The Ironman
By Kara Holmquist
 
Kiko and I flew out on the Tuesday prior to the Ironman, which was held 
on Saturday the 16th (also my 35th birthday). We were meeting his dad, 
brother, and dad's friend in Kona. My dad and his wife Nancy were 
flying in on Friday. Kiko's dad had been to several Ironman races in past years and had traveled to Hawaii many times before. He was so excited to go to Hawaii he overcame some medical problems to get there! We got in about 10pm Hawaii time, which was 4pm East coast time. There was really no problem with jet lag going west (but coming home was not an easy adjustment). 
 
The next day I registered. Everything was incredibly well organized. 
Check-in was very thorough and included ID check, waiver signing, many 
instructions, chips, bib numbers, bike numbers, bright orange 
wristband, and even a weigh-in. 
 
After that, we checked out the water. There were many triathletes 
biking, swimming and running everywhere we looked. The water was warm and relatively still. We could see fish and sea turtles as we swam. The only concern I had was that the turn-around for the swim was so far away it was not visible to the naked eye. 
 
After the swim, we went for a short run to try to acclimate. You know 
it is a serious race when a Gatorade stop is set up on the course route 
3 days in advance. We also visited the expo -- which was similar to 
any others, like the Boston Marathon one -- with vendors, freebies, etc. 
 
They also had an extensive Ironman (tm) shop where people could buy 
almost anything with the Ironman M-dot logo on it. I stayed away from any purchases for fear of jinxing myself. The store would be open the day after the race, too.
 
That night, Kiko's dad, Charles, was scheduled to give a lecture to the 
local orchid society. Charles is very active in his local orchid 
society in Lafayette, Indiana. He is editor of his group's newsletter (and makes my attempts at our newsletter look novice). We were staying 
about 5 winding miles up from Kona in a Charles's friend's house, Carol. Carol was a member of the local orchid society and that was how we found our accommodations. It was great to meet locals from the island and not just other triathletes. Charles gave his talk and then we ate at the pot luck which had some local food, especially native fruits.
 
The next day, we got up early to participate in the traditional 
"underwear run." Not officially part of the Ironman event, this short run was started due to the number of men, mostly people from Europe, that wear their Speedos around all week (in public and not just in the water!) 
 
The run is a spoof on that and required a pledge not to do so. (I have 
pictures of this fun run if anyone wants to see them!). It was fun and 
we got free Gatorade towels that came in handy for the rest of the 
trip. We went for another swim and then spent the afternoon visiting the volcano on the Big Island. We also put my bike together. We had to take it apart quite a bit to ship it. Everything fit back together. 
That night, we went to dinner at the house of one of the members of the 
orchid society. Again, we were fed many good things and got the 
opportunity to talk with the local residents about the island, its geography, culture, and agriculture. It was nice to get away from all the craziness of the triathlon, too (although that is what everyone wanted to talk about, except me!).
 
On the day before the race, we did some last minute things. I made 
sure I had Power bars and gels in my bike's bento box (also where I put 
Walter's picture that Dorothy gave me). I packed the bags they gave us 
for running and cycling clothes and checked my bike in at the designated time. After that, I ate some dinner and went to bed - early.
 
On Saturday, I woke up at 4 am and headed down to the start. The race 
started at 6:45 (for professionals) and 7am for the rest of us. I 
wanted to make sure I wasn't rushed. They advised us to not fully inflate our bike tires the night before because they might explode because of the heat. After the body marking (with stamps and ink - no handwritten numbers here!), I headed to the bike area where the bike techs helped me change a tire that was almost entirely flat. On my way there, I stopped by the sunscreen area and was completely covered with globs of lotion. Pretty soon, the pros started and we were waiting to get in the water. Eventually, we were told just to jump off the dock. As with most swim starts, it was confusing, but I was way to the side and holding on to the dock when the canon went off. I wanted to start near the back and ended up doing so accidentally. 
 
The swim was really easy. The water was warm and salty, which made if 
very buoyant. It went by fairly quickly. I finished the swim about 
1:38. The transition area was set up well and volunteers had our bike 
bags ready when we got out of the water. They had separate changing 
tents for men and women and volunteers who handed us our things and helped with changing. Soon, I was out on the bike. 
 
The bike leg was the hardest. It was a "windy year" in Kona. It 
started out okay, but soon headwinds set in. I knew that this leg would be my hardest and that making the cut off (we had to be done with the bike leg by 5:30pm) was going to be the biggest challenge for me. The aid stations were every 7 miles and I took advantage of the Gatorade (which I poured into my new bottle between my aero bars) and the water, which I poured on myself. The winds were strong and I couldn't spend as much time on the aero bars without losing balance! The wind eventually subsided, but was always a factor. It made the heat seem less noticeable. I had only about ½ hour to spare when I finished the bike. I knew my spectators were concerned. They had been tracking me with the updates sent to their cell phone, so had been calculating my speed. I kept drinking and eating on the bike, like I had been advised to do by so many people. It worked and I felt fine coming off the bike.
 
I relaxed during the bike to run transition, since I knew I had plenty 
of time to complete the run (7 hours). My goal was just to finish, so 
I wanted to run a smart marathon and not blow it at this point. The 
first part of the run was the easiest. Mostly, I think, because it was 
still light out. Soon, it got dark (very dark). Usually, they schedule the race to coincide with a full moon, but not this year. Between the darkness (and therefore having nothing to look at) and the fact that I was running slower than I usually do, the miles crept by. I felt fine and, given that running is my strongest event, passed many people and was comfortable. 
 
Finally, I was ticking down the last few miles to the end. I saw Kiko 
and my dad and others along the way. They had written messages in 
chalk along the route like many other families and friends had encouraging their triathletes. I saw Kiko and he said I could get in under 15 hours, so, of course, gave it a bit more to do that! The ending was great and everyone was there to greet me. The announcers called out my name as I crossed the line and said it was my birthday! I greeted everyone and spoke for a few minutes, took some pictures, but then got dizzy and passed out! Next thing I knew, the medics were standing over me. When I came to, it felt like had been sleeping for hours, which was a weird feeling. I am not sure why I passed out - maybe I was a bit dehydrated, but I didn't need fluids and after a massage, headed home. 
 
We looked at some of the digital pictures that night, but then I headed 
to bed. The next day, I was sore, but not that bad. All of us went to 
breakfast and relaxed for the day. I went to the Ironman shop and 
bought the required "finisher" gear and some other Ironman stuff! We went to the awards dinner that night and then headed to Kaua'i the next day where we snorkeled, hiked and relaxed!