TMC’s 2017 Kona over/unders

– by Dan Walker

Some say that watching the Ironman World Championships can be just as gruelling as racing the event. Between the all too frequent mentions about who sponsors the swim course, to the broadcasters only focussing on one or two athletes for the ENTIRE day Canadian triathletes can be forgiven for getting frustrated watching the annual parade down Ali’i drive.  

That’s why we came up with the Kona Over/Under game to keep things interesting for you during one of the toughest endurance tests you’ll face all year. For those of you not familiar with how an Over/Under bet works here are the basics: We give you a number ( i.e number of men who will swim under 50 minutes) and then you and your tri friends take the Over or the Under. So if the number is set at 3 and there were four men under 50 minutes then the Over wins.

2017 Kona Over/Unders

1. 10 – the number of times that announcers Greg Welch and Michael Lovato tell you who the swim course is brought to you by.
2. 3 – the number of times Greg Welch will tell you about the time he won the Ironman Championship
3. 4 – the number of times the coverage will cut away from the leaders to check in with the Ironman Executive Challenge. We suggest you use this as a chance to grab a gel, bar or maybe use the washroom.
4. 4:23:04 – the time of the fastest bike split in 2016 by German uber biker Boris Stein. Look for Kienle and Sanders to push the bike hard together if they exit in the same swim pack. If you take the Over make sure you get good odds.
5. 4 minutes – the difference between the men’s and women’s swim times
6. 2:57:00 – run time of the winning woman at this year’s championships
7. 2 – the number of speedos you’ll see in the men’s pro field. With Tim Reed on the start list you can usually guarantee at least one, but there’s always someone who will surprise you (i.e. Lionel Sanders in last years race).