Last year Mirinda Carfrae chased away the ghost of the unbeatable, retired Chrissie Wellington by toppling her English rival’s course record and toppling her own women's marathon record just a few ticks of the clock away from cracking the 2:50 barrier.

With Carfrae’s usual marathon time as much as 13 minutes better than her toughest rivals, there seems to be nothing other than bad luck or illness that can stop her from running up several more wins of the sport’s greats prize. But the woman with the greatest Kona consistency in the past five years has too much respect for the sport and her rivals to take anything for granted.

Slowtwitch: Mark Allen said your performance at Ironman Hawaii last year was one of the greatest in any sport at any time. Have you been getting similar praise from around the sport?

Mirinda Carfrae: That’s pretty huge coming from one of the all-time greats in our sport. Yeah. I've gotten some great praise from last year’s performance. When I stop and think about it, I have to pinch myself a little bit. But now I am focusing on this year.

ST: Last year you were successful easing into the year with an 8-6-4-5-2-1 series of finishes before Kona. Does it help to not push too hard too early?

Mirinda: I think it is really important to start the year off pretty slow. There are a lot of athletes who start out super-hot, especially those based in Australia, where you are coming off a summer and there are a lot of opportunities to race early and get some good results. But I have found in the long term if you can be patient and put those training building blocks in place early in the year, you may not see the results right away. Sometimes it can be a little nerve wracking. But if you have the confidence in yourself and your program and believe in it -- then generally it pays off at the end of the year. And it’s proved true in my progression through the sport. I definitely put all my eggs in one basket – Kona - and it has worked out well for me. But it is not for everyone. I think some athletes need to have some success early in the year to build their confidence through good results in big races.

Slowtwitch: Mark Allen said your performance at Ironman Hawaii last year was one of the greatest in any sport at any time. Have you been getting similar praise from around the sport?

Mirinda Carfrae: That’s pretty huge coming from one of the all-time greats in our sport. Yeah. I've gotten some great praise from last year’s performance. When I stop and think about it, I have to pinch myself a little bit. But now I am focusing on this year.

ST: Last year you were successful easing into the year with an 8-6-4-5-2-1 series of finishes before Kona. Does it help to not push too hard too early?

Mirinda: I think it is really important to start the year off pretty slow. There are a lot of athletes who start out super-hot, especially those based in Australia, where you are coming off a summer and there are a lot of opportunities to race early and get some good results. But I have found in the long term if you can be patient and put those training building blocks in place early in the year, you may not see the results right away. Sometimes it can be a little nerve wracking. But if you have the confidence in yourself and your program and believe in it -- then generally it pays off at the end of the year. And it’s proved true in my progression through the sport. I definitely put all my eggs in one basket – Kona - and it has worked out well for me. But it is not for everyone. I think some athletes need to have some success early in the year to build their confidence through good results in big races.

ST: What toll did that race take on you?

Mirinda: First of all we didn’t treat it like Kona. I think I can only get up for one big race a year. And over a year I can only devote all my mental energy to one race. We really treated Roth as a great experience. So I did the charity bike thing two weeks before the race - something I would never do before Kona. And after that I went to Saint Andrews and did the half, which was another fantastic Challenge event. That was two weeks after Roth. Typically I never do a long course race so soon after a big Iron distance effort.

ST: There is a long list of health disasters approaching Kona. Anybody at any time, no matter how ready you are, can get sick, have a crash and miss the race. Welchy broke his collarbone two weeks before Kona in 1993. Dirk Bockel suffered an injury and withdrew this year. Chrissie Wellington got sick the day before Kona in 2010. Peter Robertson crashed and will not start this year. Marino Vanhoenacker got sick last year. Corinne Abraham suffered a broken bone and did not start last year.

Yep.

ST: It is a tough business to get there in one piece. What is your secret for having most consistent record at Kona the last 5 years? How have you managed to have such a consistently great record there from 2009 to 2013 – 2nd - 1st – 2nd – 3rd – 1st?

Mirinda: I agree it is very hard to get through the preparation in great shape. Every year weird things happen. Mary Beth Ellis crashed her bike two weeks out last year. Chrissie crashed her bike two weeks out in 2011 [but fought through injuries and held off Carfrae for the win]. Funny things happen coming into Kona that are out of your control. I think there has been a bit of luck on my side on the past. I am hoping it lasts.

ST: Why so many accidents so near the end? Is it nerves? How do you stay out of trouble?

Mirinda: I feel that when we prepare that last 3 or 4 weeks, most of the work is done and I am not really pushing super hard. So in that aspect, I am more involved in keeping volume decently high. I think that helps in that it gives my body enough rest so my immune system is solid and I can fight off any cold or bug that might be going around. I also think when you are training super hard 4 and 5 weeks out, you are tired. Your judgment is not as great and when you are under a bit of pressure, you can press. You can run a bit off the rails and train a little bit too hard. Or get a bit exhausted and make poor decisions in training when you are not as mentally sharp as you need to be.

