Episode 6 of the WOMEN CRUSHING KONA Series features Kirsten Miller who competed in her first Kona this year in the 55-59 age group!  Listen in to hear: Kirsten’s dream of racing on the big island,why she thought the Ironman distance was behind her, andthe mindset it required to overcome an unexpected obstacle and show up on race day despite all odds!Follow Kirsten’s journey on instagram @nourish2flourish_nutrition Support the show Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle...

Episode 5 of the WOMEN CRUSHING KONA Series features Barbora Besperat of Czech Republic who finished 1st in the 30-34 age group and 2nd overall! Listen in to hear: how long Barbora has been racing the Ironman distancewhat she claims is her "key to success" (hint: it's a PLACE!)her run split!!!Follow Barbora's journey on instagram @barubesp Support the show Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne: · Instagram missionkonapodcast · Do you know an age group athlete...

Episode 4 of the WOMEN CRUSHING KONA Series features Michelle Krebs of Switzerland who finished 2nd in the 25-29 age group and 3rd overall! Listen in to hear how: Triathlon changed Michelle's lifeWhat happened out there on the course before (ouch!) and during race dayand why her nickname is now PACMANFollow Michelle's journey on instagram @michelle_krebs94_ and check out her incredible sponsors as well: @muuvrfitness @catfp.ch @live_insiders @nutriperformx Support the show Follow Mission...

2023 KONA SERIES: WOMEN CRUSHING KONA We are back with episode 3 of the Women Crushing Kona series featuring Vanessa Murray who finished FIRST in the 35-39 age group and 4th overall at the Women's Ironman World Championships with a time of 9:34:27. A native of New Zealand, Vanessa currently lives and trains in Melbourne, Australia. She finally had the opportunity to return to Kona ten years after her debut ironman on the big island. Though she had qualified many times during those ten years,...

2023 KONA SERIES: WOMEN CRUSHING KONA Ava Warfel finished FIRST in the 18-24 age group at the 2023 Women's Ironman World Championships in Kona with a time of 9:47. In her first race on the island Ava dominated the course, finishing with a 3:10 marathon, the 19th fastest run of the day including the professional women. What an incredible performance! Hear about Ava's introduction to triathlon, how and where she trains, as well as the areas she still strives to improve upon. She will be one to...

2023 KONA SERIES: WOMEN CRUSHING KONA Elyse Gallegos, a force to be reckoned with in the 35-39 age group, recently competed at the Ironman Women's World Championships in Kona, finishing 2nd in her age group and 10th female overall! As a busy mom of 2 young boys and recently relocating to Alabama, Elyse has had to adapt her training to work with her busy schedule while also finding her way in a new community. You will appreciate how laid back her approach is, the truth behind that "mom...

In this episode, Mike shares a quick recap of his race at 70.3 Arizona (HOT!) and then we chat a bit about the 2024 Kona slot allocations at upcoming races for the men.   Some fun places to grab a coffee or bite to eat if you visit the Tempe/Phoenix area for the full ironman in November: Hava Java - Cold Foam Cold Brew in their fall flavors (YUM!)Peixoto Coffee Roasters - Best coffee we've had in a while, cold brew of course!Pita Jungle - this is right downtown near race, fresh & tons of...

We're back for season 2 of Mission Kona Podcast! In this episode, Mike and Michelle share some big life updates, how training and racing has looked for the past 6 months, and what's ahead for the podcast! As many know, Ironman World Championships for the women just took place in Kona on October 14, 2023. It was a fantastic race day for many ladies, a bucket list checked for others, but in all seemed to be a very positive experience to have a field of all women competing on such an epic...

Jennifer Vollmann may not have been the first pick on the playground for a game of elementary school kickball, but what she (and others!) didn't know at that time was that she was BUILT FOR ENDURANCE! Jennifer is a mom, a triathlete, and a coach - residing in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Having entered the sport as a novice, Jennifer shares how her hands-on coach guided her to fully understand the sport and most importantly, to LOVE the sport. Now as a coach herself, Jennifer has a similar...

On this Host Episode, Mike & Michelle share 5 Reasons to Hire a Coach. There's no doubt that triathlon is a journey. What may start as some easy cross training from a run or sport injury can lead to a full on obsession with the sport of triathlon. Somewhere in there most of us have tried to coach ourselves. We pull a plan off the internet  or piece together what we "think" we should be doing to get stronger. With this approach, we can quickly find ourselves overtraining, spending too...

BALANCE: an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady Eva Frieden joins us on this episode to share how she has found BALANCE in the sport of triathlon. We had an impactful discussion on all the elements that are important to finding sustainable success as an age group athlete. SPOILER! Having fun and enjoying what you do = LESS chance of burnout and injury! Perhaps no surprise there, but this was a really good reminder for us. Eva resides in...

Nick Modrzejewski is a name you'll remember - perhaps have difficulty pronouncing (MA-JE-SKI) - but memorable indeed! Nick resides in Champaign, Illinois, is husband to Amy, father to two, a Pastor at Illini Life, a triathlon coach at SuperFly Coaching, and a competitive age group triathlete. He has completed Ironman Florida FIVE times with finishes in the top 10 of his age group each time. His best finish at Ironman Florida was in 2021 where he finished 2nd in the 35-39 age group- this...

