IRONMAN Kona: Taylor Knibb masterplan revealed as Erin Carson details how it came together

Taylor Knibb sent triathlon fans wild when she confirmed that she WILL be racing at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona on Saturday (October 14), where she will make her debut over the full distance.

The two-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, who also secured Olympic qualification in Paris in August, will now be one of the leading contenders in Hawaii despite her limited experience, and will add a thrilling dynamic to the race.

To find out more about her training for that Big Island debut, how her team have been preparing and when the decision came about, we spoke to Knibb’s hugely-respected strength coach Erin Carson.

Treasured relationship with Taylor

Having started working with Taylor in 2017, Carson describes her relationship with Knibb as a special one and is very proud to be part of the two-time world champion’s team as the movement and strength coach.

She told TRI247: “My relationship with Taylor is one that I treasure very much.  She is not only one of the best triathletes in the world she is also a wonderful person to spend time with.  I have learned many things from Taylor and I am so proud to be part of her team.

“Taylor’s long-course debut will be both exciting and unknown.  We are confident that she is in position to have success at the distance. She has worked all year to build the kind of fitness that is needed to meet the demands that she will face on race day. Taylor is both a student and fan of triathlon. 

“Taylor has a tremendous amount of respect for the island, her competitors and the IRONMAN World Championships. She will take on the day with courage, intelligence and respect. Those three things combined with her preparation and fierce competitive nature should make the day quite interesting to say the least!”

Kona always part of the plan

Honing in on the specifics of the plan to race in Kona, along with her work to prepare Knibb for the event, Carson reveals that racing on the Big Island was always seen as part of the schedule. Ticking off other objectives, such as Olympic qualification, was the only thing likely to change that schedule.

“I was informed at the beginning of the year that Kona may be on the schedule. I did everything in my power to put Taylor in position to achieve all of her objectives leading into each and every race. This process began in December 2022 and what an amazing journey it has been.

“Whilst racing Kona was always part of the plan for 2023, we just didn’t know if it was going to be on the cards for it to actually happen. Many things had to come together in order for this race to actually be included on Taylor’s schedule. Many people worked together, with Taylor guiding the way, to make Kona 2023 a reality.”

For Carson, her relationship with Knibb and Taylor’s other coaches are paramount to their success. They enable her to implement a plan which puts the focus on optimising movement and achieving joint and muscle balance – all fundamental to training durability and sporting success.

“For most athletes the strength program has the same objective.  Provide the athlete with the best possible support so that they are in position to be successful. My strength programs always initiate with optimising movement, achieving and maintaining joint and muscle balance and then of course there is resistance training specific to endurance sports. 

“Not only is it important to gain the trust and respect of the athletes, I also must gain the trust and respect of their sport coach. Overall it is of little importance how much weight that athlete can move, it is most important that they experience performance gains in their sport.”

Podium possibility for Knibb?

Hinting at a big result in Kona for Knibb, Carson was steadfast in her belief that the young American will add a new dynamic to the race, but also understands that with so many experienced competitors lining up alongside her, it will be a gruelling fight for the podium.

“I think Taylor will change the race on October 14th.  Her performances in the past three months make her a potential threat to be paid attention to by the other athletes. 

“At the same time, many of the competitors on the start list have a lot of valuable experience with the distance, so perhaps they will just stick to their own plan and not make any adjustments at all.

“Either way, I am excited for The IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. As a coach, I have been part of many podium performances on the island and I am hopeful to be part of another one this year…we’ll see!”