Underwear Run

Part of the Ironman rookie experience is the underwear run... which I conveniently slept through.

Coffee at 1200m

Only in Kona would you be offered a cup of coffee in the middle of a swim. About 3/4 of a mile from the shore, you can hop on a boat and have a cup a jo.

Welcome dinner is set for this evening, festivities kick off at 6 pm. Then its off to the race meeting at 8 pm.

Training Paradise

Kona is no joke. Hundreds of athletes in the water by 6 am, the rest of them are either riding along Queek K or running along Alii Drive. A training paradise, but dangerous since it's taper week and you could easily get caught up in all the hype and excitement and plan on an easy ride up to the Energy Lab and end up in Hawi.

I came out here with my sister's husband, a Hawaii Ironman veteran. Dan Knepper competed in 2002 and was a great tour guide on today's ride. First up on the agenda, a ride up to the Energy Lab then back along Alii Drive to get familiar with the marathon course. After a quick snack, it was off for a 30 min swim with the fishies. Didn't see any turtles, but plenty of tropical fish.

Highlight of the day was running into Michellie Jones in our hotel after packet pickup. No pictures, I'll try and work my way into a photo op if I get another opportunity.

We were up at 4 am for our 7 am flight out of BWI, got to Phoenix on time, then off to Honolulu. We made it to Kona by 6pm local time (midnight Eastern) so it's been a long day... but WE'RE FINALLY HERE!!!!

The bike is put together and ready for a 90 min ride tomorrow morning. Dan and I are riding the marathon course, then we're off to packet pickup.

The goal is to provide updates from Kona during the days leading up to the race through this blog. Excited for the days to come, but now for some sleep.