A lot of amateur runners have tried to set the fastest marathon at Ironman Hawaii and almost all of them have crashed and burned in the heat and humidity and wind on the Kona Coast. Joe Thorne, a 28-year-old 4-minute miler who ran track and cross country for the Texas Longhorns before taking up triathlon late in 2008, is the very exceptional exception to that rule of thumb. In his first year of triathlon, Thorne ran 2:51:19 to wrap up his 2009 Kona debut in 9:35:59. After losing most of 2010 to injuries, Thorne returned to Kona in 2011 and placed 38th overall, 9th amateur and 1st in men’s 25-29. His time of 8:59:16 was pretty good. But his 2:43:28 run was faster than 2011 Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander and bested only by Kona runner-up Pete Jacobs.

On Memorial Day, Thorne had a nice speed workout at his home town, Olympic distance CapTex Triathlon where he placed first overall amateur and ran the 10k just a few seconds slower than men’s elite winner Hunter Kemper. Thorne is now committed to making a career out of 70.3 and Ironman racing and has started training with coach Derek Williamson trying to find a swim and bike to match his very fleet feet. Right now his life is happily in order. He recently married Olympic Trials steeplechaser Kara June Thorne and they both work at Rogue Fitness Equipment in Austin.

Slowtwitch: On Memorial Day, you placed 1st overall amateur at the Cap Tex Triathlon in a time of 1:55:40 -- and you ran a very impressive 10k.

Joe Thorne: Yes. It was my first time to race here. I finished with a 30:24 10k.

ST: That is a credible ITU elite time -- just 18 seconds slower than race winner Hunter Kemper. But Kemper wrote on his blog that this year’s run course was several hundred meters short.

Joe: It felt a little short because I didn’t feel like I ran 30:20. It felt like I ran 31:50. From my running background, I can feel what that is like.

ST: Where did you grow up?

Joe: I was born and raised and went to high school in Atlanta, Georgia and ran at Lakeside DeKalb High School there. Then I went to college at the University of Texas in Austin and ran track and cross country.

ST: What led you to running?

Joe: I got into running just to get in shape for basketball. I wanted to be a point guard and play basketball in college so I started running to get fit for the winter. Then all of a sudden I realized: I can actually do this!

ST: What have been your best running performances?

Joe: I ran the mile and the 5k in college. My best time in the 5k was 13:52 indoors at the University of Washington’s indoor track in Seattle. The track was fast. But that race I was buried by some great runners. I was getting pulled along and finished 10th overall. In the mile I went 4:01 on the track and 3:59 on the road. So if you average them out I am a 4 flat guy. In the 10k, I went 29:58 at the NCAA Cross Country Nationals Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana in mud, on grass and over hills. That course has been there for a number of years and it is definitely a true 10k.

ST: What did you study?

Joe: I studied kinesiology with health promotion and fitness. Everything I am doing now is in related fields.

ST: When did you graduate?

Joe: At the end of 2007. Then I spent a year and a half walking around in this mode. That is when the staleness in running crept in and I said ‘OK. Let's do something different. Let's freshen it up.’

ST: What led you to triathlon?

Joe: I got into triathlon to do something different. I had been running on the roads -- 5ks 10ks and half marathons -- and it was getting a little stale. The whole time I had been riding a bike just for fun. Not seriously training, but something I’d do on the super easy run days. I would get on the bike just to spin round and loosen up my legs but still get some cardiovascular work. And I wanted to test it. So that’s literally what got me into it. I could swim but not real fast.

ST: Who encouraged you to start triathlon?

Joe: There were a few individuals in town. Mainly Jack Murray of Jack and Adam's bike shop. He was basically pushing me, telling me, ‘You should do this.’ Between the staleness and his encouragement, that’s what got me going.

ST: What was your first triathlon?

