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Saturday, October 1, 2016

Kona Profiles: Iron Strong Makinsie Bartholomew

The Ironman World Championships ("Kona") is a mere one week away now, taking place Oct. 8th. As you all know, it's incredibly competitive to qualify and a major accomplishment to do so. We'll be catching up with a few of our local Cinderellas in the coming weeks... getting to know them better as a tri community and seeing how they're feeling as they get ready for the ball!

Good luck Makinsie!!

What’s your athletic background and how did you get into triathlon?

 I competed in High School swim team for 3 years as well as Track & Field- loved the 400 Meter Dash, however I was mostly a thrower (Discus). My family has always been into sports and a little bit of racing. I got into triathlon by watching my dad and brother compete in a sprint distance triathlon up at Echo Reservoir and thought it looked fun so I did one the very next year (2010). I liked the idea of triathlon after competing so I kept moving up to longer distances.



Have you been able to hit your training goals and how are you feeling a week out?

 Yeah I've hit most of my goals, temporarily moving to Ohio for the summer has helped a bunch because I got into a great cycling group with some awesome ladies that are going Kona too and I've trained a lot on the rolling hills. I feel pretty great and ready for the big dance!

                rumor has it this was Makinsie's arch nemesis & bitter rival in high school



We’ve learned that along with B.J. Christenson, Luke Rothey, and others, you KQ’d at Ironman Lake Tahoe. So you get the same question we asked Luke… has it been nice to have tons of time to prepare or has it been almost too much time waiting and thinking about it?

 Am I allowed to say both? Its been great having tons of time preparing for it and not needing to qualify in any of the later Ironmans, I found out last year after Ironman Arizona that doing 2 Ironmans within 2.5 months of each other is really tough! So I'm really grateful to have had a lot of time prepping for Kona. I will admit it has been A LOT of time to think about Kona and say "Oh Kona is months away, don't stress it yet" so it hasn't quite sunk in that I'll be there in a week and a half.

Did you know you had moved from 5th in your AG out of the water to 1st off the bike? If so, how stressful was that marathon, and when did you know you had clinched the Kona slot? (Makinsie went 1:06 6:07 4:42  for 12:03 and 1st F2024)

I thought I had a great swim but didn't know I was that far back; there were some awesome swimmers in my age group! My dad and husband were on the bike course tracking my progress and saw that I was coming closer to first place and eventually got in first; I was pretty ecstatic to hear them say that I was in first but knew I needed to get a lead on the bike to make up for my run splits that I knew would be a bit slower. So yes, super stressed during the marathon! The last 4 miles were a gamble because my nutrition plan started falling apart (lack of salt) and I started getting super dizzy! I knew if I walked the last 3-4 miles I'd lose my opportunity to Kona or if I kept running and pushing myself I could pass out on the side and not even finish the race. So I kept running and did what I could to make it to the finish. The ER visit came an hour or two after I was done with IM Tahoe. Thats also when the Doctor told me I shouldn't push myself so hard when I race in marathons.


Digging into our results database, it appears that your strength is on the bike. Is that a reason why you chose Lake Tahoe, a course that had crazy climbing?

 Yes! I LOVE hills and climbing on my bike! After being in aero for a while its so nice to get out of the saddle and crank up some hills. I also think it levels out the playing field when everyone gets to the run. 

How has the coaching of Rory “Seek & Destroy” Duckworth helped with your progression on the bike and overall?

 Haha wait is this Rory who's asking this question?! When I did my first Ironman, I thought I'd just go hard and ended up racing the whole bike with a crazy high heart rate and really roasted my legs for the marathon. Rory taught me that his type of training will lower my heart rate for the bike while maintaining a good pace and still have a decent run after. I love having Rory as a coach! He's a genius when it comes to power output and his style of workouts, any great race I've had I give credit to the bike split and Rory's knowledge as a coach. His own results prove that he knows what he's doing and I'm starting to catch on looking at my own bike/overall splits.

How has the broader SLTC helped with your development in the sport?

 It has been amazing! The camaraderie is unbelievably strong. I've made so many friends and met so many great training buddies. Its never easy training alone so the group workouts the club offers has helped a ton! One of my favorite things has been seeing fellow Bees on the course at races and yelling/cheering for each other. The wide variety of experience in athletes gives everyone a chance to learn something and also feel comfortable joining!

Sources tell us you recently got married (formerly Makinsie Davis). What does your husband think about triathlon, and have you converted him yet to the swim/bike/run lifestyle??

 Nic thinks its great that I have something to keep me motivated and fit, he's been incredibly supportive. I don't think there was much converting I had to do because he's already into fitness. He has his own goals and understands how to put in the effort to achieve those goals. Sometimes our crazy schedules line up so we can head to the gym together; He's also a great strength training partner! Being able to incorporate each other into both lifestyles has been pretty fun! I love how Nic comes to my races and is willing to be out on the course cheering for me, its so motivating and means so much.

A quick Google search found the following quotes as part of a press release of sorts from your employer:

 "We are proud to announce that McWane Ductile-Utah Engineering Intern Makinsie Davis took first place in her age division in the recent IRONMAN race in Lake Tahoe, California. Makinsie has competed in several Ironman races, but this victory will qualify her to attend the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii next year. Congratulations Makinsie! You’ll have over 5,000 McWane team members pulling for you to win at the World Championship next year."

gotta love the slogan!

Are these expectations in line with your own? Second place is the first loser, right?

Haha oh my, the expectations are set high aren't they!? I think they'd like me to do well in my age group but mostly to have a great race, I'd say they're pretty in line :) There's going to be a lot of fun competition out there, I'm just honored to be racing in Hawaii!

 What’s your podium for top 3 races in our state?


 I love the Half Ironman Distance so thats definitely my top 2, I'd say Ironman St. George 70.3, then Utah Toughman. As another local race, Echo Reservoir Olympic distance, since that's where it all started.

Anything else you want to share?

 I just wanted to say how important it has been for me to have my husband and family involved in all of this craziness. They've done so much for me! From riding a bike next to me while I run in the heat of the day or squeezing in a workout late at night to make sure it gets done. My siblings Kyle, Erin, and Lauren have all taken turns waking up at 5 in the morning to head to the start of a race with me and my husband Nic. My parents have been there in training and races too blasting music and dressing up! (Thanks Mom and Dad!) Go Team!!!



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