Firstly, I want to thank Diana, Linda Jane and the local organizing committee for all their tireless, often behind the scenes work in getting the race up and running smoothly. I particularly enjoyed the temperature gauge at the Energy Lab reading 108 degrees F. That was a nice touch!

To the volunteers, you are the heart and soul of this race and every race. I really hope you know how much you mean to athletes and how much your efforts are valued.

To Ben, Blair and WTC, thank you for giving us all the opportunity to race on such a grand stage. It is every athlete’s dream to one day be crowned a World Champion and I have been lucky enough to experience that twice now because of you.

On a personal note, I would like to say a huge thanks to all of my supporters and sponsors. Your commitment to my family and my career is extremely humbling and means more than we can say. I am so lucky that I am involved with the best companies and people in our sport and get access to all the best equipment, products and advice.

To all the people who helped me in preparing for the Ironman - and there are many of you – thank you! Your assistance was always totally appreciated and very much needed. In particular, I want to thank Carmichael Training Systems and especially Nick White. Your knowledge, input and feedback about training were crucial. On a side note, Nick coaches Joe Marinucci who was the last finisher in 16hr.58mins. Joe and I are now apparently known as the “book ends.” I also want to pay a special debt of thanks to Dave Scott. I would see Dave almost daily in Boulder and he was always so generous with his time and more than willing to share his vast experience and knowledge. He also made me look good whenever we would go to the gym together!

The Ironman in Hawaii is such a special and unique race for so many reasons. It is the World Championships but I think the reasons extend beyond this. Someone once said to me that this race and this place always draws people back. It is unbelievable when you are at the swim start and you see Paula Newby Fraser, Heather Fuhr and Scott Tinley all paddling lead skis. Dave Scott, Mark Allen, Simon Lessing and Peter Reid were all spectating on the course and I also saw Greg Welch and Michellie Jones at the finish area. And of course, Scott Molina was racing. These are some of the all-time greatest athletes of our sport and are still involved in this race.

Believe me when I tell you that I fulfilled a dream by winning in Kona. It is a huge honour and privilege to be added to the list of winners and something I will remember forever. It is also a very big responsibility and I will endeavor to be a good ambassador for this race and for our sport.

As an athlete, you are molded and influenced by a lot of different factors. One of these is your competition, who constantly make you strive for more and more improvement in order to reach the pinnacle.

Finally, I want to dedicate this race to my family. They are the source of my inspiration everyday. I would not be here today if it weren’t for their never-ending love and support. At 6am on the morning after the race, our daughter, Lucy, came running into our bedroom. She climbed into bed, gave me a hug and said, “Mummy and I are so proud of you for doing that whole big race all by yourself.” That was reward enough for me!

Thank you, take care and I’ll see you all again.