KAILUA-KONA — For the second consecutive year, Steffen Brocks defied the odds to become the top Big Island finisher in the Ironman World Championship. Brocks placed 778th overall and 103rd in his 45-49 age group, finishing in a time of 10 hours, 31 minutes and 22 seconds.
Brocks is no stranger to the Ironman circuit. He first started triathlons in in the 1980s and competed in his first Ironman in 1994. Since then, he has competed in 59 official races. He has competed in Kona 11 times, but this one, the 2016 World Championship, was one of the most difficult for the self-trained 48-year-old.
“To summarize it, I was glad this race was 140.6 miles and not 140.7,” Brocks said a day after finishing one of the hardest and most competitive races on the planet. “It was a tough day out there for everyone.”
Brocks contributed the tougher challenge to the wind during the 112-mile bike portion of the race, which went up to Hawi and then back to Kailua-Kona.
“The swim is usually calm and by time you get out of the water it is overcast so the heat is not as much of a factor, but there was a headwind all the way to Waikoloa and then the wind changed direction and there was a headwind coming back,” he said.
Brocks — who splits time between the Big Island and Portland — added that he has seen the wind worse on non-race days, but he can not recall a tougher wind during the 11 trips to the big dance.
“From a race perspective, it was probably the windiest I can remember,” Brocks said. “But that is part of the joy of racing. You can put together a race plan and try to execute it, but the weather can always throw you a curveball. You have to be able to adjust on the fly.”
Brocks had a strong showing this year. He wrapped up the swim in 1:01:54, he competed the bike course in 5:33:22, and then he wrapped up his day with a 3:46:50 marathon run.
While he loves the competition, Brocks says his favorite part of the race is the people.
“I love the camaraderie,” he said. “Sure, there are Type A people who are competitive, a lot of folks are serious, but they are also friendly.”
With this year’s race over, Brocks is already preparing to qualify for 2017. He will compete in Ironman-Arizona in five weeks. When asked why he trains and competes, Brocks answered jokingly, “It makes me easier to get along with.
“Human’s are like dogs. When they are tired they are good,” Brocks added. “Doing something like this really stabilizes you.”