The road to the Big Island is long and arduous but, for those who’ve made it, racing the Hawaii IRONMAN can change your life forever.

Coach Chris Baggs provides a glimpse into what’s truly required for most age groupers to qualify for the IRONMAN World Championships.  Spoiler alert: it’s not easy.

Baggs shares training schedule advice, suggests how to calculate goal times for each discipline and provides insights that are rarely discussed among aspiring qualifiers.   This dose of tough love is proven and realistic, and will help you maximize your chances of someday racking your bike on the Kailua-Kona pier.

Read the full story here and get other great triathlon insights.