The photo of Bree Wee crossing the finish line of Ironman Canada says more than words ever can.
The Kailua-Kona-based professional triathlete, with arms raised, nearly airborne with emotion, knew immediately that her first-place finish qualified her to race back home at the Ironman World Championship, for the first time since 2010.
“I was ecstatic at the finish line,” Wee said. “Anything other than a win would have been risky to make it to Kona.”
Saturday is the third time Wee will race in her backyard. She competed in Kona as a professional in 2009 and 2010, and made a big splash in 2007 as an amateur, not only winning her 25-29 age group but also finishing as the 13th overall female and setting the amateur record at 9 hours, 47 minutes, 40 seconds.
Wee said this year she has gone back to her roots, trying to channel the same energy she did in her world championship debut seven years ago.
“Your first time, you don’t have huge expectations. You are just happy to be in the race,” Wee said. “My two times racing as a pro didn’t go very well. I think I put too much pressure on myself. I tried to do a lot of things that were not really me. My first year, I followed my plan and stayed within myself.”
Professional triathletes go through the taxing process of chasing Kona Points to qualify for the Ironman World Championship. To help deal with the stress, Wee added paddling to her regimen.
“I just needed a little bit of a mental outlet,” Wee said. “Thinking about Kona points is stressful. I didn’t want to burn out mentally, so paddling was a good outlet for me.”
The weeks leading up to Ironman are always packed, but Wee has managed to have some fun and has enjoyed seeing familiar faces.
“Racing as a professional, I have been lucky to have met people from around the world, so a lot of this week has been catching up with friends and old training partners,” Wee said.
Saturday, the countdown ends for Wee. Motivating her will be a collection of familiar faces, cheering her on as she treks through the familiar 140.6-mile course.
“I have so much gratitude for everyone who has supported me,” Wee said. “It will really be a race of appreciation because of the outpouring of support I have got from family, friends and sponsors.”