Ironman World Championships

The “Ironman World Championships”, the premier triathlon held annually on the Big Island of Hawaii, was held again this year in Kailua-Kona.

It is the world’s toughest race, with a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, and 42.2 km run for a total distance of 226 km within a 16-17 hour time limit.

Top athletes from around the world who had qualified for the event were gathered on the Big Island, from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The swim is in warm, clear waters with coral visible in the somewhat swift current

The bike race passes in front of a row of condominiums and seaside hotels

The run is through the town of Kona

Volunteers, tourists, and people from the town of Kona will be here and there to cheer them on.

Even though this event is held every year, I heard about it for the first time this year.

That’s because I went to the Big Island at this time of year for the first time.

We couldn’t get a reservation at our usual condo, so we stayed at a condo we had never stayed at before. Even though we had a reservation, there was no rental car and we had to wait an hour and a half before we could rent one. Driving around, I noticed that there were  people running and riding bicycles everywhere. Is this a sign that people are becoming more health-conscious? What a nonsensical thought.

By chance, my friend told me about this race and I understood everything. But that was also when I learned that the roads would be closed on the day of the race, so we could not drive anywhere.

We ended up walking from our condo to the road where the race was being held that day to cheer on the racers. We were standing where the bike race was held, they went by really fast.

I had a good time cheering on the racers. However, I think I will avoid going to the Big Island in the future when this event is held

Because I like the quiet Big Island.