Kona: Pre-Race

After almost 2 days of travel (we spent an afternoon and evening in Seattle on the way over in an attempt to break up the trip for the kids), we arrived on Wednesday afternoon with just enough time to register and pick up the bike. Check and check: off to a good start.

The first thing you immediately notice in Kona is the pro presence, which is (obviously) second to none. You can’t walk more than 100’ without seeing one of the greats in our sport. It’s strange to see folks who repeatedly adorn all the Tri publications walking about and training so freely in and around town. For the non-triathlete, it is like going to the 7th game of the World Series and spending the days leading up to the game practicing on the field with both teams. In my initial ¼ mile stroll up Alii as I headed to the expo, I saw Chrissie Wellington, Craig Alexander, Timothy O’Donnell, Luke Mackenzie, Greg Welch, Belinda Granger, and Julie Dibens, and I wasn’t even trying to spot anyone. I’m not usually at all starstuck, but to be perfectly honest I was feeling like a kid on Christmas morning.

Far too much time was spent on Thursday walking up and down Alii, checking out the expo with the kids, swimming at Dig Me Beach, and snorkeling, but I was having a blast, and this trip was more about the experience and the vacation than the race. With Mary and the kids, Nancy & Al, Amy & Jeff, and Matthew, Nikki and Andrew, there was going to be a lot of action at our house throughout the week, and I didn’t want to miss it in preparation for the race. As for the Ironman, I was aiming for a performance which would basically allow me to do 3 things:

1. Enjoy the race, have fun, and not worry about a time or placing
2. Vacation without excuses on Sunday morning, which I knew would include lots of soccer, snorkeling, hiking, etc.
3. Not go so slow as to embarrass myself


Friday began with a 5-hour snorkeling cruise, during which Oliver, Sadie and I got sea sick but had a great time once we were wet. Friday afternoon was spent checking in the gear bags and the bike. Bike check was quite a spectacle, with upwards of 200 spectators and counters watching folks check in their bike, half of which had lawn chairs and created a tunnel leading to transition, making me feel quite like I was in a parade.

I was exhausted but back at the house and ready to eat dinner and begin relaxing by 4pm. Only problem was we didn’t really have much besides bananas, beer and wine. I was too tired and lazy to do anything about it, and too stubborn to wait until ‘real’ dinner time, so my pre-race meal ended up being a peanut butter and banana sandwich and some chips. Not ideal but it did the trick.