Ironman World Championship 2024: David McNamee in his “podium-winning form” as he returns for last dance in Kona

David McNamee approaches this year’s Ironman World Championship in Kona with the mindset of a seasoned veteran, but one who knows the sport has dramatically evolved since his podium finishes in 2017 and 2018. 

“I feel very much in a similar place to where I was in 2017 and 2018,” the 36-year-old Scot says. “My back is always a bit of an issue but is actually in a pretty good place right now. I feel very similar to when I was on the podium here and I don’t think that’s bulls***.

“It’s given me the confidence to be a lot more relaxed going in than I was in 2022, when I knew in the back of my head that things might not go so well.” McNamee dropped out on the marathon with a flare-up of his back problem.

“This is the thing. I genuinely feel I can do this course quicker than I’ve ever done it before, but the standard has really jumped across the board. Now you have to go under 8hr just to get a top 10.”

That was shown in 2022, when the entire top 10 all finished under 8hr, and McNamee feels we are likely to see the same protagonists at the head of the field once more. 

“If either Sam [Laidlow], Magnus [Ditlev], or Kristian [Blummenfelt] deliver the race they are capable of, they could go 7:30 here,” he says. “If it’s not windy they are capable of it, which is insane and not something I could do. I think I could break 8hr on this course, but it’s a higher standard than when I got on the podium. That’s the reality.”

Why has the game moved on so much? “Aerodynamics have improved a little bit, we’ve had a running shoe boom with the new supershoes, but a big part of it is that the athletes are physiologically better and just professional at such a young age.

“In their early 20s, Magnus and Sam were more professional than athletes who have been doing it for the last 10-15 years. They have a whole team working towards the same goal with much greater resources, like a mini cycling team.

“When I first started doing this race, 50% of the athletes were semi-professionals who had other jobs or were coaching on the side. The professionalism you see at ITU [now World Triathlon] at an early age has just transferred to non-drafting now.

“When I did my first Kona, me and Denis Chevrot were the youngest. We were 27. At that time it was almost unheard of to be doing Ironman in Kona under 30. Now the majority of the field are under 30. Your body, when in your early and mid 20s, can do things that 10 years later you just can’t get away with.”

McNamee has already come to terms with the likelihood that this year will be his last race in Kona. “I believe so, realistically,” he adds. “Next year is Nice and who knows what will happen after that. I don’t want to turn up to make up the numbers and I think realistically, in two years’ time, when I’m 38, I can’t see me being able to get my body together to be fighting for the top 10. I don’t want to be a journeyman and Kona is a big expense and commitment.

“I feel in a good place and in good shape so I want to go out on a good note, but I see how quickly this sport is developing, and I think in the future guys in their mid to late 30s just won’t be competitive here. It means that this year it doesn’t matter what the f*** happens with my back or anything else, I’ll definitely be crossing the finish line – even if I’m walking along Ali’i Drive with glow sticks at 11pm.”

For the first time, he’s allowed himself to enjoy the full experience of the island, arriving earlier than usual to acclimate and even embrace some leisure time. He’s taking it all in, making memories with his fiancée Mireia, who has closed her business in Girona for a month to join him.

“In the past, I wouldn’t ride the full course before the race,” he says. ”This year I could shut my eyes and describe the entire course and every single little bump. The bike is my weakness, so I think that helps a lot – knowing when to apply power and when to ease off.

“If there’s no wind I think somebody could break 4hrs here. I think in 2015, [Normann] Stadler still had the course record at 4:18. I think if Robert [Kallin] really goes for it and Sam goes with it, they could break 4hr. I rode 4:21 here before and I think I could ride a 4:15 and I also think I’ll have to to keep myself relevant going into the marathon.”

He also addresses the thorny issue of unintentional motopacing that can particularly assist the front of the race due to the volume of media and race official motorbikes on the course disrupting airflow around the leading riders. 

“Motorbikes still massively influence the race. In Kona they are pretty good for the first 95km when they can go on the other side of the road, but as soon as you are coming back along the Queen K there’s bikes going the other way and that’s where Sam got his massive gap last time. I watched it last year and that’s where Lucy [Chalres-Barclay] really got away as well.

“It’s not something I can worry about as I can bike as hard as I want and never get myself in that position, but on the last 50-60kms the motorbikes don’t want to cross that white line, especially after what happened in Hamburg [where a motorbike collided head-on with a cyclist and resulted in a fatality], so they’ll stick to the same lane you’re in.”

Unless McNamee or debutant Kieran Lindars produce a surprise result, it will be another fallow year for British men on the Hawaii podium. Spencer Smith and Joe Skipper have finished fifth on the Big Island previously, but overall, it’s the one area of the sport where Britain has struggled despite being a triathlon superpower. 

“The standard is super high now, that’s one of the reasons,” he explains.”There’s also so much support from the UK for ITU racing, and the federation is built around ITU racing, so a lot of our very talented athletes don’t see a reason to leave ITU. 

“If Alex Yee said that next year he would jump across and do Ironman, he could be competitive here, but he has support to go back to LA and defend his [Olympic] title. I’m sure if Alistair [Brownlee] jumped across four years earlier than he did he could have been competitive here. Look at me, Alistair, WIll [Clarke] and Tim [Don]. I was the youngest to jump across, but we all came when we were fizzled out with ITU.

“Yee might not be able to bike with the best right away but you see how he has improved his swimming, he has the engine to adapt and is at the age where he’s still able to adapt. For instance, if Alistair had moved across in 2012, he could have easily won here. Whereas he waited for six years. That’s the big thing. We just don’t have our best young guys jumping across until it’s too late.”

From his first appearance in 2015, McNamee developed an immediate affinity with the Big Island and whether he finds himself in the top 10 or battling just to finish in 2024, he is determined to close this chapter on a high note, albeit knowing the sport he loves has outgrown the athlete he once was.