Supporting Kona Ironman
12 October 2009
Every year the Ironman World Championship is held here in Kona,
Hawaii. It's a big event that brings in people from all around the
world. It's amazing how many different countries have athletes
competing in the Ironman. Many of those athletes are accompanied by
their friends and families so it can be quite a big crowd.
Some of the locals complain about the crowds but we don't think it's
all that bad. We usually get a few extra farm tours and coffee sales
so that's a nice little benefit for us. We do notice that the beaches
get a little more crowded but the island is surrounded by beaches so that's
no big deal.
Probably the biggest inconvenience caused by the Ironman is all the
additional bicycles along the roads. Most athletes stick to the main
road which is wide enough that there's not a problem but a
few athletes like to ride along the narrow mountain roads. They ride
right down the middle of the road about 10 mph slower than traffic.
Getting stuck behind one of these bicyclists isn't so bad, the bad part
is when a bicyclist is coming the other direction and cars swerve into
oncoming traffic as they try to pass. I could probably do without that
bit of excitement.
With so many Ironman visitors from all around the world, not everyone
is familiar with the local customs and regulations here in Hawaii. For
example, the locals don't rush about as much here as other places.
It's not cool to be pushy or aggressive, it's much better to relax and
enjoy the local Aloha.
It's good to be laid back but it's still important to follow all the
rules. When my friend and I noticed that people were ignoring some of
the street signs we decided we should set a good example. Some of the
signs can be a bit confusing though. The first sign we stopped at is
perfectly clear about dancing, I just wish the sign specified a time
limit. Hopefully our demonstration helped clarify things.
The city puts out some additional signs along the road during Ironman week.
These signs are confusing because they're in the middle of nowhere with
nobody around. Just because you can't see the athletes doesn't mean
they're not there. To illustrate this, my friend and I took some time
to demonstrate what passing motorists should be watching for. Luckily
we had brought our lunch along because all that training made us hungry.
We demonstrated some of the local street signs but we couldn't demonstrate all of
them. Visitors will just have to figure out the remaining signs on
their own. Hopefully any resulting confusion won't cause any problems
because law enforcement is a bit sparse during Ironman. There are
plenty police on duty for the race but they're busy directing traffic.
At least I think that's what they were doing. With the laid-back
attitude, sometimes it's hard to tell.
The Ironman race starts at 7am and lasts all day long. The main crowds
are down at the finish line. The first athletes finish around lunch
time then there's a steady stream until the race ends at midnight. We
often head down around dinner time. We sit outside Burger King and
cheer on the passing runners as we eat our french fries. Some of the
runners still have several hours to go. Hopefully they appreciate our
support.
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