Woo hoo! I’m in Hawaii! This place feels like another planet! A planet with perfect weather, ocean breezes, amazing food and coffee, and thousands of people swimming, biking, and running everywhere I look. Definitely my kind of paradise!
Being in Kona in early October is like being in the triathlon version of Hollywood – the former Ironman Champs and current Superstars are everywhere! I’ve had a good time playing paparazzi and snapping photos. I got a pretty good one of 2005 Champ Faris Al-Sultan riding on the Queen K Highway. Apparently helmets are optional for Ironman Champions:
And I’ve gotten in some training of my own. The swim course in Kailua bay is even better than I remembered. Earlier this week I got to swim with dolphins – a first for me, and hopefully a good omen for fast racing to come!
Coach Diablo and I also took a nice ride up to the turn-around point of the bike course in the small town of Hawi.
This section of the course is notorious for absolutely terrifying cross-winds, so it’s always worthwhile to practice.
Today the winds were on the milder side, and the scariest part was definitely Coach’s beard:
And you may be wondering about any “first out of the water” bets between El Diablo and I this year. Well, fastest swim bragging rights are definitely on the line, but I actually accepted his offer for a far more aggressive wager. I’m not quite ready to divulge all the details, but just know the stakes have never been higher, and I have more motivation than ever to carry through with a ridiculously fast race. And if possible, I would REALLY appreciate knowing his splits during the day, because it’s not just my time that counts! Mahalo!
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By FAR, the scariest beard in all of Kona! Have fun and KILL IT out there you crazy kids.
Oh no!! You left us in suspense. GREAT tactic to get me to check the blog over and over.