Kona - Prologue

I remember a conversation I had my my grandmother a couple years ago. Part of our conversation was about places she had visited in this world and places she had yet to visit and hoped to travel to someday. Hawaii was the one place my grandmother had always wanted to visit but was never given the opportunity. I knew as soon as she told me that because of her current health the opportunity would never arrive and she would live a life without a visit to the islands. But sometimes that is the beauty in life right? Always having something to plan for, look forward to, or dream about. You cannot do everything in life, otherwise once you did everything life would be pretty boring after.

My grandmothers passing a few weeks ago was met with an invitation to go to the "Big Island" of Kona, Hawaii within days. It's funny how things line up and work out sometimes. I immediately knew this was a trip that I had to go on, after all my grandmother would have told me to go. So some calls were made, emails sent, and planning was of quick order, to ensure I could take off for a week to the "Big Island". A few days later my flight was booked and I was ready. Of course some guilt did ensue as I promised myself I would not visit Kona until I earned my spot (through qualification) but if anyone knows me well, my sense of adventure sometimes outweighs the "rationale" choice in life.

But that is not the only reason for my travels to Hawaii. It lines up with race week of the Ironman World Championships, the "Super Bowl" of triathlon. Being fortunate enough to have some friends athletic enough to qualify for a handful of those very hard to earn qualification spots makes this trip and race even more incredible to watch. This week is a chance to celebrate the sport I have such an incredible passion for, meet some great athletes, and to be entertained, motivated, and inspired by 17 hours of awe inspiring athleticism on Saturday the 12th.

So here we go, 7 days on the "Big Island" of Kona, Hawaii. A chance to live out an adventure for my grandmother, an opportunity to see 1700 of the world best Ironman competitors compete, and a place to celebrate island life with some great company. Aloha!