We are bringing you a special episode this week around the 4th discipline of triathlon: NUTRITION You'll enjoy this conversation with Kathleen Oswalt, a registered dietitian who gives nutritional guidance and support to endurance athletes who want to follow a plant focused diet. Together with her husband Don, a 2x World Championship qualifier, they own eatloveTriathlon where they focus on plant-based nutrition and mindset to empower endurance athletes to fuel their body for sustained energy,...

We are excited to bring you the third episode of the Couples Who Tri series where we sit down with couples who are both active in the sport of triathlon. Do they train together? Race together? Did triathlon unite them or did it come to be after the fact? And WHAT will a world championship race in 2 different locations look like for competitive triathlon couples? Amy & Seamus Woods live and train in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and race in the 45-49 age group. They are parents to 2 kids, so...

Mike & Michelle share some racing highlights from the 2022 season including huge PRs and dreams reached! Listen in to hear what races went to plan and setbacks did we have to navigate over the past year. ...also - what's ahead personally AND for the podcast in 2023!!! And find out Michelle's "WORD OF THE YEAR"! Support the show Follow Mission Kona Podcast hosted by Mike & Michelle Payne: · Instagram missionkonapodcast · Do you know an age group athlete who has a great story to...

We are excited to bring you the second episode of the Couples Who Tri series where we sit down with couples who are both active in the sport of triathlon. Do they train together? Race together? Did triathlon unite them or did it come to be after the fact? And WHAT will a world championship race in 2 different locations look like for competitive triathlon couples? There's a TON of good stuff packed into this episode with Kerry Girona and Andreas Moraitis. Living in Florida, both Kerry and...

Stephanie Melkonian lives and trains in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is by no means new to Ironman. One might say she was not an overnight success in the sport - but what Stephanie DOES have is dedication, grit, and undeniable passion which FINALLY led her to earning that coveted Kona spot at Ironman Chattanooga in 2022. Stephanie shares her journey - the ups and downs and the "almosts" - which created the path she was destined to follow. You may find many parallels to your own triathlon...

This episode kicks off our new series - Couples Who Tri! As Mission Kona Podcast co-hosts and a couple who does triathlon, Mike & Michelle thought it would be really interesting to hear how other couples navigate the sport together, what training looks like, how they came to the same sport... and SO MUCH MORE. Our first couple, Nicole & David Levenson, recently completed 2022 Ironman California. And when we say completed, we actually mean CRUSHED it! Nicole finished 2nd in the 35-39...

Scott Iott & Mission Kona Co-Host, Mike Payne, join forces to talk through Ironman Wisconsin 2022 - the rain, the wind, the cold... but even more important the preparation, mental toughness, and fortitude to keep moving forward. Scott Iott finished 3rd in the 45-49 age group at Wisconsin. His 25th full Ironman event and 13th time qualifying for the Ironman World Championships. Scott considers IM Wisconsin his "home course" having raced it 6 times. He works in education outside of...

There's a good chance you've heard the official news from Ironman that the men's race in Kona for 2023 will not happen on the big island in October - instead the men's race will take place in another location on another date (to be determined in January). The women's race, however, will continue to take place in Kona as originally planned. With this announcement, we thought it would be a good opportunity for us to sit down, lay out the facts as they are, and chat about what this means for...

Let's chat MENTAL FITNESS! We are excited to welcome Lori Hopper, coach and owner of Reframe Mental Fitness, to the podcast for a discussion with Mike & Michelle around what it means to be mentally fit and how having a positive mindset can truly change the game for athletes of any ability. What is mental fitness? How do I grow my fitness in the mental space? Why is mental fitness the true game changer when it comes to endurance and competition? Who can help me on my mental fitness...

Amy Farrell, a physical education teacher and coach from Tupper Lake, New York, just recently competed in her 8th Ironman race in Kona. Yes, EIGHT TIMES racing that epic course, where she crossed the line with an incredible 2nd place finish in her age group. A high school swimmer and runner, Amy knew all about triathlon at a young age and she would watch the annual coverage of the Kona World Championship race start to finish. She competed in her first triathlon just after college. Her first...

Tom de Bruyn recently competed in the 2022 Kona Ironman World Championships finishing FIRST in the 35-39 age group. Originally from Belgium, Tom resides in San Francisco where he gets to train in the beautiful weather year round. Tom shares with Mike & Michelle his path to triathlon, the importance of community and having FUN, and what a DREAM race in Kona looks like! He's truly an exceptional athlete - but this didn't happen right away. In fact, some of Tom's best advice includes...

Olivia Dietzel , you are an IRONMAN. When Olivia, a Wisconsin native, set out on her triathlon journey she was largely inspired by her dad who was an avid road biker. When her dad's brain cancer returned in 2018, Olivia pushed up the timeline to do her first Ironman in 2019 as a fundraiser for brain cancer research while hoping her dad could see her race. Even though his health had declined, he was there to see her finish that glorious day in September 2019. Since that day, though her Dad...