ST: How do you avoid these sorts of problems?

Mirinda: I think when we tackle Kona, my coach and I look at the whole year and we make sure I am getting adequate rest – especially the last four weeks. We have taken steps throughout the year so we are fit enough to handle it so I’m not super fatigued and my immune system is not compromised. That is key.

ST: How crucial is it to be under the watchful eye your trusted coach?

Mirinda: I have been working with Siri a long time and at most sessions, so she can see how I’m doing and tells me when I need to take a day off, or when I need to take an easier session. It is much easier to have someone on the outside you can trust and you are going to listen observe that program and make judgment calls on day to day basis. I think it is super tough to make these calls if you don’t have a coach watching or you don’t have trust in a program.

ST: How do you and your husband Tim help one another as you both prepare for the biggest race of the year?

Mirinda: We talk about the race a lot obviously. If he looks super tired then I will tell him to take a day off or slow it down. He will do the same for me. While we are both on our own journeys, we are intertwined in the other’s as well. We are constantly looking out for one another, as a coach would. We can tell the difference between tired from training or a deep fatigue – where you are in danger of putting yourself in a hole.
ST: Who are some of your top rivals at Kona?

Mirinda: The front pack of girls is going to be extremely dangerous, as they were last year. I think Leanda Cave got healthy this year and she has shown she is fit and strong and I think she has something to prove. And when you come up against an athlete with something to prove, that is really dangerous. I think Rachel Joyce has quietly been making ground every year. I think she is the favorite for the race. She has finished 6th 5th 4th and 2nd. I think she has raced every year I've raced and she has not been out of the top 6 except for 2012 when she was sick and finished 11th. Liz Blatchford is another girl who can make the podium and run a low 3 hours. And Meredith Kessler [7th at Kona but won Ironman NZL 3x with a course record this year.]…

ST: Keeps getting better?

Mirinda: Exactly. I think the last couple of years she has pulled back on her racing and really focusing more on Kona. The more athletes focus on this race the more likely they are to get it right. And she is another front packer.

ST: And there is a new kid on the block?

Mirinda: Then there is Daniela Ryf. She has been unstoppable for the last couple months. Basically all of this year she has been phenomenal. [Undefeated in 2014 including a win at Ironman 70.3 Worlds] Those Brett Sutton athletes you can never count them out.

ST: Ryf ran 1:17 at Rapperswil which puts her in the major leagues of long course runners. I think she has done a fast standalone marathon. And she always has one of the best swims and bike splits.

Mirinda: Exactly. I think Daniela will be one of the girls at the front. I think many of them will get away. And I haven’t even mentioned Caroline Steffen yet. She had a phenomenal race a few weeks ago at Mooloolaba and ran a 1:18.

ST: She won Melbourne too.

She won Melbourne. So there will be a few girls – Caroline, Rachel and Daniela might go off the front of that main group. For me, again, as we always say, I can only focus on myself and what I can do. But if they are really motivated it will be tough to try to keep them in sight. And hopefully I will run as fast as I have in years past, if not faster, to win this year. Because I believe those girls will go faster on the bike.

ST: Last year the key to unlocking your record performance was an improved bike. Sub 5 hours for the first time [4:58:20 – 3:20 behind the leaders]. Still there were 10 women ahead of you a long way into the bike. Are you worried about falling behind after the swim?

Mirinda: Honestly I didn’t have a choice. I am not the greatest swimmer [58:50 – 4:50 behind the top swimmers last year]. These girls have been swimming their whole lives. I am trying to improve. But it is amazing - one of the years I would like to get with the front pack. It would be amazing to be in touch with the front girls the whole way.

ST: Does starting out with a deficit every year make you nervous?

Mirinda: I will work with what I have and if that means that they are few minutes up the road then so be it. I will have to get on the bike and try to limit that damage. I don’t mind riding by myself. I rode by myself the whole way last year.

ST: That leaves you free from getting pinched for drafting?

Mirinda: I can do it, but I would prefer to have some company on the bike. But whether I am by myself or with others I will race my pace. I know in the past that has given me the three sub-9 hour finishes in Kona. It is a formula that has worked in the past and there is no reason for me to change it.

ST: Siri told me there was moment late in the race last year at Kona where you could cruise to the win or push to break Chrissie’s race record [Carfrae won by 4:36]. She let you know it was gettable. Did that light a fire in you?

Mirinda: It is funny how you can pick out certain people’s voices. I can always hear Siri’s voice. I can’t always hear all the details of splits and such, but I can always hear the essence of what she is trying to communicate to me. I think it was 5 or 6k to go when she told me the record was within reach if I kept up the pace. If you have an opportunity to break such a record, then you will give it your all to trying to do it. So I certainly kept the pace as best I could to the finish line.

