Paula raced the Ironman World Championship in Kona, and this is the full, unfiltered debrief. No questions this week. Just Paula, Eric, and Nick working through the whole day: the rough, choppy swim, the windy bike leg, and a marathon that became something else entirely. This episode is the whole story:

• The days leading into Kona: the commitments, the exhaustion, the headaches, and whether the race week experience matched four years of FOMO
• The TTL Kona Donut Run recap, Malasadas, two kilometers in the heat, and a star-studded crowd
• The swim: rough conditions, a swollen lip, disorientation near the far buoy, and finishing in good position despite it all
• The bike: treating the first half like a 70.3, riding above watts to chase people, Race Ranger dynamics, and what Paula would do differently
• Navigating the aid stations in 28mph crosswinds on a day when the fastest male pro bike split was 4:11
• The run: from the first steps on Ali'i Drive to the Energy Lab turnaround and back, what it actually felt like, minute by minute
• Rachel Zelenkas, Kat Matthews, and the camaraderie that got Paula to the finish line
• Lucy Charles, Solveig Løvseth, and a day that humbled the entire pro field
• Whether finishing without a medical reason to stop is something to be proud of
• What Paula thinks about doing it again
• Kona TTL gear still available, Energy Lab hats, Castelli technical apparel, socks, and swim caps

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