without pressure, just glad to be there.

The bike was harder than expected. Heat, wind, an aero position that was still new. Pain, a few doubts, then I accepted slowing down. I thought about the marathon, about what came next, about what mattered.

The run hurt at first. Then, as it often does, it opened up. The body found a rhythm, the mind settled. Ice, a cap, smiles. I moved forward lightly. Crossing the line, I simply felt well. Present. Grateful.

Second Ironman. Certainly not the last. — Marjolaine

Back to the blog