Hawaii

Sorry it has been so long....  I hope you all enjoyed an excellent New Year's Eve and have welcomed 2009 with open arms.

Kona has treated us very well.  It has been great to spend lots of time with family.  Here are a few sporting highlights of the last week or so.  Enlarge with a click if you wish....

This photo and the headline shot above are from the Queen Ka'ahumanu Hwy. just north of Kailua-Kona.  They were taken from the aero position while riding so don't critique....  The riding has been awesome - hot, windy and fun - just like I have always read in the triathlon magazines. 

I am gearing up to tackle the Ironman course (112 miles) next Tuesday.  Should be a great day...

This is as close as I could get to a picture of myself riding....

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - we stood at the edge of the crater and felt the steam and saw the smoke.  This is a very big deal for a 6 year old boy (and was pretty cool for the rest of us too...)

Mattias and Aia have been doing some riding as well....  (Warning: It is not normally recommended to straddle the rear tire when doubling...)

There has been plenty of beach time....  enlarge this one and check out the running form....  I'm a proud papa....

Snorkeling in rough water - these two are pretty fearless!  Sea turtles, tons of fish....  I even swam with 4 Spinner dolphins in Kealakekua Bay (no photos - obviously...)

Viggo has been working on his tan as well....

Sacha rented me this Cannondale Slice for Christmas - it has been really nice to ride - a lot cushier than my Specialized.  I will have to figure out how to expand the hydration capacity before Tuesday though....

Last weekend Mattias and I competed in the Peaman Birthday Bonanza Duathlon as a relay team.  Peaman is a guy named Sean Pagett who puts on a free race every two or three weeks here in Kona.  It was as grass roots as it gets:

- Free

- No Forms

- No Sign Up (you sign out if you want results recorded)

- Swim/Run as far as you want (there is a long and short course - we did the long swim and the short run)

This event was so much fun and I can't help but wish we had some like it in Vancouver.  

It started from the same beach as Ironman does - the water was crystal clear, warm (no wetsuits) and there were tons of fish.  I'm not used to seeing anything except people when I swim in a triathlon - I could see coral, fish and sand the whole way - it was SO cool.

This is where you store your stuff at the Peaman Race....  Nobody worries about their gear....

The Transition Area is not very formal....

Our spot in transition was easy to locate as there were three people, a baby, a stroller, and a garbage can in it....

That's my head and shoulders coming out of the water (4th in the photo)....

Transition...

Results tabulation at the Peaman Race.... Hand in your popsicle stick and give your name...

Our competition....  Yvonne Van Vlerken (2nd to Chrissie Wellington at Ironman World Championships this year) and her partner Thomas Vonach.  This little race has some pedigree....  ha ha ha....

We finished the 3/4 mile swim (me) and the 1 mile run (Mattias and I) in a little under 30 minutes.  Good for 9th in the Split Pea Pee Wees event and 4th in the Long Swim/Short Run version. 

Team Jones

Team Jones

Celebration with our fans after the race at Lava Java.

Thanks for looking and reading - Happy New Year!

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