Ironman Spirit

Hey,

Spending my last night in Kona. It's been a nice trip again. Sometimes I have to remind myself that even though I'm working it's not all bad. I could be sitting in an office somewhere pushing papers around. I'm pretty blessed to work with some great friends. I was going through some videos I took of the finish line and thought I'd share some with you before I left the island.

The Ironman is not like many others races. In many ways it is really much more than who won and who was the fastest. Many people have no dreams of winning but doing the best they can with what the day gives them. The whole family atmosphere is addicting. Especially the last three hours of the race.


A huge crowd assembles around the finish line to cheer on the remaining finishers that have been out there for 15, 16, and 17 hours. Its electric I tell ya!


I know of no other type of race that cheers on the last official finisher. The cutoff is 17 hours and this guy was brought home by the cheering crowd with less than a minute to spare.


While some may not make the official cutoff time, the Ironman family of finishers will still cheer for you. Wow! This guy was the winner of the "Biggest Loser" tv show and wanted to prove to himself he could do an Ironman.


Some folks push themselves to the limit just to finish. What other event are you greeted by a world champion at midnight? Craig Alexander and Chrissy Wellington were the big pro winners that day and both showed up to honor the heart and soul of the Ironman spirit. For several hours they placed finishing leis around athletes necks. It was awesome to see people's expressions as they were presented with a lei and hug from Chrissy. Many couldn't believe their eyes that she was taking the time to care about their finish. They both seem to be class acts.


The island spirit is all over the island. You can sense it all week, so it is fitting to end the race day with a prayer. Thousands of people in hushed silence and reflection on what the day has been. For the athletes it might have been about their personal race and what it took to get there. Families reflecting on loved ones support. New friendships formed in the heat of battle. It is really something that is good in the world... this Ironman stuff.


Just in case you didn't follow it race day here is Chrissie's finish line.

Alright then. Off to bed. i'll have some more Kona pictures sometime this week to post up so check back again.

Aloha! Mahalo!