Do you like triathlons? The training, the lifestyle, & just about everything associated with the sport? I have found the most unbelievable place to experience all of this. It’s a little race on the Big Island called the Ironman World Championships, you may have heard of it. Oh yes, it’s one of the greatest places on earth. If you are a triathlete, then you must experience Kona the week of the Ironman World Championships at some point in your lifetime. Even if you never get the chance to race in it, you MUST just experience it.
So, my parents & sister got to Kona a few days before my wife & I. We had to listen to them describe all of the awesome sights for 3 days before we got there.
After a couple of connections and many, many hours after we left home, my wife & I touched down in Kona, Hawaii. The amazing journey had already begun. During our layover in Honolulu’s airport we met a pretty awesome athlete that would be competing in the race. Her name was Kelly Bruno & she was a 23 year old, single leg, below the knee amputee. She had qualified at the IM Arizona & was competing for her first time in Kona. She was a really down to earth, cool, & inspirational person. We ended up running into her many more times throughout the week & cheering her on during the race where she finished with a great time.
On our first full day in Kona I went for a swim in the bay with my sister. There are athletes everywhere down at the pier. Who ever said it’s the best place in Kona to see & be seen was absolutely correct. If you are into people watching this is the place to do it. The water was crystal clear and you see all kinds of wildlife below you. Sometimes the wildlife was right in front of you. On our way back to shore we almost ran headfirst into a large sea turtle swimming along the surface of the water, which was absolutely awesome.
After we got done swimming we headed over to the expo where we met all kinds of cool people. We ran into Sara Reinertsen, 1st female, single leg amputee to finish an Ironman. We also got to meet the “Flying Nun” Sister Madonna Buder, the 77 year old Sister for Christian Community who has been coming to the Ironman World Championships since 1985! She was a really nice lady who is an icon in the Ironman community. We listened to Mark Allen answer questions from the crowd & talked with Dave Scott for a few minutes. It was all just surreal seeing & meeting these people that you read about & see competing on TV right there in front of you. I was doing my best not to be starstruck, which was actually pretty easy because everyone was so down to earth. It was a great first day on the Big Island & the rest of the week would only get better. More Kona experiences to follow.
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