Kings & Queens of Kona . . . #BartAernouts In the last few years, Bart has been racing well in Kona, with a second place finish last year as his best result. Still, the quiet Belgian probably won't factor in many race predictions. This is partly because he loses a fair chunk of time in the swim (around 6 minutes to Jan Frodeno), and while he has improved his bike in recent years, he hasn't yet become a "bike powerhouse" on the level of Sebastian Kienle or Cam Wurf. His real strength is on the run, especially in the Kona heat. He's one of the few athletes with a sub-2:45 run potential in Kona, and that run speed is what he'll need in order to finish on the Kona podium. .................................................. Bib: M2 Country: BEL Career Highlights: 2nd Kona 2018 x Winner IM France 2014, IM Lanzarote 2017, Challenge Roth 2017, IM Hamburg 2018 Seeded 8th by @trirating . . #LucyCharlesBarclay . In her last three IM-distance races Lucy has shown that she is no longer "just" a swim specialist. She's been consistently riding one of the fastest bike splits and her run has improved as well. As she continues to outswim most of her competition by about six minutes, it will require a very patient "catching up all day long" strategy to beat her. The last two years Daniela Ryf has been able to catch up to her on the bike – maybe this year Lucy will ride even faster to at least make it a race well into the marathon. It'll also be very interesting to see how the gaps between Lucy and the rest of the field will develop and if anyone other than Daniela will have a chance to overtake her this year. .................................................. Bib: F2 Country: GBR Career Highlights: 2nd Kona 2017 & 2018 x Winner IM Lanzarote 2017, IM South Africa 2018 & 19, Challenge Roth 2019 x Swim Leader in all her IM races Seeded 2nd by @trirating . . . Words by @trirating . . . Shot on @canonespana #1dxmkii • #konavibes2018 #roadtokona #ironmanworldchampionship #imwc2019 #Sportphotography #pro_triathletes #triathlonlife #tri365 #trihood #trimotivation #portraitofanathlete (at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3fgxxvHiDL/?igshid=w5oat6spg6e6