Kona Week: Different journeys. Same start line.
110 km weeks, no injury. Here's how Gregory Barnaby gets to the Kona start line.
🌺 KONA WEEK 🌺 Different journeys.
Same start line.
It's race week on the Big Island. All week we're sharing the stories behind the athletes lining up on Saturday, and how LEVER fits into the work that got them there.
WHAT THEY'RE IN FOR ON SATURDAY
3.8 km swim in Kailua Bay
180 km on the Queen K
42.2 km through the lava fields
In the heat. Against the best in the world. No big deal.
STORY #1
GREGORY BARNABY RUNS 110 KM WEEKS. HE ISN'T INJURED. HE STILL USES LEVER.
The 2024 IRONMAN Pro Series Champion finished 6th here in 2024. Getting back took months of 80 to 110 km running weeks on top of swimming and riding.
His trick? He keeps his hard sessions hard and puts LEVER on the days around them: an easy run the day after a workout, and strides the day before the next one.
80-110 km per week
1-2x LEVER runs per week
20 → 10 kg off, then vs. now
"When you're tired it's just a lot less risky, so it's a big injury prevention."
GREGORY BARNABY RACING THIS WEEKEND?
GREGORY'S 3 TIPS FOR KONA
1 Enjoy it
"Enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy just being around all these amazing
athletes."
2 Pace yourself
"Not like overdo it in the beginning because you pay for it at the end."
3 Fuel and hydrate
"You need to keep hydrated and keep fueled up."
🔥 STEAL GREGORY'S WORKOUT
The session that tells him he's fit
15 km continuous, no breaks
2 km at race pace (his is around 3:40/km)
500 m quicker (3:15 to 3:20/km)
Repeat until you hit 15 km
Scale the paces to your own race pace. Then make the next day an easy one.
🍕 WE HAD TO ASK
He's Italian, so we asked Gregory what he eats before race day. Pasta? Pizza? Before: rice and chicken. "Nothing really Italian, nothing special." After: burger and chips. Back home: "The first thing when I get back to Italy is pizza for sure."