Sooner or later, it all comes down to Kona.
Even Cameron Brown, who won his 10th Ironman New Zealand at Taupo on Saturday, admits as much.
Brown blitzed the field in appalling conditions to record an emphatic 8hr 31min 7sec win, nearly 10min ahead of arch-rival Terenzzo Bozzone's second-placed 8hr 41min 54sec.
Swiss ironman Matthias Hecht was third with 8hr 45min 36sec on a day which was notable for the heavy rain which drenched the 1500-strong field.
Brown was more than happy to notch up his 10th win in 11 years but was candid in his admission that he'd trade them all in for just one victory at the ironman world championships in Kona, Hawaii.
"It's pretty special what I did today, but I still want to win Hawaii - that's probably the ultimate goal. I'd probably trade all these wins for a win in Hawaii," Brown said.
Brown does have a long Kona career, having raced there 11 times since his debut 26th place in October 2000.
Brown's placings since have fluctuated - Kona offers harsh and unforgiving conditions - with a second in 2005 his best effort. thirds, in 2003 and 2004, and top 10 placings on three other occasions.
Bozzone, whose second place to Brown on Saturday mirrored last year's finish, is also structuring his season around Kona in October.
The 26-year-old has already competed there twice, finishing 11th in his 2009 debut and struggling to 20th last year.
"Kona is the pinnacle event," Bozzone said. "But Ironman New Zealand is a great race, too, and maybe when Cam retires I can win one."
Bozzone plans on travelling to the United States this month for a few half-ironman 70.3 races.
Kona is also providing incentive for rookie ironman Samantha Warriner, who won the Ironman New Zealand women's event on Saturday in her debut over the distance.
A former Olympic triathlete, Warriner finished in 9hr 28min 24sec, well clear of world champion Mirinda Carfrae (Australia) who took second in 9hr 31min 33sec. Seven-times Ironman New Zealand champion Jo Lawn was third, a further 20sec astray.
Warriner had undergone surgery for a racing heartbeat barely three months ago. With Saturday's effort proving her recovery complete, Warriner says she now wants to test herself in Kona.
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