Name: Amy Hite
Hometown: Cottage Grove, Minnesota
Number of Ironmans Completed: 28
Number of Hawaii Ironmans Completed: 2 (2016, 2018)
Where You Kona Qualified: IRONMAN Texas
Tell us about your road to the Big Island--the good, the bad, and the ugly! :)
After completing IRONMAN Wisconsin and Kona in 2018, I raced IRONMAN Arizona to finish off the year with a 3rd IRONMAN in 10 weeks. I placed 3rd in my age group in AZ, missing a Kona slot by 41 seconds. Unfortunately, due to the rolling start, I was pretty much racing blind. The girl in 2nd place started the race a significant amount of time after me, so she knew exactly what she needed to do in the final couple miles. So close! I had a few easy weeks after IRONMAN Arizona and then started building back up. Team HPB Tri camp in Tucson, AZ in January 2019 was a great escape from the Minnesota winter and solid prep for IRONMAN New Zealand, which fell on my birthday, March 2nd, this year. IRONMAN New Zealand was amazing, and I was fortunate to land on the podium in 3rd place… missing that coveted Kona slot by just one place yet again! No worries. I had IRONMAN Texas coming up in April. Everything came together at IRONMAN Texas, where I managed to snag 2nd place in my age group and finally punched my ticket to Kona 2019!
After Texas I kept myself busy by racing IRONMAN Wisconsin 70.3 and Chisago Lakes 70.3, before returning to IRONMAN Wisconsin for the 10th time this September. IMWI is always a special race. landed on the W40-44 podium in 4th place and was ecstatic to receive a roll-down slot to Kona 2020! Better yet, my husband, Dave Lundberg, finished 3rd in M55-59 and also got a roll-down slot to Kona 2020. Huge thanks to our coach, Hillary Biscay, for getting us to so many start lines ready to go. Now the pressure is off as we roll into IRONMAN Arizona once again this November. At least this year it is only 3 IRONMANs in 11 weeks. 😊
What are your goals for race day?
I genuinely appreciate the opportunity to race in Kona and my main goal is always to do everything in my power to make it to the finish line with a smile on my face. Of course, I would always love to get a course PR, but conditions in Kona are unpredictable, so we will see what the day gives us on Saturday. Regardless, I’m looking forward to sharing the course with my Team SFQ and Team HPB teammates, as well as numerous friends we’ve made racing IRONMANs around the world.
What will you be wearing out there in the lava fields?
I will be wearing the Smashfest Queen Tie-Dye Short Sleeve Aero Suit (https://www.smashfestqueen.com/products/tie-dye-short-sleeve-aero-suit and matching Tie-Dye Racerback Sports Bra (https://www.smashfestqueen.com/products/tie-dye-racerback-sports-bra
Actually, my Aero Suit is a custom version (https://www.smashfestqueen.com/products/tie-dye-custom-aero-suit and I am honored to be representing both Smashfest Queen and NUUN hydration.
