Swedish triathlete Rasmus Svenningsson is looking to learn from past mistakes as he prepares for another shot at Kona glory, two years after his ‘miserable’ professional debut on the Big Island.
Able to start running again after sustaining the pelvic bone stress reaction that ruled him out of his ‘home’ race in Kalmar earlier this month, the 33-year-old is fully focused on October’s IRONMAN World Championship – with the valuable lessons of 2024 very much at the front of his mind.
Having won that year’s IRONMAN South Africa and set a then-bike course record time of 4:14:35, Svenningsson was regarded as something of an outside bet for a tilt at the title, with fans and commentators also aware of the impressive times he was posting on Strava.
Disastrous technical failure wrecks Kona
However, his devotion in trying to ensure that he arrived in Hawaii in the best possible shape also resulted in him experiencing high levels of pre-race stress and anxiety, emotions which were not helped when he then suffered a disastrous technical failure coming out of T1.
Such was his disappointment after the race – where he would eventually finish in 33rd place – he took some time out to recharge and reflect on a period of preparation which he admitted at the time bordered on a ‘self-absorbed obsession’ to make sure everything was 100% right.
The problem turned out to be a broken rear-wheel axle attachment, which caused the tyre to rub constantly against the frame and created significant, energy-sapping resistance.
And while there was very little he could do about that mechanical failure, he can at least now control his mental approach – an issue he addressed in a recent Instagram post.
‘Too much performance-related anxiety’
“Time for an update. 😅 As many of you have already recognised, I wasn’t lining up at the start line for @ironmantrisweden Kalmar as originally planned,” he wrote. “A month earlier, I experienced a sudden onset of sharp pain in my left hip during a run. A few days later, an MRI confirmed a bone stress reaction in my pelvis.
“It’s now been 7-8 weeks since the onset of symptoms, and it’s finally time to start building my running back up again, 🥳 with my focus now firmly on the biggest event of the year: the @ironmantri World Championship in Kona. 🌺
“The last time I lined up next to Kailua Pier on the Big Island of Hawaii, early in the morning on the second Saturday of October, the weeks leading up to the race were unfortunately characterised by far too much performance-related anxiety and stress.
“This time, I’m travelling to Kona with a very different mindset. I think it’s important to never take qualifying for this event for granted and to genuinely celebrate the opportunity to race here. I want to enjoy my time on this amazing island to the fullest while simultaneously immersing myself completely in the process of preparing for the race to the best of my ability.”
Some positive history on the Big Island
Svenningsson secured his return to Kona by winning IRONMAN Chattanooga last September, holding off Martin Ulloa and Cameron Wurf to claim victory and one of the two available World Championship places.
While it is fair to say that his first Kona appearance as a professional ended in frustration, Svenningsson does have far happier memories of racing on the Big Island.
Back in 2018, as a 26-year-old age-grouper, the then-student of medicine crossed the line first in his 25-29 category to take the men’s title in a time of 8:34:01 – which was also good enough for him to take 32nd place overall among all finishers.
That performance provided an early indication of his considerable potential, and he will return this year hoping to rediscover the magic of 2018 rather than repeat the disappointment of 2024.
