What an adventure it was…

This was my first time racing in Kona and although I did not have the race I wanted, it was a wonderful experience and great fun! 

For that one week in October, Kona really is Tri-Geek heaven.   It’s a bit of a who’s who… did you see that… Rachel Ross did what? (Just kidding Rachel).

Just weird…

The strangeness started early, a week before the race while shopping for groceries.  I was approached by a man who introduced himself as the CowMan.  CowMan has been doing triathlons since… well forever.  The conversation turned from interesting, to funny, to weird and finally, just a little uncomfortable.

After racing as a bandit for the past few ironman Hawaii races, Cowman has now been bared from racing on Saturday (banned from being a bandit… I don’t know how this is possible).  As sort of a peaceful protest, he elected to do the ironman, unsupported, split between Wednesday and Thursday.

Highlights of pre-race training…

We swam from the amongst hundreds of hungry triathletes.  We had the opportunity to swim in the crystal clear water with turtles. We swam to a sail boat where folks were giving out Kona coffee. A friend of mine had a wonderful plan hatched the night before. He swam to the boat with two small bottles of Bailey’s tucked in his Speedo (Mike wasn’t just happy to see you that day Ben). So there we were, floating in the Pacific ocean, enjoying coffee and Bailey’s.  It even got more exciting as a dozen dolphins swam by.

Racing….

Um… had a good swim… went out a little too hard on the bike… foot hurt a lot on the run… it became an ironman walk… Here was my power profile on the bike… ouch!

After party…

I was told it was a good time.  I think this photo explains enough…

All this much fun and I didn’t even get a sunburn (or sun tan either)!