Laura Philipp praying Hawaiian gods aren’t out for revenge

“It felt a bit like a curse, and I felt a bit guilty,” confessed Germany’s Laura Philipp as she returned to Hawaii’s Big Island as one of the pre-race favourites to win the Ironman World Championship.

“In 2019, I took a lava stone back home and then found out that you can’t take anything from the island or the island gods are really mad with you.

“I had to look at this stone for three years as I kept hoping the race would be on so I could bring it back. It was the item I made sure I definitely packed in my bag before we left.”

Pele’s Curse is the belief that anything natively Hawaiian, such as sand or rock, will bring bad luck on whoever takes it away from Hawaii. Madame Pele is the goddess of volcanoes and fire, and the creator of the Hawaiian Islands.

But whether myth or otherwise, when Philipp next had the chance to compete at the Ironman World Championship – in May in St George – she was stricken with Covid and had to withdraw on the eve of the race.

Almost five months on, the 35-year-old German and PTO-ranked No 5 doesn’t want to take any chances as she attempts to improve from her fourth place here on debut in 2019.

“I gave it back to the gods of Hawaii and hopefully they won’t be mad with me any more and I’ll have all the luck for race day,” she added.

“I’m ready to give everything”

Looking at Philipp’s results to date, it doesn’t appear she’ll need much luck.

The Hoffenhem-based star has won four of the five Ironmans she’s started, recording some of the fastest times in the sport’s history along the way.

These included the fastest Ironman debut of 8:34:57 in Barcelona in 2018 and most recently an Ironman branded world best of 8:18:20 in Hamburg – just 7secs behind Chrissie Wellington’s fastest ever over the distance.

Whether the form will be enough to challenge five-time Ironman champion Daniela Ryf or the victor from last time on the Big Island, Anne Haug, on Thursday remains to be seen, but Philipp is confident.

“Compared to 2019 it has been a completely different build-up. I’m healthy and that’s most important for me because it’s stopped me in the past several times. It makes me look forward more to the race than I did in 2019.

“I’ve no fear. It’s pure excitement, and I’m super grateful to get the opportunity to race on Thursday. No matter the outcome, I’m ready to give everything.

“We all expect Lucy Charles-Barclay to be in front after the swim, Daniela to go hard on the bike as other athletes, including myself, find their position in the race. I will have to be very patient and chase whoever is in the front for a long time.

“I think there are around five girls who can win and even to make it on to the podium will be very tough.

“With Daniela, Lucy, Anna, and myself there’s already one missing the podium. But there’s also someone like Chelsea Sodaro, who I raced in Hamburg and saw how strong she was. The best strategy is to stay in the moment and make smart decisions.”

Top image credit: Joern Pollex/Getty Images for Ironman

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Tim Heming Freelance triathlon journalist

About

Experienced sportswriter and journalist, Tim is a specialist in endurance sport and has been filing features for 220 for a decade. Since 2014 he has also written a monthly column tackling the divisive issues in swim, bike and run from doping to governance, Olympic selection to pro prize money and more. Over this time he has interviewed hundreds of paratriathletes and triathletes from those starting out in the sport with inspiring tales to share to multiple Olympic gold medal winners explaining how they achieved their success. As well as contributing to 220, Tim has written on triathlon for publications throughout the world, including The Times, The Telegraph and the tabloid press in the UK.