Left to right: Bockel, Raelert, Jacobs, Alexander

We’re at the King Kam taking live notes from the post-race pro press conference. Refresh the page to keep up with the latest from the post-race presser.

Craig Alexander (winner and new course record holder)

“To have three victories is beyond belief. Today’s performance is the kind of thing you dream of. It’s what gets you out the door to train, but you’re never sure if you’re going to live it.”

“Getting beaten last year was hard, not because I got beaten, but because I had a good race and got beaten.”

“I think you saw the fruits of 12 months of planning and labor today.”

“I said to my wife last year, ‘I’m going to do both.’ To win both…it hasn’t sunk in to be honest.”

“This year is completely different than last year. I think the fresh legs definitely helped post Coeur d’Alene.”

“At mile 18 that’s when the mask came off. That was a real grimace. I dug a little deeper than I wanted to. You have to take risks. But it’s also the world championships and you have to be in good form to be here. The smile…well it works for Chrissie anyway.”

(On breaking the record) “A big shout-out to the past. I think it was inevitable that the record could go. We now have technology—aero helmets and the latest developments in bikes. It’s humbling. Think of the people who raced here, I mean, they must’ve knocked a couple of miles off somewhere. What can I say, to have Greg (Welchy) here, and Mark and Dave…you race to be the best athlete you can be, and if you make history, well, it’s not what gets you out of bed in the morning. I can’t believe it, it hasn’t set in.”

“The record … is a feather in my cap, but every day is different.”

(On the points system) “If we want to protect some of our greatest athletes we need to take care of their health and well-being. I’m all for qualifying systems. All of the big sports have structure to them. I think we need to keep talking abou this though.”

(On whether he’ll start at the ITU long course championship in Vegas next month) “I nominated for that earlier in the year when I was sick but … I don’t think I’ll be there. I’m heading back to Australia on Wednesday. I’m not getting on another plane anywhere…unless I want a divorce.”

Pete Jacobs (second)

“Crossing the line I was really surprised. I cam here thinking I had a chance to win. I had a tough day on the bike. It just didn’t feel natural, so that was a bit disappointing. I was writing my excuses on the way back to my family and friends. To run up in to second…I can’t believe it.”

(On why he’s been smiling) “I’m incredibly happy to finish second to Craig and Andreas. For the last year it’s been all about these two guys. Especially to have gone this fast in Hawaii … it could just has easily have been some other small race and I would’ve been happy with that. To just beat (Crowie) once would be nice. I’m really looking forward to next year.”

Andreas Raelert (third)

(On his black eye) “I really can’t remember (what happened). I think I just hit Matty (Reed). I think I was a bit confused. On the bike I just felt like I had this big shadow on my eye and I thought, ‘it’s kind of a bean or something like that.’ Sometimes it just happens.”

“I’m definitely not satisfied. I had a great day today, I just got beaten by two very strong athletes. Crowie was just on another level. I struggled a bit on the bike, and usually you do at some point, I thought ‘if you want to win this race you just have to risk something.’ I had a great battle with Pete at the very end. I was pretty much just making ground. It was a great day for me and special thanks to my best support crew Michael.”

“Of course I’m still dreaming about winning this race in the future. That’s what keeps me motivated…and to come back next year and do it with (my brother) Michi.”

(On the points system) “Of course there are some issues right now. How can we protect the athletes not to do as many races. It’s like a meltdown. You can only perform one or two races in a year to have a peak. In general I can say ‘yes it’s right,’ but how it works, we have to discuss.”

Dirk Bockel (fourth-place)

“My coach kept yelling at me ‘one is going to bonk, one is going to bonk’ so I kept running my best.”

Chrissie Wellington (winner)

“I knew the swim was going to be painful. I just tried to have faith in my body and mind to just push through. On the bike I didn’t go out with the purpose of chasing anyone down. I knew Julie and Karin would put time of me. But Ironman is a very long day and it’s comprised of three disciplines. In T2 I heard I was in sixth, which is a great position for me to be in, despite coming out first in the past. But that was the true test of my own mental strength.”

