Mission Kona Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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We are back for SEASON 3 with a focus on highlighting the male triathletes competing in the 2024 Kona Ironman World Championships in October!

Our first episode of the season features Andrew Hall, a standout athlete competing in the 35-39 age group. Andrew is by no means new to the sport of triathlon, but he has been very calm and calculated in his approach to racing and performing at the top level.

Living and training in Salt Lake City, Utah it's safe to say that the Ironman Texas course was a bit different than his usual terrain. After some unexpected changes in his schedule, demands with work and life, Andrew worked hard to pull together a successful training block and so he could be ready to race in April. One huge goal he had was to secure his Kona slot, and that he did! Andrew executed on all disciplines on race day with a finishing time of 8:32 securing the overall age group win!

Enjoy our conversation about Andrew's journey, his training leading up to race day, and how Texas Ironman unfolded! Stay tuned until the end to hear his podium predictions for Kona!

Follow Andrew @andrewtrihall

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Episode 6 of the WOMEN CRUSHING KONA Series features Kirsten Miller who competed in her first Kona this year in the 55-59 age group! 

Listen in to hear:

• Kirsten’s dream of racing on the big island,
• why she thought the Ironman distance was behind her, and
• the mindset it required to overcome an unexpected obstacle and show up on race day despite all odds!

Follow Kirsten’s journey on instagram @nourish2flourish_nutrition

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Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne:

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· Do you know an age group athlete who has a great story to share? Send us a message on Instagram!

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On this Host Episode, Mike & Michelle share 5 Reasons to Hire a Coach.

There's no doubt that triathlon is a journey. What may start as some easy cross training from a run or sport injury can lead to a full on obsession with the sport of triathlon. Somewhere in there most of us have tried to coach ourselves. We pull a plan off the internet  or piece together what we "think" we should be doing to get stronger. With this approach, we can quickly find ourselves overtraining, spending too much time in the wrong zones, burnt out, overwhelmed, and not seeing results.

Listen in to this short episode on the 5 reasons we feel a coach is important to your progression in the sport. Some you may have heard many times from athletes we have chatted with... some may surprise you!

Enjoy!

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Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne:

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· Do you know an age group athlete who has a great story to share? Send us a message on Instagram!

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BALANCE: an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady

Eva Frieden joins us on this episode to share how she has found BALANCE in the sport of triathlon. We had an impactful discussion on all the elements that are important to finding sustainable success as an age group athlete. SPOILER! Having fun and enjoying what you do = LESS chance of burnout and injury! Perhaps no surprise there, but this was a really good reminder for us.

Eva resides in Santa Monica, California and has been in the sport for a handful of years. Formerly a collegiate rower, she grew up very active playing a variety of sports and finding that the social aspect was something that really fueled her and kept her engaged. Now, she has completed over 10 Ironman and Half Ironman distance races! In 2022 she finished 2nd in her age group at Ironman Alaska and also earned her Kona spot, racing Ironman Hawaii in October!

There's no denying that Eva is a strong athlete - mentally and physically. You'll learn a lot from how she's navigated her race schedule, her approach to training with athletes often outside of the triathlon community, and really dialed into the things that bring her joy! She's a fan of good food, good coffee, and good company!

Up Next: Eva is racing the 2023 Boston Marathon - a first timer at a home race of sorts for her!

Follow Eva:
Instagram @evadorphins

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Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne:

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· Do you know an age group athlete who has a great story to share? Send us a message on Instagram!

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Nick Modrzejewski is a name you'll remember - perhaps have difficulty pronouncing (MA-JE-SKI) - but memorable indeed!

Nick resides in Champaign, Illinois, is husband to Amy, father to two, a Pastor at Illini Life, a triathlon coach at SuperFly Coaching, and a competitive age group triathlete.

He has completed Ironman Florida FIVE times with finishes in the top 10 of his age group each time. His best finish at Ironman Florida was in 2021 where he finished 2nd in the 35-39 age group- this after an incredible 1st place age group finish at Wisconsin in 2021 where he secured his spot to Ironman World Championships in Kona this past October 2022.

The Ironman Florida race has been a highlight race for Nick - one he likes to finish his season with. It's warm, flat, and fast! His race in 2022 may not have been all he hoped for, but with a finishing time of 9:49, it's one to be proud of - especially considering how he felt on race day, just coming off of Kona a few weeks prior, and a new baby at home! If you're considering racing this course you'll learn a lot from his Nick's experiences over the years.

One thing you cannot deny -  Nick has a true love and passion for the sport of triathlon... "a good day is getting to swim, bike, and run." Simple as that. He shares how the pressures of a big goal can and DO weigh him (us) down; rather success is found when we let those expectations go and show up as our very best that we have to give on race day.

Follow Nick's training and racing on Strava, or reach out via Super Fly Coaching.

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Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne:

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· Do you know an age group athlete who has a great story to share? Send us a message on Instagram!

