The 2024 Ironman World Championship in Kona saw a stellar lineup of elite athletes, with British triathlete and Tri Revolution head coach, Kieran Lindars making an impressive debut on the iconic Hawaiian course. Known for its extreme conditions, Kona demands high levels of endurance, mental resilience, and preparation tailored to the heat and humidity. Lindars embraced these challenges with determination, despite being new to the Kona circuit.

In his lead-up to the race, Lindars creatively trained in a homemade “sweat box,” using a pop-up greenhouse around his bike trainer to acclimate to the intense Kona heat and humidity​. He followed this up with the 2 week pre-race training camp in Texas, honing his form and heat acclimation ready for the big day. His meticulous approach, combined with strong support from sponsors and the UK triathlon community, underscored his commitment to achieving a strong performance on his first outing in Kona. His primary goal was to soak up as much experience as possible, which he believed would be invaluable for future championships. Off the back of 2nd place at the European champs 8 weeks earlier and with a smooth run in to the race, Kieran and the team at Tri Revolution knew that everything was in place for another career best performance.

Race day at Kona 2024 featured a mix of favorable overcast skies yet challenging winds, particularly on the bike course, where the infamous crosswinds near the turnaround in Hawi tested competitors’ limits​. Lindars positioned himself strategically through the swim and initial stages of the bike, aiming to conserve energy for the later parts of the race. Despite the intensity of the field, he held his own, pacing carefully through each stage of the race to avoid the pitfalls that many first-time competitors face on the Kona course.

While Lindars’ primary focus was on experience rather than a podium finish, he set an ambitious personal target of placing in the top 15 to 20, a respectable result in a race that consistently attracts the world’s best triathletes​. Throughout the marathon portion, Lindars showed remarkable resilience, managing the sweltering heat on the Queen K highway, where the unrelenting sun and headwinds added to the cumulative fatigue from the earlier swim and bike legs. By the end, Lindars not only achieved his goal of finishing but also gained invaluable insights into Kona’s unique demands, laying a strong foundation for his future appearances.

Kieran Lindars’ debut at Kona exemplifies the dedication and adaptability required to compete at this level. Although he faced seasoned Kona veterans, his experience in 2024 sets him up as a promising competitor for years to come, with plans to apply this knowledge to push even further in subsequent races.