Trial by Fire: Photographing Race Day at the Ironman World Championship
My first time shooting Kona from the course, where I had no control over anything except where I stood and how I set my camera.
Kona is the Ironman World Championship, and in 2013 I got to be there. We spent race week working as photographers, following pro triathlete Balazs Csoke as he raced, and I was also shooting as media and doing commercial work for a few brands. There were so many stories from that week that it's been hard to decide how to tell them. This one is about race day.
Trial by fire
That's the only way I can describe being a photographer on race day. I'm used to having control over my surroundings: how many takes, what angle, where the athlete will be (to an extent). Race-day sports photography is different. You get into a good position based on experience, set up the camera for the vision in your head (motion blur or sharp, wide or tight), and hope for the best expression or moment as the riders and runners fly past. I was fortunate to have experience on both sides of the lens, and we came away with some great shots of fantastic athletes.
The greats, in Kona
Getting to photograph the world's best Ironman athletes in action, in Kona, was a dream come true. Balazs, Crowie, Rinny, Pete Jacobs, Sebastian Kienle, Caroline Steffen, Luke McKenzie, Mary Beth Ellis and so many other greats were awesome to watch. Seeing Rinny take off and dominate the marathon in about 2:50 was unbelievable.
It was also great how many times we were able to see each of them on the course without getting on a moto or the media truck, just by picking the right spots and making images that tell you they were in Kona. The Queen K and Ali'i Drive are legendary places in Ironman lore, and doing them justice is what I set out to do.
The rest of the story
These are images of iconic figures in iconic places, but what's behind them is just as interesting: what it really means and feels like to be an Ironman pro in Kona during race week. The strategy, the mental side that the rest of us mere mortals can hardly fathom, and the physical demands coming at these athletes from every direction make being a pro that much harder.
Originally published on the Ruddock Visuals blog, October 2013. Lightly edited in 2026.