A bout of influenza leading into the 2022 Ironman Kona World Championships left Wānaka’s Braden Currie watching the finish from the sidelines after pulling out midway through the race on Sunday (October 9).

Braden said his training programme leading into his ‘pinnacle event’ was near perfect but “that every now and then you get sick at a really bad time and this is one of them”.

“Super gutted and frustrated, but it is what it is,” he said.

Braden had contemplated not starting, but decided otherwise after his nine-year-old daughter Bella, who had flown out from New Zealand to watch him race, told him he had to.

“I was pretty apprehensive after being sick all week and still not really on the other side of the general flu but in hindsight, I’m glad Bella persisted in telling me I had to because if I didn’t I would have been left wondering if I could have found something in the tank to fire with,” Braden said.

“So now there is peace of mind that there was no way I was going to be able to pull off a good performance.”

Feeling fine after racing near the front in the swim, Braden decided it would be wise to not finish as his physical and energetic state started to diminish during the bike leg. 

“The swim went fine, I didn’t push the pace at all, just stayed with the front group and I was actually riding alright but then I just went downhill,” he said.

An incredibly fast day was had in Kona with Gustav Iden (Norway) shattering the course record in the elite men’s category by eight minutes and Chelsea Sorado (USA) taking the win in the elite women's category. 

Auckland’s Rebecca Clarke finished 17th in the women's event.

Find the full results here.

PHOTO: Nancy Otto at On Photos