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Published: October 14th 2009
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So, after a week of being wet on the Hilo side, I decided it was time to head back west to Kona. Besides, IronMan was approaching and I was signed up to volunteer for it...
After a long (but free!) bus journey - the bus broked down and we had to wait an hour for the new bus to arrive - I arrived in Kona, along with my newfound friends, Johanna (Denmark) and Lena (Germany). I had previously booked a hostel to stay at, but they weren't so lucky. With the IronMan coming up in a few days, everything was booked solid... except, of course, the church. I found out later that night that their search ended with them them bunking down with a Priest. Regardless, I was taken care of (thank goodness).
For the remainder of this week (Wed., Thurs., and Fri.) I got to volunteering at the IronMan Triathalon World Championships. I must say, I was somewhat high up on the totem pole of volunteers - working with all of the 'Big (though somewhat cranky) Kahunas' in the Race Office. It was really a great experience - and I'm not just saying that because I got free
meals each day! The place was buzzing with excitment and it was nice to interact with the athletes. I worked from 7:30 to 12:30 each of these days and then went off to do some beaching, reading, and exploring with the girls during the afternoons. That's right - the sun was out on this side of the island in full force! I even got in the water to do some bodysurfing one afternoon - which kind of satisfied my itch to go surfing (but not really).
Saturday was race day, and for those of you who don't know what the IronMan entails, it is pretty crazy - 3.86 km ocean swim, followed by a 180.2 km bike ride, followed still by a full marathon (42 km)! These people must be insane! So, up we were at 5:30 am to go down and get seats at the starting line. It was unbelieveable - close to 1500 athletes crowding a (relatively) tiny starting line. The cannon fired and all you could see was splashing and limbs - no doubt, more than one person got a kick in the face. The swimmers have 2 hours and 20 minutes to finish in order
to continue, and unfortunately, one guy from California missed out on it by 8 seconds! Heart wrenching... especially considering the circumstances - he had just had a heart transplant a little while ago and set the goal for himself of completing the IronMan.
From there we made our way over to the transition area, where we had all signed up to do 'bike catching'. Thats right, my job on race day was to 'catch' flying bikes as athletes jumped off of them to get ready for their run! Stressful, but definitely cool because I got to be right in the middle of the action! I also got sent up the course at one point to signal to cyclists to slow down as they entered the transition area - glamorous. After this, I was able to make it to the finish line to see the leaders come across it - in less than 9 hours! Can you imagine? For some people such a feat would take 9 days!
What was really spectacular about this event, though, was the final few hours. In order to be considered a successful IronMan, you have to cross the finish line by midnight (within
It's not all about the race!
The beautiful flowers of Hawaii - these ones are Plumeria. 17 hours of the start time), and for those last three hours there is so much support from the crowd and other athletes for everyone to finish it is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed it... the whole event reminded me how much stoke I can get from this type of athletic stuff. I think that the oldest man to complete the event this year was 78! (I must admit, it made me feel a tad lazy that I was only volunteering and not actually participating) And, for those of you who are into the t.v. show 'The Biggest Loser', last seasons winner, Matt Hoover, participated in the event but unfortunately it was 12:04 a.m. when he came across and so was not considered an 'IronMan' (though I would argue this, considering he finished at all!)
So, anyway, the rest of my time on the Big Island, I spent relaxing (though I did swim half of the IronMan race course Sunday) before making my way over to Honolulu early Monday morning. I've been doing a lot of beaching and reading here - taking advantage of the sun before heading over to New Zealand on Wednesday night - where I hear winter
The Champion
Take note of his time! seems to be extending into spring a little bit 😞
I hope all is well at home - stay in touch!
Leigh-Ann
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Christy
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AWESOME
IronMan footage always inspires me. I can't even imagine how incredible it would be in person. LOVED the update and have bookmarked you now so I will feel in the loop. Hope the flight to NZ goes well today. Christy (: