Colorado Athletes in Kona: Scott Jones

 
I race for the United States Navy as the selected member to represent the All-Navy Triathlon team.  I am a 15-time All-Navy Triathlete and have raced on the All-Armed Forces Triathlon team as well.  I was the captain and coach of the All-Armed Forces team that competed in Mumbai in 2007 and Rio in 2011.  I currently coach myself.  I train with my wife; 2-time Kona age group champion Teresa Rider-Jones.
The short story is I am a 16-time Ironman finisher with 8 Kona finishes.  This year will be my 9th Kona and my 17th Ironman.  I qualified at the 2015 Superfrog 70.3 where I was 8th overall and won the 40+ military male division (I am 51 years old).  I am a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy Reserve currently serving on active duty.  I got into this sport in 2001 when I was 196 pounds and needed a hobby.  I watched Ironman Canada that year and found my sport.  I signed up, raced my first of 8 Ironman Canada’s in 2002 and it changed my life.
I met my wife Teresa in the sport in 2007 when she came to a triathlon camp I was coaching.  We emailed for almost a year and then went out for a Guinness in Boulder and the rest is history. We live and train in Boulder when I am not away doing navy or flying for United Airlines.
I am inspired by our sport and those athletes who do it.  The goal of being your best self and not succumbing to the enduring gravitational pull toward mediocrity is all it takes to get me out of bed and into the pool in the morning.  The beautiful terrain we have to train in Boulder makes biking and running more of a love affair than a chore.  Having my wife there with me every training session brings it all together and makes it complete.
My trademarked saying that I used in my coaching business (now closed) is Train with joy or not at all!.  I believe that more every day.
Kona is as much a symbol of how one lives their life as it is a world championship race.  Kona represents to me the feeling of triumph and control of ones destiny.  To persevere in the lava every year and find my way back down Ali’i to the crowds and the finish line make all the sacrifice and hard work more than worth it.  My years in Kona and training for Kona have taught me a ton about myself.