Davidson’s Krakauer Competes in Ironman World Championship
10/30/2012 1:57:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson swimming & diving assistant swim coach Amy Krakauer completed her NCAA eligibility when she graduated from Columbia in 2008, but her competitive spirit was not gone and in addition to coaching, is now channeled into competing in triathlons.
Krakauer may have started competing in triathlons less than four years ago, but her resume boasts some pretty impressive accomplishments – including two trips to Kona and age group wins in Louisville and New York.
After receiving a degree in economics and completing her four-year career with the Lions four years ago, Krakauer knew she wanted to stay involved in sports somehow. So in addition to taking a job as a collegiate swim coach, she signed up for her first triathlon.
“I signed up after I graduated from Columbia. I had run a little bit in high school, and it was something that was always on my mind to stay competitive,” she says. “So I signed up for my first one, just a sprint race, without a bike or anything. I bought my bike the week before the race.”
However, that short sprint, which is comprised of about a half-mile swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 5k run, just wasn't enough.
“I missed the feeling of needing to train for something,” says Krakauer. “I occasionally did an Olympic one and then two years ago I did my first Ironman.”
Since then, Krakauer has devoted more than 20 hours a week to training at certain times during the year. In the weeks leading up to a race, she spends about four to seven hours every Sunday on a bike and routinely takes two to three hour runs in preparation for the long course. All of this is done while balancing her job as an assistant coach for the Wildcats.
“I'm really lucky to have such a supportive boss and team,” she says. “It's a blast to come back to them. They now have this understanding and awareness of what it takes to compete in triathlons and you can tell by some of the questions they ask they've put some thought into it.”
On October 14, Krakauer traveled to Kona, Hawaii, to compete in the Ironman World Championships for the second time in her short career. A win in her age group at the Louisville race had earned her a spot in the 2010 Ironman, in which she came in ninth in her age group. This year, Krakauer won her age group at an event in New York to earn her trip to Kona.
This year's trip didn't start out so smoothly.
“You have to take your bike apart and put it into a box so they can weigh it and inspect it,” says Krakauer. “When I brought it to the airport to check it, I knew that something was going to go wrong. They really didn't know how to handle it. Sure enough, I got there and found out my bike didn't make it.”
Luckily, it was less than 24 hours before she got the call that her bike was at the airport in Hawaii. From then on out, Krakauer describes the experience as amazing. With a large portion of the island dedicated to the event, it is one of the few in the world that offers amateur competitors the opportunity to be treated like professional athletes.
Kailua-Kona is an “Ironman Village” entirely devoted to the triathlon over the course of the week. Ali'I Drive, the main street through Kailua's oceanfront downtown, is crowded with tents giving away free gear ranging from Muscle Milk to energy bars to sunscreen. About 5,000 volunteers come to the aid of the 2,000 competitors, meaning just about every need is taken care of.
“The town is packed and you feel like a star,” says Krakauer. “The swim course is open every morning and there's a boat moored in the middle of the water that gives away free coffee, so everyone just swims out there and drinks their coffee out there. People are slathering you in sunscreen, putting on your shoes at the transitions and cheering you on. A group of boys high-fived me and told me I was so cool. There are just so many unique things.”
After moving up an age group from the last time she competed in Hawaii, Krakauer finished 26th in her age division with a total time of 11:06.28. She was 22 minutes faster than her time from 2010 and was relatively happy with her performance.
“I'd hoped for a faster swim, but overall I was right where I thought I would be,” she says. “My fastest time was in New York, but it's hard to compare race to race because the courses and conditions are so different.”
With Hawaii being her third triathlon in the last six months, Krakauer is prepared to take a break from the competition for a while to focus on the upcoming swim season. As for having an Ironman run swim practice…
“It does give me some street cred!”
Krakauer may have started competing in triathlons less than four years ago, but her resume boasts some pretty impressive accomplishments – including two trips to Kona and age group wins in Louisville and New York.
After receiving a degree in economics and completing her four-year career with the Lions four years ago, Krakauer knew she wanted to stay involved in sports somehow. So in addition to taking a job as a collegiate swim coach, she signed up for her first triathlon.
“I signed up after I graduated from Columbia. I had run a little bit in high school, and it was something that was always on my mind to stay competitive,” she says. “So I signed up for my first one, just a sprint race, without a bike or anything. I bought my bike the week before the race.”
However, that short sprint, which is comprised of about a half-mile swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 5k run, just wasn't enough.
“I missed the feeling of needing to train for something,” says Krakauer. “I occasionally did an Olympic one and then two years ago I did my first Ironman.”
Since then, Krakauer has devoted more than 20 hours a week to training at certain times during the year. In the weeks leading up to a race, she spends about four to seven hours every Sunday on a bike and routinely takes two to three hour runs in preparation for the long course. All of this is done while balancing her job as an assistant coach for the Wildcats.
“I'm really lucky to have such a supportive boss and team,” she says. “It's a blast to come back to them. They now have this understanding and awareness of what it takes to compete in triathlons and you can tell by some of the questions they ask they've put some thought into it.”
On October 14, Krakauer traveled to Kona, Hawaii, to compete in the Ironman World Championships for the second time in her short career. A win in her age group at the Louisville race had earned her a spot in the 2010 Ironman, in which she came in ninth in her age group. This year, Krakauer won her age group at an event in New York to earn her trip to Kona.
This year's trip didn't start out so smoothly.
“You have to take your bike apart and put it into a box so they can weigh it and inspect it,” says Krakauer. “When I brought it to the airport to check it, I knew that something was going to go wrong. They really didn't know how to handle it. Sure enough, I got there and found out my bike didn't make it.”
Luckily, it was less than 24 hours before she got the call that her bike was at the airport in Hawaii. From then on out, Krakauer describes the experience as amazing. With a large portion of the island dedicated to the event, it is one of the few in the world that offers amateur competitors the opportunity to be treated like professional athletes.
Kailua-Kona is an “Ironman Village” entirely devoted to the triathlon over the course of the week. Ali'I Drive, the main street through Kailua's oceanfront downtown, is crowded with tents giving away free gear ranging from Muscle Milk to energy bars to sunscreen. About 5,000 volunteers come to the aid of the 2,000 competitors, meaning just about every need is taken care of.
“The town is packed and you feel like a star,” says Krakauer. “The swim course is open every morning and there's a boat moored in the middle of the water that gives away free coffee, so everyone just swims out there and drinks their coffee out there. People are slathering you in sunscreen, putting on your shoes at the transitions and cheering you on. A group of boys high-fived me and told me I was so cool. There are just so many unique things.”
After moving up an age group from the last time she competed in Hawaii, Krakauer finished 26th in her age division with a total time of 11:06.28. She was 22 minutes faster than her time from 2010 and was relatively happy with her performance.
“I'd hoped for a faster swim, but overall I was right where I thought I would be,” she says. “My fastest time was in New York, but it's hard to compare race to race because the courses and conditions are so different.”
With Hawaii being her third triathlon in the last six months, Krakauer is prepared to take a break from the competition for a while to focus on the upcoming swim season. As for having an Ironman run swim practice…
“It does give me some street cred!”
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