Kings and Queens of Kona Series . . . #CarrieLester So far, Carrie has had a stellar 2019 season. She was disappointed when her 2nd place at Arizona with an 8:44 wasn't good enough for Kona qualifying, but she got her slot without a problem with a win at IM France in June and then also set a new course record at IM Mont Tremblant in August. Look for her to work hard on the bike to start the run in a good position - and if she can improve her marathon time (so far her best Kona run is a 3:15 from 2016), she might have her career-best Kona finish. .................................................. Bib: F12 Country: AUS Career Highlights: Winner IM Australia 2010, IM Cairns 2012, Challenge Penticton 2013 & 2014, IM Chattanooga 2015, IM France 2017 & 2019, IM Mont Tremblant 2019 x 7th Kona 2017, 10th Kona 2016 Seeded 10th by @trirating . . #BradenCurrie Braden was in the mix for the whole race in Kona 2018 - something he'll want to repeat this year. His main strength is on the run and he learned a lot from the best last year when he was able to run the first half of the marathon with Patrick and Bart and then dueled almost all the way to the finish with Tim O'Donnell. A decent swim should see him in the big bike group where he might not take the lead but is unlikely to get dropped. Which strong runner will he be battling with this year? .................................................. Bib: M7 Country: NZL Career Highlights: Winner IM New Zealand 2017, IM Cairns 2018 & 2019 x Multiple 70.3 winner x 5th Kona 2018 Seeded 16th by @trirating (at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3RSphzHF3h/?igshid=1nx7jqahxfl0a