I’ve made the decision to defer my Kona spot (again) to 2022.
As it got closer, I was dreading having to make this decision but, now I have, I know it’s definitely the right call. There is still too much uncertainty and if the race goes ahead but I can’t get there due to travel restrictions, I’d lose my qualification spot (and all the fees I’ve paid!). Having to qualify again after holding that Kona coin in my hand is something I’d struggle to come to terms with.
My training also took a bit of a knock in the last few weeks. It had been meticulously planned so I had a rest week around our wedding which was due to be 17th July… Covid had other plans though. With a (thankfully mild) case within our immediate family in the run up, we tried for the wedding equivalent of a Hail Mary to move the whole wedding to one week later. Unbelievably, we managed to pull it off, but my training took a backseat in favour of calling up dozens of toilet companies. (We had our wedding in a field. Yes it rained, but was bloody awesome.)
Like last year when I ran across Switzerland, I don’t want my pre-wedding training to go to waste so am competing in the (much more local) Long Distance Duathlon World Championships that are happening just down the road from us in Zofingen, Switzerland. It’s being held on 19th September, and I can’t express how excited I am to race again. It’s been almost 2 years.
I’ll post a race report in the weeks following the event, but until then, stay safe.
P.S. absolutely do not recommend replanning a whole wedding in a week unless your wife is a pilot and her skills weirdly transfer over to last-minute events management. Who knew.
Adam Labbett 