ST: Were you happy to see you have broken the record?

Mirinda: When I looked up at the clock I was disappointed. It had the pro men's finish time – not taking into account the pro women started 5 minutes after the men. I had been trying so hard to get the record and I thought I was close to it. It wasn’t until 10 minutes after I crossed the finish line and I was doing an interview with Welchy for Ironman Live when he told me I’d broken the record.

ST: Tim O’Donnell has such good manners and does a good job of being supportive without taking away the spotlight at the finish. But you drew him into the festivities in a spectacular fashion.

Mirinda: He didn’t really have a choice. I saw him and ran over and jumped on him and he caught me. I think he had no idea until I started to run toward him. It was spur of the moment. CHUCKLES

ST: Any point on the course where your paths intersect? Peter Reid and Lori Bowden did manage a wave on the Queen K a few times.

Mirinda: I always try and spot where he is on the bike. Sometimes I see him, sometimes I don’t. Last year I saw him just for a moment when he was coming back on the Queen K. But at that stage of the race you are so exhausted just trying to focus on yourself. You don’t really have the energy to wave or anything. I don’t even think he saw me. I try to put him out of my mind because it's really hard to focus on yourself without worrying about the other person. But I do typically spot him a couple times on the course.

ST: All the pictures I have seen of you running show you have this elegant form that should be captured in a painting. Such a beautiful stride. Do you ever work on your run technique?

Mirinda: Never. Not at all. When my first triathlon coach Miles Browning saw me running he said, “You are really a beautiful runner. You could make a great triathlete.” That was before I ever even swam a lap in the pool, before I ever hopped on a bike. He saw I had a rhythm and a nice running ability and he suggested I do a triathlon.

ST: Can you run 59 second faster at Kona and go under 2:50?

Mirinda: CHUCKLES. That's always been the goal. I believe I can go under 2:50. [She ran 2:50:58] But it will have to be on a day that has the right conditions. It can’t be super-hot. And it depends on how hard I push on the bike, too. Certainly I believe a sub 2:50 marathon is in my future at some point here in Kona. I don’t know when it will happen. But it is certainly what I am still pushing for.

ST: How would you feel if someone beat you at Kona – even though you were at your peak and doing your best?

Mirinda: I think I would be disappointed. But if it were Rachel, she is a friend of mine. It is always less painful when someone that you admire and respect and is a friend beats you. Same is true if Lizzie would beat me, you know? I guess I would feel upset for myself but I’d be happy for them if they beat me. I hope they would feel the same if I were to win the race again. But whoever wins that race -- damn right they deserve it and hat’s off to them. It is a tough day out there. In order to win it you have to put your whole life on the line. The whole year has to be about Kona.

ST: Have you ever reached a point where you felt you were in trouble?

Mirinda: Yeah definitely. In 2012 when Leanda won, I was I think I was within striking distance on the bike. The first half marathon I felt terrible, but I went through the half in about the same time I usually do. I caught up to Leanda about Mile 14. That is when things really started to go south. I was very dehydrated. I don’t usually cramp, but my adductors were cramping, my calves were locked up. The last 10 miles of that race were the longest 10 miles of my life. Until I realized I was in deeper trouble, I thought it was nutrition. I lost one of my nutrition bottles on the bike. But in the end, I think it was because I was so focused on getting those calories back I dropped the ball a little bit with water intake. I stepped on the scale after the race and I was down 10 pounds.

ST: Scary! You would have been pulled off the course in 1981 when they weighed competitors at a few stops to make sure they were not dangerously dehydrated. .

Mirinda: I weighed 118 in the morning. When I crossed the finish line, they took me to medical and put me on the scales and I was 108. So that is a lot of my body weight gone at that race. While it was little bit scary at the time, I took a lot of confidence from that because I still was able to run a 3:05 marathon and hold onto third place even in dire circumstances. You live and you learn. I certainly took that lesson into 2013. I don’t know if I would have raced the way I did in 2013 if that didn’t happen to me in 2012.

ST: How dire was it?

Mirinda: I was just short of passing out trying running along Alii Drive. I tried to look over my shoulder approaching the finish line and I almost stumbled and fell over. I felt I was ready to crawl. I thought to myself: This is NOT good! Definitely flirting with the limit there. I think it is good to find that limit, so you know when to back off a little bit because you don't want to go back there.

ST: Do you ever think about Paula Newby-Fraser’s collapse 400 meters from the finish at Kona in 1997?

Mirinda: I look at that performance and look at that day and it gives me greater respect for this race and this island. Because even the greatest of champions has succumbed to its elements. Paula is the great example. I have seen that footage many times. It is a constant reminder to never let your guard down here.