My Tough 2012

by Marco Koschier

After Kona in 2011, my coach Kevin Purcell and I put together the game plan for 2012:

Find an early qualifier for Kona with a flat bike course
Qualify at IM Texas
Race Kona

The plan was simple and realistic because we could expect four spots in my age group and flat bike courses suit me perfectly as I’m relatively tall and, at 83kg, I’m not the lightest.

In mid-December I kicked off with the preparation including some icy runs in the Moscow winter and had a perfect two week end of March were we could see the numbers coming along nicely. No injuries, no health issues and no interference of the audit busy season (I’m a CPA). I never missed a single workout.

Tapering down to Texas at the beginning of May, we knew I was ready to go. I took my plane from Moscow to Amsterdam… then disaster struck. When I tried to board the plane to Houston the security didn’t let me board. My passport -- the same one I had been using to enter the US for the past five years -- – had an important and valid deficit in that the photo is glued on the page and not scanned into the page. So, with no boarding there was no IM Texas for me. Here I was Mr. IM-Ready-to-Go without a race. It was hard for me to come to terms with that fact.

Flying home I got Kevin on the phone and we came up with plan B: come down from the peak and race IM Germany at the beginning of July. The goal of the year was still in sight, so we kept it moving again.

The same happened as during the preparation for Texas: 100% execution of the plan and in the middle of June… disaster struck again. I had my appendix removed and Frankfurt was the second DNS of the year. With that DNS, my chance for Kona 2012 was gone as well.

After getting back from the hospital, Kevin and I set up plan C: find a late-season IM with a flat bike course and qualify for 2013. We took the opportunity to have a good and deep mid-year break with recovery from my surgery and I prepared for Florida. I had raced there three times in the past and since I know the course well, we thought it was a smart choice.

Again, the preparation was executed 100%, including a half ironman in August and a camp in Cyprus five weeks out from race day. The closer to race day, they more I was getting concerned about a third disaster. But this time I delivered. Everything came together that day: body composition, nutrition, tapering, weather and race plan execution.

I finished my 30th IM in 9:22 (including a 4-minute penalty) and with a new PB I placed 3rd in my age group. The penalty cost me a place 6-minutes off from first AG spot, so not bad for a 48 year old guy.

What are the key take away points?

Nothing is guaranteed in life
Never give up, even though that is often times easier said than done
When things turn tough, it helps to have a mentor like Kevin was for me to keeps you on course

I’m taking a break now and in the superb position to aim for new lifetime best in Kona 2013, assuming disaster doesn’t strike again. I’ve corrected the chance for two of those disasters from happening again: I have a new passport and the appendix is gone forever.

See you in Kona.

Marco Koschier lives and trains in Moscow and has competed in Ironman since 1998, including multiple trips to Kona.