This trip was more then just a reward of coaching, it was about support and a great time with family. My brother in law Hunter has been doing incredibly well at the Xterra Triathlons and back in April he qualified for World's in Maui, HI. We had an early morning flight on Friday to the sunshine islands and arrived with more then half the day to check in, eat some yummy cheeseburgers, and gear up for race day (on Sunday). Our hotel was one of the nicest places I've stayed and was unbelievable. The Ritz Carlton was the host of the Xterra and had all the transitions on its lawns, the swim in their bay, and the best breakfast spot / store around!
(I want to Thank my in laws for everything on the trip and for Hunter, can you keep qualifying so the 'coach' and his wife need to assist again? You're a stud and you did so well! And sorry for anything I left out on this post.)
Views from our rooms.
After a day and half of pre-ride, pre-run, and gearing up it was time for the big event. The swim started down on the beach and out into the open waters of the ocean. It was truly amazing to see 700 races start at once.
Hunter coming through for his second lap of the swim. It was interesting because they had to run up on the beach, down a short straight away, back into the water for their second lap.
We didn't get to see any of the bike race and barely caught a glimpse of Hunter coming by back to the transition area.
Out to the run he goes. Looking strong.
Finally at the end of this grueling race we spot Brian running along side Hunter (I'm sure Hunter was cussing Brian at this point and just wanting to be done).
The world’s premier off-road triathlon, combining a 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) rough water swim, a 29.5-kilometer (18.3-miles) mountain bike and a 9.8-kilometer (6.1-miles) trail run best described as a tropical roller-coaster ride through pineapple fields and forests. 7th place & 2nd American in his category his dad and 'coach' couldn't be more proud. Word's can't really describe what these athletes go through. The top male and female racer's both DNF from an asthma attack and complete dehydration. It's amazing what these guys train for and put themselves through.
Oh and Lance Armstrong may have been there again.
When there's hard work, there's play. After the race we found our way down to the beach to enjoy the sun, sand, and waves.
The boys trying out their boogie boards.
Can you tell we are cyclists? Gotta love the tan lines.
So the first part of our trip was for the race. The second half was spent on Oahu for Brian's work. We got to drive around the island a few times visiting Boat Dealership's and may have found a beach along the way. It's amazing how you can drive the whole island in just a few hours. We ventured down to "The North Shore" where all the big surf competitions take place. Well, we found out that unless you're there in December when the waves come in the water was as flat as could be. The beach was great and the sun felt nice. I have to mention that with a hectic week the week before we left a few things may have got left at home, like our camera. What?! I know right, good thing our cell phones have camera's so we had some kind of proof we were there. (We did have Hunter's camera for pictures of the race)
Before we left the island we made a stop by Pearl Harbor. It was a solemn and interesting experience.
