Wikel finishes with personal best in Kona

Kim Wikel didn't have any crazy expectations when she hit the water last month at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. The event took place on Oct. 11 in Kona, on the Big Island, and marked the first time Wikel had competed in the most prestigious triathlon on the planet. "I didn't have any goals for this race because I wanted to experience the island," Wikel said. "I wanted to finish with a smile on my face and be proud of my effort. "This is where Ironman was born. This island is truly an epic adventure. There are a lot of legends the island carries and there's a special pull that you can actually feel." Wikel, who lives in Milan, embraced the moment and set a personal-best time of 10 hours, 46 minutes, 54 seconds for the 140.6-mile race. "PR-ing in Kona is really hard to do because it's such a hard course," she said. Wikel's time was good for 13th place in the female 45-49 category, which had 237 competitors, and 183rd out of about 1,600 female competitors of all ages. Wikel finished second among American competitors in her age division. "I said if I was top 50 in my age group I'd be happy," Wikel said. "My stretch goal was top 25. To finish 13th was nothing I could ever imagine. I felt really good." Jana Richtrova from the Czech Republic was the female 45-49 champion in 10:03.31 Wikel completed the 2.4-mile swim in Kailua Bay in 1:23.06, trying to focus despite distractions. "Swimming in Hawaii is similar to swimming in an aquarium," she said. "There are fish, sea turtles. You can see all the way to the bottom. I saw dolphins in the middle of my swim. It's hard to stay focused because it's so beautiful." Wikel finished 122nd in her age division in swimming before making up plenty of ground on the bike and run portions of the race. She biked 112 miles on Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway in 5:42.19. "It was hot," she said. "Lava fields on your left and the ocean on your right." Wikel finished strong in the 26.2-mile run with a time of 3:33. That was the third-fastest run in her division and more than six minutes faster than Richtrova. During the triathlon's third leg — the marathon — Wikel kept waiting for the pain to hit. It never happened. "I was feeling so good, probably 30 seconds a mile faster than my race plan. I never had a dark moment," she said. "I was consistent with my pace and felt good. A lot of people were walking and suffering and I was high-fiving volunteers. I was in a good headspace to enjoy the day and performed really well." Wikel was concerned about the Hawaiian heat, and prepared with that in mind. "I was worried about the heat going from Ohio to Hawaii so I probably almost over-heat trained," she said. "I never felt the heat in the race." The race in Kona was an all-female event this year. The men raced in France. "It was truly a celebration of women's sports," she said. Natalie Grabow from Mountain Lakes, N.J., at age 80, became the oldest woman to finish the Ironman World Championship. She completed the event in 16:45.26. Next year, all competitors will race in Kona. Wikel has competed in four full triathlons and 16 70.3-mile events during her career. Wikel plans to return to Hawaii next year. She'll compete in a triathlon Sunday in Cozumel, Mexico, in an attempt to qualify for the 2026 world championship. She qualified in Mexico in November 2024 for this year's race. "When I finished (in Kona), the first thing I said was 'I want to come back,' " she said.