On October 18th, I was called upon to staff the Hawai’I Ironman in Kona, HI. Even many days later much of the unique experience remains with me.
No, I wasn’t participating in the event; I was part of the Verismile/Kodak photography team. Besides, I would never be crazy enough to participate! I could not help but admire the athletes who were there to do an Ironman Triathlon – 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bicycle, and 26.2 mile run. Yep, all in one day! This was the 25th anniversary of the Hawai’i Ironman, and each athlete had qualified in order to participate by completing at least a half-Ironman event within certain qualification parameters. Many people had even completed multiple Hawai’i Ironmans!
This event reminded me that everything is relative. When I produce an athletic event, I honestly remember that it doesn’t matter if it is 26.2 miles or just around the block, but rather the individual goals that are important. No matter my own accomplishments, I still realize a short walk may be one’s figurative “marathon” and I try and help make that experience the best it can be. The point is that each of us has goals (both physical and emotional) and we should never feel intimidated when another’s efforts seemingly eclipse our own.
Just as I was feeling rather intimidated among these exceptional athletes, the point came home when an Ironman athlete asked me some official-type questions. After awhile, he asked me how many marathons I had completed. When I answered “151,” he stepped back and shouted that I must be crazy! My reply was “Yeah, well, I am not doing an Ironman tomorrow!” With that, he laughed and I saw the realization in his eyes – each of us has his own “marathon” to attempt, and he had to focus on his task at hand, even though his running experience was not as extensive as mine. Sometimes, each of us gets so wrapped up in our daily lives that we do not even truly see that our daily accomplishments are “marathons” in and of themselves, which are certainly worthy of praise.
The triathlon itself was quite the experience as well. While I have participated in many triathlon swim starts, Ironman Hawai’i was something to behold. Not only was the drama set in a beautiful island paradise, it was the scene of pure energy. After the starting cannon, I took my position at the swim exit to assist with the photography. After the chills of the swim start, I was further impressed by everyone who came in under the 2 hour, 20 minute cut-off for the swim. Then we went to process some film and then soon after return for the overall finishers. It was amazing that the leaders could finish in such a quick time and still be able to chat with the reporters right away. Peter Reid of Canada finished first in 8:22:35 and Lori Bowden was the first female in 9:11:55.
Later in the evening, however, was when the real drama started. With a time limit of 17 hours (7am to 12midnight), the later finishers were giving everything they had just to complete the course in the time allotted. Even the presence of mind that some finishers had after such an ordeal was remarkable. One even asked if I was one of the runners who had completed the Pikes Peak Marathon the year before and indeed I was! While photographing the finish/podium area, it was truly interesting to see the aftermath and toll such efforts entailed.
So now that I have seen an Ironman from ground level, I honestly cannot say that I have a huge desire to be a participant. After all, events such as this need someone to be on the sidelines and help put them on, don’t they?!?