IMWC - THE OFF SEASON: PART 2

RACE MORNING, SOMETHING I HAVE EXPERIENCED AS A SPECTATOR AND AS AN ATHLETE. FROM TRUSTING SOME RANDOM BIKE TECHNICIAN TO INFLATE YOUR TIRES TO FINDING SOMETHING TO SPREAD YOUR CREAM CHEESE ON YOUR BAGGLE IN YOUR HOTEL ROOM. BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND HAVE “FREE” T-SHIRTS TO PROVE IT. HOW DIFFERENT COULD RACE MORNING BE AT KONA? AS AN ATHLETE, NOT SURE, YOU’LL HAVE TO ASK COREY! AS A SPECTATOR, RACE MORNING WAS ALMOST SURREAL. A CRAZY MIX OF EXCITEMENT, NERVES AND THE UNKNOWN WAS BEING BLENDED ON THE KONA PIER.

MY ALARM WENT OFF, i gathered my goodie sack for the day and grabbed some kona coffee. I PARKED THE GEM OF A RENTAL CAR AT WALMART AND WALKED DOWN TO THE PIER. TO MY SURPRISE THERE WAS PLENTY OF PLACES TO TAKE IN THE START. SURE THE SEAWALL WAS PACKED READY BUT I FOUND A SPOT ON THE BLEECHERS JUST BEHIND THE WALL. I’VE WATCHED THE NBC SPECIAL FOR YEARS AND MY FAVORITE PART WAS SEEING THE CANNON GO OFF AND AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS, IT LIVED UP TO MY EXPECTATIONS! TAKING IN THE CHAOS OF THE PRO MEN AND WOMEN STARTS WAS AMAZING, AN EXPERIENCE I WILL NEVER FORGET.

I WATCHED THE PRO MEN AND WOMEN GO OFF ALONG WITH THE AGE GROUPERS THEN WAS OFF FOR SOME BREAKFAST. MY NEXT CONCERN WAS TO GAIN A SPOT TO WATCH THEM TAKE OFF FOR HAWI AND GRAB SOME PHOTOS. IT BLEW MY MIND HOW CLOSE I WAS ALLOWED TO GET TO THESE ATHLETES. LIKE THEY WERE MORE STRICT ABOUT SPECTATORS AT IMAZ AND IMWI! REGARDLESS, MINUS TRANSISTION ON THE PIER AND THE FINAL 100 FEET OF THE FINISHER CHUTE, THE COURSE WAS WIDE OPEN WHICH IS AWESOME.

THAT’S FRODO, at the time we all had no idea how meaningful his race would be. GOING FOR A THREE-PEAT, ALL EYES WERE ON HIM. PART OF ME WANTED TO SEE HIM WIN BUT I’M AN UNDERDOG KIND OF GUY AND WAS PULLING FOR SANDERS. I GOT A CHANCE TO MEET THIS GUY BEFORE IMAZ AND HIS STORY IS CRAZY. IF YOU DON’T KNOW IT, jump ON GOOGLE! BACK TO THE RACE, i watched moSt of the bike course from what they call the hot corner. YOU CAN VIEW THE ATHLETES 3 TIMES HERE WHILE AT DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BIKE COURSE, IT WAS PRETTY COOL. FROM HERE I MOVED DOWN TOWARDS TRANSITION TO WATCH THEM COME IN AND HEAD OUT ON THE RUN.

ONCE AGAIN, IT WAS CRAZY HOW CLOSE I COULD GET TO THE ATHLETES. CLOSE ENOUGH TO REACH OUT AND GRAB THEM! I WATCHED THE FIRST 10 OR SO RIDERS COME IN AND THEN WAITED FOR COREY TO COME IN ON THE BIKE. AFTER SNAGGING SOME PHOTOS I WAS OFF. I HIKED BACK UP THE HILL TO THE CAR AND PICKED UP KIA WHO WAS DOING HOMEWORK AT OUR AMAZING PLACE UP THE HILL. AFTER A QUICK PITSTOP WE WERE HEADED BACK DOWN THE HILL AND GRABBED SOME LUNCH JUST BEFORE THE PROS WERE COMING IN.

AS WE SAT THERE RIGHT OFF OF ALI’I DRIVE, we were still only 20 FEET FROM THE RUN COURSE AND FINISHER CHUTE. SANDERS HAD THE LEAD AND I ASSUMED HE WOULD PULL IT OFF, WHEN LANGE CROSSED THE LINE I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED! REGARDLESS, IT WAS AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE WATCHING THE PROS FINISH. SO MANY DIFFERENT EMOTIONS FROM THEM AND THE SPECTATORS. THE CRAZIEST MOMENT OF THE RACE WAS WATCHING FRODO FINISHING AMOUNGST THE TOP FEMALE RACERS. THIS MAN LITTERALLY WAS LAYING DOWN ON THE TAR, walked and fiNished like an hour off hIs goal pace. AS HE WALKED DOWN THE FINISHER CHUTE, THERE WERE A LOT OF MOIST EYES. EVEN THE PROS HAVE BAD DAYS BUT HE SHOWED A LOT OF GUTS AND EARNED THE REAPECT OF THE TRIATHLON WORLD THAT DAY. A GREAT ROLE MODEL FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST TRIATHLETES.

ALMOST FINISHED WITH THE KONA WRITE UP, PART 3 MAYBE COMING SOON. MAYBE SOMETHING ABOUT THE TURKEY DAY 5K AND BASE PERFORMANCE TEAM COMING SOON!