"It was my best Ironman and worst wrapped into one."
Ben Kanute is no stranger to the sport of triathlon. The now-32-year-old grew up in a family that was immersed in the sport. As it does for many triathletes, the Big Island has always had an aura around it. Ben's Dad raced Kona in 2001, Tim DeBoom won the Elite race that year, the last American to take out the World Champs. Ben's dad was back on the island in 2024, this time to cheer on his son.
I grew up watching Kona on TV. My dad was here the last time an American won it, so hopefully we are going to keep that streak alive with another American to win it in 2024.
Ben's love for Triathlon started watching his dad race.
It started as a kid. Seeing the racing and thinking the sport was cool, seeing people going fast on bikes, I loved swimming, biking and running. Watching the Ironman, with guys flying down the Queen K highway, even with those old-school setups, it seemed super-human and I guess I just wanted to be like that.
There are a lot of big races in triathlon, but Kona stands out from all of them. It has that extra bit of magic to it. It's like the Tour de France... Oh you won Kona? That's the appeal — it's a big deal.
Ben made the transition to 70.3 and Ironman competition after the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2017 and in 2022, he was second in the 70.3 World Champs. And now, he has Kona in his sights.
I've enjoyed every distance of triathlon that I have done... Racing for seven and a half hours, or more, that's a long day. What you experience in that and what you see in that, people burning their soles, it's the triumph of the human spirit.
Ben described his Kona experience as: "my best Ironman and worst wrapped into one."
I took some chances, we were pushing power closer to a 70.3 pace than Ironman pace. It's a rollercoaster that you ride, and I felt amazing going up the climb... I tried to rehydrate and find a rhythm on the run, but I couldn't quite find it. It was my worst marathon ever, but I never considered quitting — I'm proud.
Ben Kanute: The Equipment
For Kona, Ben rides a stunningly custom-painted Trek Speed Concept (size medium) in American colours, with a SRAM Red eTap AXS 12-speed drivetrain, a 58T 1x chainring on a 165mm Quarq-equipped crankset, and Shimano Dura-Ace pedals. He'll be riding Zipp 858 NSW wheels mounted with Goodyear Vector R Z30 NSW tires.
Optimisation
On the position optimisation side of performance, Ben works with Paraic McGlynn of Cyclologic. Given that the cyclist accounts for upwards of 70% of the total drag force, it is not a surprise that Ben and Paraic have placed so much emphasis on the importance of his position.
I think I have probably spent more hours in the fit studio than any triathlete….
Race Suit & Helmet
Ben has worked with Santini for 4 years. For Kona, he tested up to fourteen different suits. On the helmet front, Rudy Project's new Wingdream has been the latest helmet to deliver a gain for Ben.
Nutrition
Before the swim, 30g of carbs, via the Enervit liquid gel. On the bike, I'll be hitting 110g of CHO per hour, Enervit Isotonic and Maurten Drink Mix, Maurten Caf gels, SiS Beta Fuel and the NeverSecond gels. On the run I'll back it off to 70g carbs per hour.
Elite sport is always about the full package, nothing can be left on the table if you want to record an exceptional result. For Ben, this Kona prepping phase has been exactly that: all in, nothing left on the table. We wish Ben the best of luck on the Big Island.