Champions are very nice people

I'm back from Kona, Hawaii and oh boy was it a phenomenal adventure.

From the famous Island Lava Java cafe/grill...

...to everything, everywhere in the town being covered in Ironman associated stuff and pop-up stalls.

To volunteer shift #1, escorting athletes through transition to show them the route, help rack their bikes and point out important, er, points...

Lookit the queue that brewed - it's a tough job getting over 2,000 people through to show them the route and rack up and we ran thin on volunteers to length of athlete queue quite quickly.

 And spotted the odd elite...

Raelert brothers

The entrance hall of the race HQ - King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel - decorated with a floral m-dot...

And Ironman brand on -everything- that moves, or doesn't move.

 The place heaving with people with minimal body fat...

Dig Me Beach

And handy placement of the race week schedule on the pavement.

I did a sneaky Brit-centric chalk on the bike-out route from transition, in the hope it might make someone smile.

Didn't really get a chance to take any photos on volunteer shift #2 apart from lots of sweaty, knackered athletes in between crossing off names and handing out medals and finisher goodies.

Faris Al Sultan (5th place)

Part of my little list of athletes to give medals to (Rebecca Romero was on page 1 of my list)

Big chunk of ironwork!

Crowie

Kristin Moeller

But did run into and and had a chat with elites at the cafe on the way back from my surfing lesson...

Andreas and Michael Raelert (and me inna middle)

And new world champions at the volunteer after party.

Pete Jacobs (and me)

They were more than happy to just have a chat, like a normal person and even a normal person with a sunny and cheery, sociable personality.  Triathlon is still like that and I hope it stays that way.  I do worry about it getting really popular and then the elites becoming less and less accessible and "normal".

Also met loads of other good people too, mostly the Team Freespeed guys, IronRosey and @devoniain. 

What struck me about a lot of people who were there that I talked to was the attitude of "well, just come and race here next year" as if it were something that you can just arrange to do with no doubt of it happening.

Maybe 2016's goal.

HAWAII!!!)!£*$&)!^!^VV

Chrissie may not be racing this time, but she's there and so is the race

I've been a good girl and done all my training last week and I've done my rehab exercises and not done any weight bearing or resistance stuff with my left arm.  Can I go to Hawaii now please?

Actually, yes!  I'm off (horribly early) tomorrow morning and thanks to an early birthday present from my parents I don't need to worry quite so much about DVT for the 20+ hours of travelling in each direction.  Thanks to it being silly hot out in Hawaii, I'll get away with hand luggage only - I'm not that big (OK, a bit chubby at the moment), and hot weather clothes are thin and small.  Also, my fins -just- fit diagonally in the little wheelie case I have.  I'd rather not have to check in luggage if I don't need to, so the only restriction now is on toiletries and I can manage for 8 nights with a top limit of 100ml on any particular goop or liquid.

I'm really kinda excited about going to the Ironman World Championships to be there for the event, be involved as a volunteer, and see all of the cool kids of the sport, including the lovely guys of Team Freespeed who I met on a few event days this year.  I've got a few things to do while I'm out there, including watching the shoes and taking photos for the IMTalk Blue Seventy Aquathon, athlete escort on Friday, then finish line medal presentation duty on Saturday.  And a few other bits and bobs, like going for a swim out to the Coffees of Hawaii coffee boat etc.  I'm stocked up on waterproof sun screen, all packed and ready to go!  Wooooooo!