No Kona for Melissa Hauschildt
2-time Ironman 70.3 World Champion Melissa Hauschildt was certainly one of the favorites this year for the GoPro Ironman World Championships in Kona, but injuries sustained recently have forced her to withdraw from this big race.
"Pre 70.3 Worlds, on the Tuesday, she injured her ribs during a massage. Either muscle torn or bone break – she tried to compete but was struggling to breathe. Despite best efforts she is still in pain swimming and running," explained Specialized Pro manager Gavin Noble.
Hauschildt had worked hard to improve her aerodynamics on the bike at the Specialized WinTunnel in Morgan Hills, CA last year in September right after she won the 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championships, and showed this year with a fine win at the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon that she can do well at longer courses and in the heat. But this year the race in Kona was apparently not meant to be.
When asked by slowtwitch about her thoughts, Melissa Hauschildt said: "Have had plenty the last few weeks. Pretty simple at this point I guess. No way I can race a tri. I still can't swim yet. Can we change it to a Duathlon? I can ride now and run with minimal pain which is good. I can sleep now which is great. The rib still clicks in and out when I push too hard/breathe too deeply. That's still uncomfortable. I guess it just needs more time. The doctor said it could take months to be pain free but maybe now that I've made a decision not to race that'll take some of the stress away and allow me to heal faster. I'm still looking forward to training (on the bike and running) here in Kona for two weeks. Scouting out the course in preparation for next year."
