6 Things You’ll See On The Kona NBC Broadcast Tomorrow

Published November 14, 2014 04:06PM

(Minor) spoiler alert! Thanks to the Tri Club San Diego viewing Thursday night, we got a sneak peek of tomorrow’s 2014 Ironman World Championship broadcast. The show will appear on NBC Saturday, Nov. 15, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET. Here are six things you can expect to see while watching.

1. No surprise here: excessive amounts of slow motion. It wouldn’t be a Kona broadcast without at least 50+ percent of the footage being slowed down to a muscle-grinding pace to create more drama.

2. Tear-inducing age grouper stories. Without ruining it for you, this year’s main profile story of Lisa Hallett was impossible not to cry at. We also loved hearing Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray’s perspective on the tragic events of his 2013 race (the comment from his son about race directing is great) and what racing in general means to him. Also, we have to give props to Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno’s transformation into an impressive triathlete.

3. That WIND. It’s always present, but the proof of how bad the headwind was on the way out to Hawi was shown in multiple shots of palm trees blowing in the exact head-on direction the athletes are riding in.

4. Alessandro “Alex” Zanardi being generally awesome. The Italian former Formula One driver who lost his legs in a crash in 2001 redefined himself as competitive handcyclist and tackles Kona with the same tenacity as he would a car race. One of the best, subtle moments of the broadcast is when he weaves as seamlessly as a race car through cones and runners to get ahead on the marathon course.

5. Rinny’s brief Scott Tinley doppelganger moment. Maybe it’s just us, but when Mirinda Carfrae starts the run with dry hair, we swear there’s a moment of unmistakable resemblance to Scott Tinley’s blond locks under a visor.

6. Hawaii mayor’s T2. Mayor Billy Kenoi wanted to experience the legendary event that has transformed his island first-hand, and his experience is pretty endearing. We couldn’t help but chuckle with empathy at the moment when he steps off his bike, looking a little unnatural in all spandex, with his wobbly legs attempting to make it into transition.