By BJ Christenson
In 1978 on the Island of Oahu, 15 people started on a mission of human achievement. Their quest was to see if it was possible to swim the 2.4 miles of the Waikiki Rough Water Swim. Then they would follow the swim with the 112 mile bicycle ride around the Island of Oahu. Finally they would run the 26.2 miles of the Honolulu Marathon. Of the 15 people who started that day 12 of them finished and from that day on they were the original IRONMEN.
From that humble beginning an entire sport, lifestyle, and industry were born. Today it has since moved to the Big Island of Hawaii and is called the IRONMAN World Championship. This Championship event is now the Center of focus in the world of triathlon. The town of Kailua Kona is alive with the best of the best and you can hardly turn your head without bumping into icons of the sport’s past, present, and future.
I am always humbled to be here with so many people from around the world who all look very fit and ready to race. This year is unique in that I get to share the day with my friend and co-worker Colin. This trip has been extra fun seeing his excitement as we go past all the iconic places here in town and as we meet the various professionals and legends of the sport. Over the past week it has been an amazing final week of preparation from swimming to the Coffee boat to running in the underpants run. We are really getting the Kona experience. Now only 24 hours separate us from the start of the 2012 Ironman World Championship. Still regardless of the result this has already shaped up to be one memorable race. I know that I could not do this without the help of my friends and most definitely without the support of my wife. I know that both Colin and I will be drawing on the support of our family and friends as we go through the rough patches on race day. For now we can only wait and dream what will happen on race day.
Stay tuned for post-race update!