Every year since we have lived here the “Honu” triathlon has been hosted within the Mauna Lani Resort. The 2 hotels located within the resort have traded hosting the event and many of us volunteer for this race as well as the IRONMAN World Championship in October. In the early years it was an olympic distance event with 200+ local participants. Today it’s a half- Ironman distance and includes over 1500 participants. It’s also a qualifying event for the October IRONMAN World Championship in October so age group competitors and the world’s top pro triathletes are present to secure their slot in the big race. It was 77 degrees for the swim start at Hapuna Beach State Park and by 11:30 am when the first finishers started to appear within the Mauna Lani Resort, it was a smoking 94 degrees with bright blue, clear, skies above and no wind. Our friend Cindy who swims with our Mauna Lani Masters Swim Group represented the group well in the race! Congrats to Cindy! We welcome these events on the island as they bring the world�...

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Elite pros and qualifying age group athletes converge on our island yearly to celebrate the premier endurance athlete’s dream race-the Ironman World Championship.  This isn’t any Ironman Race…this is the world championship of this grueling distance event at one of the birthplaces of the triathlon sport. Just making it to Kona from home towns around the world once you qualify can be a challenge financially and otherwise further making participation in this elite event hard to accomplish.  This year World record holder and Olympian Tim Don from England was on a training ride Thursday before the race, near the Kmart in Kona and was hit by a car at a marked intersection.  He suffered a fractured neck vertebrae but is hopeful to continue his career in 6 weeks. The athletes started this year’s competition with somewhat calm seas as they swam away from the Kona pier toward the first buoy marked by the iconic Royal Kona Resort.  Then out to sea and back returning to the Kona pier area.  There they transitioned to their bi...

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