Dan Stubleski was the overall age group champion at the 2014 GoPro Ironman World Championships and we looked closer at his Specialized S-Works Shiv.

Very nice upper, even more impressive midsole. Many things right with this shoe, but, one fit issue disqualifies some customers for whom this shoe is otherwise ideal.

Doc Amanda Stevens was first out of the water in Kona in 54:25 and then charged up the road with Jodie Swallow. Here is a look at her Boardman Air TT 9.4

Post-Kona, racing picked up globally. We present a 70.3 in Oz, a Challenge in Spain, a World Cup in Korea, weddings in Maui and New England and a charity tri in La Jolla.

With her win at the Ironman World Championship, Mirinda Carfrae now has three Kona titles, the course and run records, and the record for the biggest deficit overcome in the sport’s biggest race.

The Captain America themed Trek Speed Concept of Timothy O’Donnell is an attention getter and we looked closer at this Campy equipped custom bike.

Age groupers make up the bulk of the GoPro Ironman World Championships field and here is a selection of images from the annual big day in Kona.

Jan Frodeno had a very good first full year of long course triathlon – 3rd at IM Frankfurt, 2nd at IM 70.3 Worlds and 3rd at Kona. Lessons learned make him dangerous for 2015.

Syracuse, NY resident Eric Hinman raced M30-34 in Kona and had a 9:38:59 finish. A few days before the race we checked out his custom blue Dimond race bike.

Ben Hoffman had a breakthrough runner-up finish at Kona, 5:05 behind Sebastian Kienle and 1:09 ahead of Jan Frodeno. It’s been a long steady climb since he turned pro in 2007.

The race was over on Saturday and folks leave this magic island now daily and it starts to look a bit different here. We captured a few images before departing.

Ben Hoffman had a spectacular race in Kona and finished second overall with a final time of 8:19:32, and we looked closer at his Specialized Shiv race bike.

Many go to Kona hoping for a win, and they’re not all athletes. Who came out of Kona smiling? I’ll try to answer that question this week, and for starters let’s look at bike brands.

South African Kyle Buckingham was the fastest age grouper in Kona in 2013 and returned this year as a Pro – here now is a power data comparison of those 2 events.

American Heather Jackson did not race in Kona this year, but she found time to have a chat with Callum Millward about racing, training, hockey and more.

Aussie Tim Van Berkel finished 7th in Kona and made folks around him aware that he needs to be watched. We grabbed his bike during check-in to get details.

Our weekly newsletter has been the source of news for many of you. We’re expanding its utility to include discounts and the ability sign up for races not otherwise available for entry.

Sebastian Kienle won the 2014 GoPro Ironman World Championships with a race best 4:20:46 bike split and a solid performance all day. And here is his Plasma 5.

The Weekend Box brings you a World Cup in a downpour in Colombia and a Beer Mile in Hawaii, plus a few other items noticed in Kona.

Javier Gomez, Mat Steinmetz and Jesse Thomas assist Callum Millward in this episode of Cupcakes in Kona talking to random folks at the pier before the race.

Sebastian Kienle showed supremacy on the bike and held on for his first Ironman World Championship title. Mirinda Carfrae defended her title from 2013 and has now 3 of them.

Sebastian Kienle proved that a German can win it on the bike and Mirinda Carfrae proved yet again that no lead after the bike can withstand her mighty run as they won the Ironman World Championship at Kona.

Friday in Kona during the Ironman World Championships week usually only means one thing – a relatively quiet morning followed by the big bike check-in.

Three top men contenders offer final thoughts about their imminent appointment with destiny and their limits on the Queen K.