“The run was not easy. I had to dig to the deepest depths. I felt like giving up at various points. Many were actually close to the start, but I tried to stay in the moment. I drew confidence from past races I’ve done where I suffered from little niggles. Your body changes through the duration of the marathon. I purposely went out very hard…make hay while the sun shines right? I’m really pleased with my run split.”

“There’s a lot of emphasis in our sport on times. I judge my success on whether I feel that I’ve given the race absolutely everything mentally and physically. I left every ounce of my heart and soul on that race course today. None of us have the ideal preparation. Some are public, some people don’t know about. All my races are special. This one is probably the most meaningful, special performance to me. Regaining the world title means more to me than I can ever articulate. It’s not just a race for me. I wear this crown with huge pride like I know Rinny has done all year. It’s not just a race, it’s a platform.”

(On fearing the race, her withdrawl last year and this year’s accident) “I think I was misquoted in saying that Arizona (2010) was ‘my Kona.’ It wasn’t my Kona. I would’ve been happy to have a performance like that here but it wasn’t. You have to move on. I increased my rest and recovery, and that’s paid dividends this year, as has paying great attention to my nutrition. I don’t think my non-start last year affected my mental state. Aside from the fact that my friends and family paid a huge amount of money to come out and watch me race! I don’t feel that last year put any excessive pressure on me this year. The preparation was just different this year.”

(On the points system) “This is the Ironman World Championships and I think you should have to do an Ironman to qualify. I know people disagree with me. The 70.3 points should count primarily towards that, and if you want to race here you should do and Ironman, whether you’re a world champion or otherwise. It would be interesting to look at how those who had to race more to accumulate points performed today. Not every pro has the luxury of being strategic in choosing races. Those who have financial backing of sponsors don’t have the choice to fly to other races. I am troubled by the fact that the lower-tier pros might not be able to afford to fly around to accrue enough points. All in all I think the system is working well. I think it adds an element of excitement, the smaller field … led to a much fairer race. Particularly on the female side. I applaud the WTC for doing what they did and I look forward to improving it.”

Mirinda Carfrae (second)

“I felt quite emotional right from the start. I’m not one for tears but even in the transition zone felt like I was going to burst into tears.”

“You can’t give a champion like Chrissie even a minute.”

“To be honest, I felt horrible on the run. I went out slower than I usually do, and thought I was in for a 3-hour marathon. In my two years past I felt like I was holding back. If I could’ve caught Chrissie that would’ve been a dream come true, but she’s a deserving champion.”

“Congratulations to Chrissie, that’s four. I think you’re getting a little greedy.”

“I didn’t know how (Chrissie) was feeling, great champions have fallen at the finish line in the past, and I didn’t know if I had another Hy-Vee performance in me.”

(On the pressure of defending) “I don’t think it’s the pressure, I think it’s the obligations that come from having to defend. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change that for the world, and I took every opportunity that was given to me. The results I had early in the year cost me though. I was sick almost every other month. My immune system was just struggling from trying to do too much. Defending becomes hard, because your training is compromised. Maybe I celebrated my win after the race last year for too long.”

(On the points system) “I’d like to see the top five in Kona get automatic selection. If you’ve proved yourself here you shouldn’t have to go race another Ironman. For me it’s about longevity in the sport. I don’t see the point in telling us that we need to go and validate. I do think it is a good thing, but needs some tweaking. Ironman has definitely taken our opinions, and I’m sure they’ll be some changes in the future. Chrissie mentioned Mary-Beth Ellis…she was a special case. Even she says she didn’t take the smartest route to Kona. If you work the system and plan your year out accordingly it shouldn’t be that hard to get to the start line.”

Rachel Joyce (fourth)

“Sixth, fifth, fourth … I’ll just have to come back next year.”

Caroline Steffen (fifth)

“Nobody knew I was injured this year. I missed a couple of months of hard training. My foot started hurting again and I couldn’t run the last 10 days. I tried, and I’ll try again next year.”