Joe: I did a half Ironman here in town, the Longhorn 70.3, in 2008. I wanted to do something longer, so I could get more of a rhythm rather than saying ‘Oh, let's try a sprint.’ I had the perspective that the shorter the distance, the higher the intensity. I take a while to get going, so I wanted to get something that had a little more rhythm to it, more time to work, and that 70.3 was it. I went 4:23 and wondered: Where does that put me?

ST: How did your run go?

Joe: My first triathlon ever, I ended up running 1:15. I really hadn't run that distance before seriously, although I had run a 1:17 for an open half marathon.

ST: How did you do on the bike?

Joe: It was fun. But I had only been cycling for enjoyment previously.

ST: After that how did it progress?

Joe: Initially it was just to get out there and try. That naturally grew very quickly to ‘All right. Let’s try to get some workouts in that were triathlon oriented.’ I was training like a runner doing triathlons. That is how everything was tailored.

ST: What was wrong with that approach?

Joe: They told me ‘Your mentality is that of a runner.’ It was very obvious. So they said, ‘OK, you have to work out like a cyclist. You have to build power. You have to be able to push wattage.’ Which I never even thought of before. I thought if I just keep a high cadence and keep my legs turning over, that would be enough.

ST: Lance is famous for cycling with a high cadence.

Joe: Yes. So, how bad could it be? But cycling alone doesn’t necessarily have to equate when you have to get off and run. It is different. It is not the same.

ST: What was your next goal after the first half Ironman?

Joe: Where I am now I wasn’t even thinking about in 2008. I was thinking about doing an Ironman. But I didn’t think about being one of the top amateurs at the world championships. But now as things have progressed, all of a sudden the mindset changes. The goals change.

ST: When did you start to get a grip on being a triathlete?

Joe: In 2009 I qualified for Kona and the whole goal was to have a positive experience at the Ironman distance. That was what I was focusing on.

ST: How did you qualify?

Joe: Because I am an amateur, I qualified at the Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3. That got me in as opposed to being in the pro ranks. [His swim there was 33:20, bike 2:27:40 and he ran 1:12:43 for a total overall time of 4:16:45. He placed 2nd overall amateur male and 11th overall including pros,]

ST: How did you do in Kona?

Joe: I was 15th in my division and 122nd overall in 9:35:58. [His swim was 1:08:28, bike 5:29:37, run 2:51:19]

ST: Looking at your results, it seems that 2010 was a lost year. What happened?

Joe: In 2010, I spent all the time injured. My first injury was overtraining. I was training for the Boston Marathon and triathlon and it was too much. The workload was crazy. At that point, I was running 90 to 100 miles a week. Leading up to that I was around 60 to 70. But in college I spent most of my weeks around 80. All I was doing was running minus intermediate littler spins on the bike.

ST: What was the injury?

Joe: It was a sciatic nerve pinch in the lower back from the glute into the hamstring.

ST: How long did it take to recover?

Joe: It took about 6 weeks roughly.

ST: That wouldn’t account for the whole year. You must have been worried about reinjuring it, so were careful and took things slowly?

Joe: Exactly. I had a slow ramp up back to full training. Then I had a second injury and I tore up some ligaments in my ankle.

ST: What was your goal at Ironman Hawaii the second time around last year?

Joe: I was aiming for sub -2:40 run. And I ended up running 2:43.28. It’s a tough task. I finished 38th overall, 9th amateur and 1st in 25-29.

ST: Why were you so much better?

Joe: A lot of it had to do with my first experience in 2009, skipping 2010 and trying to reevaluate and get a little bit more methodical in training. And with that came the knowledge of the volume required.

ST: You balanced your volume between swim, bike and run better?

Joe: Correct. You have to get smarter, not just do more.

ST: How far back were you starting the run in Hawaii?

Joe: When we started the run I am not sure but I think I was 15th in my age group. So that 2:43 run catapulted me pretty far up.

ST: How much attention did you get for that?

Joe: A considerable amount. I was surprised. At the awards ceremony they said here are the winners of the 25-29 age group. Then the announcers discussed the highlight of some of the performances and they said I closed with a 2:43 and people gave a cheer, just for the effort. It was very interesting. I just went there to compete and run. I guess lost perspective in relation to how others performed. I was looking at Craig Alexander and I was thinking ‘How can you run that fast after such a fast a swim and bike?

