IN 1999, ROB Cummins sat on his couch flicking through channels, smoking a cigarette and nursing a hangover.

He landed on coverage of the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii – the latest installment of which took place last weekend.

After watching the grueling race (comprising of a 3.9km swim, 180km bike and a marathon) he decided to make a small change to his lifestyle that would go on to alter the course of his life – he gave up cigarettes.

Now, almost 20 years on, Cummins is attempting to reach the start-line of Kona for the third time, attempting to bounce back from a back surgery a few years ago.

This is the story of how a 60-a-day smoker found himself Chasing Kona.

Rob’s book is available on Amazon and you can follow his training blog at Tricoach.ie.