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.

More swimming, the underpants run, a few bikes and interesting folks made it into our daily diary gallery from the 2014 GoPro Ironman Worlds.

They aimed at a Guinness Book of Records entry as the largest assemblage of folks wearing underpants taking part in a public run; word is they fell 40 short and will have to come back next year.

The annual Slowtwitch Kona party fabulously co-hosted by Cannnondale and Sugoi at the luxurious Cannondale digs on Alii Drive with the usual bonhomie, great food and drink. Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson.

The 2-time Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae is an obvious favorite again this year and we looked closer at her fresh custom Felt IA in Kona.

Caroline Steffen is a Swiss powerhouse and thus the Swiss themed new Cervelo P5 makes a great match for this 2014 GoPro Ironman Worlds contender.

The formal Kona activities begin with a kids swim and run duathlon at Kailua Pier overseen by parents and Hall of Famers; then things segue to the Parade of Nations, Photo Gallery – Timothy Carlson.

Jan Frodeno is one of the favorites for the 2014 GoPro Ironman World Championships and he talked about training, weight, coffee and more.

A busy expo, long lines at Lava Java, hot bikes, new gear and interesting folks were noticed today, but there was also the annual Slowtwitch gathering.

A harmless comedic device delivered can, in mid air, turn into an offense. That we didn’t mean it doesn’t mean we didn’t do it. In my judgment, in this case, a race of Americans had a right to be offended.