ST: But you had a faster run?

Joe: I actually got him this past year. He ran 2:44:02. My run was second fastest overall to Pete Jacobs [who finished second overall] who ran 2:42:29.

ST: While you outran him, you are not yet a complete triathlete like Craig Alexander. What was your overall time?

Joe: My overall time was 8:59.16. I was the last person to go under 9 hours.

ST: What was your weak spot?

Joe: My weak spot was definitely the swim. I thought I’d go about 57. I swam 1:04:36. It was a rough start.

ST: So how much time did you give up on the bike?

Joe: I biked 5:05:22 and guys in my age group were riding 4:50! So I think I will improve my bike and won’t have to work so hard to catch them on the run.

ST: How much better can you bike?

Joe: Can I ride 4:50 to 4:55 and still have that same run? It’s going to take some work from me to get there. But if I can balance it out, it is there.

ST: Cadence isn’t all bad either?

Joe: I understand there has to be that mix of power and turnover. But power must be economical enough so that I can still maintain my run.

ST: People now say you need a coach?

Joe: Coaching was the very first thing we started dealing with after Kona. I did that training all on my own. Obviously to keep moving forward you need guidance.

ST: You can get a coach really fast. But it might be the wrong one.

Joe: I am not looking for the best coach. I am looking for the right coach. My first coach just took a job in Virginia. So after working with him for about 3 months, I had to change. Just a week and half ago, I started working with Derek Williamson [Kelly Williamson’s husband]. He is very good fort me. Derek is like a scientist. So he and I are going to continue working together.

ST: What will you aim for in the run at Kona?

Joe: How long can I run six flat miles (2:37 pace)? Hopefully, a long time. If you can run six flat across the board, bingo! It will be well under 2:40.

ST: Then you have broken the all time run record at Ironman Hawaii. Who is going to help your swim?

Joe: Derek as well. I’m going to work with him across the board. For the main part, I don’t think he is going to touch the run. I think he is going to balance it with improvement in the swim and bike.

ST: Any ambition to go to worlds in Olympic distance?

Joe: I want to focus on the long distance. But I have been jumping in the shorter events to work on speed. It’s a great workout and that’s why I raced at Cap Tex.

ST: Want to go to USAT Olympic distance nationals?

Joe: As of now, no. That would be in the middle of my Hawaii prep. I want to have nice solid uninterrupted work leading into that.

Joe: Where do you work now?

Joe: I work at Rogue Fitness Equipment, a running specialty store in Austin. The man who owns it is John Schrup. He worked here in Austin, coached high schoolers in New Mexico for a while and came back to Austin.

ST: What work do you do at Rogue?

Joe: Assistant manager of sales and footwear buying. Don’t own it. Don’t run the show. No headaches – so I can concentrate on my training.

ST: Long term vision - how will you make use of kinesiology?

Joe: Way down the road, I would like to teach and coach. But not coach elite athletes. What I want to do is almost like introductory coaching. I don’t want to take the super elites and make them a world champ. I want to get the individual who may have never done a triathlon and get them into it. I would like to help the sport grow and get people into an active lifestyle.

ST: What do you feel about the community here in Austin?

Joe: There is a reason I have lived here for 10 years. I absolutely love Austin. For a smaller city, it is one of the most active places in the United States. And people are so enthusiastic about what they do. And they can teach and guide others because they re so knowledgeable about it. There are swimmers, cyclists, runners, triathlete, climbers, mountain bikers, rowers. It all meshes here.

ST: Where is your favorite place to hang out and listen to music?

Joe: There is a little place called Cedar Street off of 4th. They have ‘80s cover bands, ‘80s hair metal or ‘80s pop. It’s a tiny place that looks like a courtyard. So if you walked by it on the street and didn’t know about it, you could walk right by and would not recognize it.