Hurry up and wait

Friday, October 12 - Noon Hawai'i time.  It's 17 hours till the cannon blasts from Kona pier and a long day begins. Right now I'm sitting in my air conditioned room with Blue Crush on the little 20" TV.  I check my bike and gear bags in at 2:30pm.  After that there is nothing left to do but wait patiently for morning (actually, 4:30 AM doesn't qualify as morning as far as I'm concerned).  The heat and wind on the Queen K are no joke.  I rode about 25 miles on Wednesday and while it didn't feel all that hot when we were cruising at 20+ mph, you could tell how brutal it was when you stopped at an intersection - felt like an oven.  Well, nothing I can do but keep the pedals turning and try to enjoy the journey out to Hawi and back.  Then we run.

It's been a great week so far - Lava Java, Underpants Run, floating coffee bar, riding the Queen K, running Ali'i - taking in the entire experience.  I've been adding to a Facebook album each night but here are a few shots covering the week so far.

Traveling koozie meets Kona

Doesn't suck

Stay hydrated

Refueling with a Mai Tai

Finish line construction in progress

Riding the Queen K Highway

Dig Me Beach

Underpants Run with Mike Riley

Underpants run with hot chicks (built for speed)

Katie Bell in paradise

Katie meets the fastest female in the world

Getting ready to rock

Coffees of Hawai'i floating coffee bar

Relaxing at Lava Java