Chrissie Wellington In Kona

After exiting the water in 1:01:03, Chrissie Wellington had a big gap to make up on the bike. She continued to lose time to leader Julie Dibens throughout the ride, at one point being 22 minutes behind. Photo: Nils Nilsen

Wellington revealed after the race that the days leading up to the Ironman World Championship were filled with uncertainty about her health. Photo: Kevin LaClaire

Wellington showed off her usual smile at the Kona press conference, but her words showed that she knew race day would be a battle. “Two weeks prior to today I was in the best shape of my life. I felt incredibly strong across all three disciplines and felt confident going into the race. But I’d be lying if I said the crash had no effect on me physically because it has. Of course I’ll be racing with that little caveat of the impact of the crash on my body. But I haven’t lost that physical fitness—it’s still there. I haven’t lost my mental drive and my burning burning desire to regain the title, but I’ve also got to respect my body and appreciate that when you have an accident it will take its toll. So that’s the asterisk I’ve put over any shape that I’m in. It’s an honest evaluation of where I’m at.” Photo: Nils Nilsen

Wellington knew she'd have a slower swim as a result of her injuries and she did. Her 2.4-mile swim time of 1:01:03 meant that she had plenty of work to do to find the leaders. Photo: Aaron Hersh

Chrissie Wellington's win was her most impressive to date, coming from behind to regain her title. At the finish line she told the crowd, "This race means more to me than anything. It's the sweetest victory. I just proved that anything is possible." Photo: Nils Nilsen

Wellington's turned in a 4:56:53 bike split. Photo: Competitive Image

Chrissie Wellington found herself in an unusual position on the marathon. She had to run down several women ahead of her to take the title. Photo: Kurt Hoy

Wellington had to run down several women, including 2010 Kona runner-up Caroline Steffen. Photo: Kurt Hoy

Chrissie is featured on the cover of our special Kona coverage section of January's Triathlete magazine. It hits newsstands tomorrow!