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We are bringing you a special episode this week around the 4th discipline of triathlon: NUTRITION

You'll enjoy this conversation with Kathleen Oswalt, a registered dietitian who gives nutritional guidance and support to endurance athletes who want to follow a plant focused diet. Together with her husband Don, a 2x World Championship qualifier, they own eatloveTriathlon where they focus on plant-based nutrition and mindset to empower endurance athletes to fuel their body for sustained energy, endurance and quicker recovery.

Kathleen shares her wisdom and experience around developing positive habits with nutrition to support your workouts and your lifestyle. As endurance athletes it's common to under-fuel or be overwhelmed with trying to eat "perfectly" - THANKFULLY there are resources available (eatloveTRIATHLON!) to help us navigate this process, support our bodies, and reach our goals.

Follow on Instagram @eatlovetriathlon

eatloveTRIATHLON is sharing a free resource with you!
The Endurance Athlete's Guide to Plant Based Eating

https://courses.eatlovetriathlon.com/beginners-guide-to-plant-based-eating

Join eatloveTRIATHLON's Private Facebook group:
The Plant Powered Athlete

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theplantpoweredathlete

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Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne:

· Instagram missionkonapodcast

· Do you know an age group athlete who has a great story to share? Send us a message on Instagram!

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We are excited to bring you the third episode of the Couples Who Tri series where we sit down with couples who are both active in the sport of triathlon. Do they train together? Race together? Did triathlon unite them or did it come to be after the fact? And WHAT will a world championship race in 2 different locations look like for competitive triathlon couples?

Amy & Seamus Woods live and train in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and race in the 45-49 age group. They are parents to 2 kids, so we spend some time chatting about how they manage busy lives and schedules, and how staying active has been a part of their relationship from the very start.

Seamus raced Ironman Kona in 2022 and shares a recap of how he got there and how the day played out for him (SPOILER: his finish time of 9:59:59 might be the best thing ever!).

Amy (fellow @iracelikeagirl teammate to Michelle!) most recently raced Florida 70.3 in 2022 after a year of battling injury. With a finish time of 5:20:33, I think it's safe to say she's BACK and more than ready for her 2023 season!

Both Amy & Seamus have some great advice for busy athletes and parents, and we appreciated their honesty when it comes to balance and staying true to your own goals and dreams.

Follow Amy & Seamus:

@amywoodsfitness

@rhymes_w_famous

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Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne:

· Instagram missionkonapodcast

· Do you know an age group athlete who has a great story to share? Send us a message on Instagram!

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Mike & Michelle share some racing highlights from the 2022 season including huge PRs and dreams reached! Listen in to hear what races went to plan and setbacks did we have to navigate over the past year.

...also - what's ahead personally AND for the podcast in 2023!!!

And find out Michelle's "WORD OF THE YEAR"!

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Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne:

· Instagram missionkonapodcast

· Do you know an age group athlete who has a great story to share? Send us a message on Instagram!

Send us a text

We are excited to bring you the second episode of the Couples Who Tri series where we sit down with couples who are both active in the sport of triathlon. Do they train together? Race together? Did triathlon unite them or did it come to be after the fact? And WHAT will a world championship race in 2 different locations look like for competitive triathlon couples?

There's a TON of good stuff packed into this episode with Kerry Girona and Andreas Moraitis. Living in Florida, both Kerry and Andreas have had a lot of success in the sport of triathlon - including many podium finishes at the 70.3 and full Ironman distances, AND an overall age group WIN for Kerry at Gulf Coast 70.3.

We really enjoyed hearing how they balance training and supporting one another in their goals as they keep learning, growing, and pushing themselves to new levels - whether that looks like getting faster and stronger, or doing the most with what they have.

Kerry also had the opportunity to race Kona in 2022 - her 2nd ever full Ironman distance race! She shares her build, how she was MORE than ready, but unfortunately didn't get to have that race day she dreamed of. Redemption forthcoming?!

Be sure to listen in to hear their plans for 2023. Exciting things ahead for both of them!

Continue to follow their journey on instagram:
@kerryteamtrifox
@porsche_ironman

Support the show

Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne:

· Instagram missionkonapodcast

· Do you know an age group athlete who has a great story to share? Send us a message on Instagram!

Send us a text

Stephanie Melkonian lives and trains in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is by no means new to Ironman. One might say she was not an overnight success in the sport - but what Stephanie DOES have is dedication, grit, and undeniable passion which FINALLY led her to earning that coveted Kona spot at Ironman Chattanooga in 2022.

Stephanie shares her journey - the ups and downs and the "almosts" - which created the path she was destined to follow. You may find many parallels to your own triathlon journey in her stories.

We also enjoyed hearing about the awards ceremony at Ironman Chattanooga where so many women were able to accept Kona spots for 2023. Stephanie shares that the room was full of energy and the women were SO excited. This is what it's all about - lifting up each other in sport and sharing in the joy of all the hard work day in and day out to reach dreams that were not possible until now.

Follow Stephanie's journey:
@iron_chipmunk

Support the show

Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne:

· Instagram missionkonapodcast

· Do you know an age group athlete who has a great story to share? Send us a message on Instagram!