It felt like a particularly bad dream – you are racing, swimming hard through warm clear blue water (good dream this) the next buoy seems quite far away, eventually you reach it and try to swim round it...

Race day dawned bright and clear with no wind. This was a big plus compared to the previous two years, when the rain and high winds had caused havoc. The organisers had remembered the weather – transition was indoors in the Echo Arena.

I’m not sure I ever truly expected to race on the Big Island. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to. As an athlete and fan of the sport it was always the dream and I promised myself and the “Kona Gods” I would not step foot on the island unless I qualified to race.