Utah Tri Buzz: Kona Profiles: Alison Mcinturff Amorim

The Ironman World Championships ("Kona") is quickly approaching, taking place Oct. 14th. As you know, it's incredibly competitive to qualify and a major accomplishment to do so. Like last year, we'll be catching up with our local Cinderellas... getting to know them better as a tri community and cheering them on as they get ready for the ball!

Good luck Alison!

Name: Alison Mcinturff Amorim

Age Group: F3034

Qualified: Ironman Santa Rosa – July 2017

Qualifying Place & Time: 2nd - 10:20:51 (also 2nd female overall!)

Splits: Swim 53 Bike 5:37 Run 3:38

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

Swimming at the U of U! I swam the 200 free. I did my first Olympic triathlon at ECHO in 2013 with Jorge and my sister Hannah!

In your husband’s interview, he mentioned something like “it’s frustrating in swimming when you work hard but your times don’t improve much.” That said, is it true that any plateau Jorge experienced was simply due to him hitting on you rather than hitting it hard at practice?

MAYBE!!! We sometimes swim together and he always wants to end every single workout with a looong, slightly inappropriate, full-body, swim suit clad hug across the lane line (we are weird and don't share a lane if we can avoid it).

Was it “love at first swim workout” for you and Jorge as teammates at the U or did it take some time for him to win you over (or vice versa)?

When he read that question, Jorge said it was "lust at first sight!" Any one who has met us, knows we couldn't have more different personalities. I wish I could say it was love at first sight, but it wasn't...we dated for a few months when we first met...but over the next few years we grew up a ton and eventually ended up back together. Jorge is the most compassionate, motivated and enthusiastic people I have ever met...and he makes me a better person every day! And hey...I still get to check him out every time we swim together!

What are you most excited for and most terrified about at this moment thinking ahead to Oct. 14th?

It's about 1% excitement and 99% terror for race day, but that's just until the cannon goes off! Spectating at Kona last year was amazing...the atmosphere is electric. I can't wait to have a different part in that this year.

Will your strategy at Kona differ from Santa Rosa or any other race, or is it business as usual?

I want to have fun and take in the whole experience. It may be once in a lifetime!

Did you go into Ironman Santa Rosa with Kona on your mind?

I wasn't thinking about Kona and didn't know how many slots my age group would receive...which was good! I like to compete. Had I known there was only one slot in my age group, I might have tried to hang on the bike and blown up on the run.

You finished 2ND OVERALL, yet is it true that still required a roll-down spot due to 1st being in your AG?? That seems ridiculous. If Ironman put you in charge of one rule change with regards to Kona allocation, what would you propose?

Yes! Those Kona slots! My age group got 1 slot allocated and 1 roll down. If it were up to me...the overall podium (top 5?) should automatically qualify and be taken out of the age group slot allocation. There are some crazy fast amateurs out there now and, odds are, there will be one at every race!

Check out Ali's race report from Santa Rosa

In your opinion what were the top pros and cons of Santa Rosa as a race/venue?

Pros: Gorgeous swim venue and scenery on the 1st half of the bike, nice downtown finish area and great weather. Cons: Rough roads, strategically difficult with the separate T1 and T2. It was the first year though so I am SURE next year will be better. Plus racing at sea level is always amazing..so much AIR.

You and Jorge put Hollywood “celebrity couples” to shame… both doctors, Kona Qualifiers, AND parents… how do you pull it off, and what advice do you have for other busy people who may have triathlon aspirations?

I honestly don't know how we pulled it off...but somehow it happens a day at a time! Everyone who has responsibilities outside of training, whatever it might be, knows the importance of limits. My words of advice: Listen to your body, train smart, and find a coach who gets what motivates you. I love high quality training and hate miles for the sake of miles. Our college coach called that "garbage yards." Yes you need to prepare your body for the pounding and yes you need to have easy days...but when your time is limited, like ours, you have to be precise...AND sometimes you just have to let things go. Life gets crazy and workouts get missed. In our case, we were on call for a week and things sometimes got out of control. You have to let yourself be flexible and don't dwell on what you didn't do.

What are some of your favorite local races?

I'm an Idahoan so Spudman is local for me! All-time fav. Who doesn't love a putting green transition! Loved East Canyon this year as well, it was awesome. I was nervous about the turns on the bike...but it was fast and fun.