Re: Sugestions???Race wheels for Hawaii.

First of all, congratulations on the qualifying spot...a real accomplishment
these days!

I am with Ken on this...if you are mainly concerned with finishing, a good
semi-aero standard set of wheels (Ritchey WCS/Ksyriums/Bontragers etc etc,
would be fine.  I was there in 2001 in the hellacious wind and as big as I am
at 6'1" and 185, was still glad to be riding a standard set of wheels.  My bike
wasn't looking too tricked-out in transition, but I felt it was the right move.

If you are looking to be competitive, a set of Zipp 303's or 404's would be
great..price-y...but great. Hed Alps are a also a good choice on that course.

As for advice...everybody likes to think that Kona is a semi-flat course.  But
that climb to Hawi is longer and tougher than people think, and when you come
back down from Hawi and make the left turn to get back on the Queen K, that
hill by the tank farms can be a killer...you are getting tired and the cramps
can start there and follow you all the way back throught the lava to town...and
the "rises" on the way back seem a lot more daunting than they did 3 hours
earlier.  Ride hills if you can find 'em. It always helps.

Nutrition is absolutely key in Kona.  I finished in 2001, but I failed on
getting the nutrition right.  The conditions were extreme on that ride and my
marathon was quite the mess.  The problem with Kona nutrition is that it is
hard to duplicate those conditions anywhere on the mainland to get it dialed
in.  I have become a fan of CarboPro, which provides most of the calorie
replacement  without using solid food.  Too much solid food was a problem for
me out there.   

www.gordoworld.com has a lot of good info on Ironman nutrition and the forum
there is good as well.

Good Luck.  You'll have a great experience.
Mark