Greetings from Kona everyone. We've been trying to tweet, instagram and Facebook post on our experience here at Ironman Hawaii but we wanted to share a little more detail than can be covered via those mediums, hence this two part blog recap.
We’ve said it many times but results aren’t all we’re about at Coeur. That’s because so many things beyond control can impact results. A gust of wind at the wrong time near Hawi can turn a screaming fast descent into an “end over”. A stray nail can ruin a tire or an errant foot can knock off goggles during the swim.
So, instead of just results, we like to focus on things that are a bit more controllable. You may not be able to control the wind but you can control your behavior when it blows you off your bike. You can curse Madam Pele and wait for the SAG Wagon or you can dust yourself off, get back on and keep going.
You may not be able to control what happens to your digestive system when you take in too much sea water but you can decide to cheer for your competitors while you dodge in and out of porta potties.
You may not be able to control the weather but you can control your attitude when the temperatures and humidity soar and the wind howls.
And when you pick yourself up, cheer for others, control your attitude and put in the right kind of effort, we celebrate.
Again, that’s not to say we don’t like results. It’s just that if we had to pick either “effort” or “results”, we’d take effort.
Fortunately, this year in Kona, we didn’t have to pick. Over the past week, we were treated to efforts and actions that inspired us beyond belief. We were also rewarded with results beyond our wildest dreams.
Here’s our two part Ironman Hawaii recap.
Kebby and I arrived on Monday night and by the time we got our bags, car and checked into our house, it was too late to do anything constructive. So, first thing Tuesday morning, we started working. As with almost every other company in Kona, we view the event as part vacation, part marketing event and most of all, a celebration.
We had a full slate of activities that included a booth at the official Ironman Expo, a promotion with Daylight Mind Coffee, the all-important Kona Underpants run, a welcome breakfast for our athletes, and of course a little aerobic event to watch on Saturday.
For those of you who haven't been to Kona, Daylight Mind Coffee is a beautiful new coffee shop and restaurant that overlooks the bay. We knew they were near the expo, so we decided to work with them to run a Coeur promotion where people wearing our gear got free coffee. Christina, the energetic and always positive manager went out of her way to make sure we got as much exposure as possible and she helped us hang banners outside their shop.
Kristin Schwieger's picture looked over Alii Drive all week
The expo opened early this year and by noon on Tuesday, we were meeting and greeting people. Our booth was near the water but it was still very warm. In addition to the heat (high 80's to low 90's), it was also humid. As in smothering blanket of steam kind of humid. We shuddered when we thought about how tough those types of conditions would make it for the athletes racing.
Fortunately, we had a team of ten to work in the booth, so no one had too long of a shift. It was a lot of fun meeting old friends and making new ones throughout the day. The expo had periods where it was incredibly busy which was good but it also caused us to deplete our inventory quickly. We completely underestimated sales and unfortunately we sold the 50 Kona Specific Kits by day two. Our apologies to anyone who came by the booth and missed the kits.
On the bright side, we did have an autograph signing by three of our pros at the booth on Wednesday. Beth Shutt and Kim Schwabenbauer were both racing Kona and Jess (who we predict will be racing Kona next year) was the third place pro at IMCDA this year. We are so appreciative of all our pros and especially these three women who took time out of their schedules to swing by and say hello.
Jess, Kim and Beth meet and greet fans at our booth.
For those of you not overly familiar with Kona, Thursday is the day of the Underpants Run. This protest against men wearing bikini bottoms turned charity event is a much needed opportunity to blow off some steam and it is a heck of a lot of fun.
We met our friends from Barnanas before the run
Laura and Katie got to have fun before racing on Saturday.
After the run, we went down to a house in the Puako region and had an amazing brunch. Many thanks to Charlotte, Teresa and Noah for hosting.
Thursday is a bit of a transitional day in Kona. The Underpants Run seems to mark the end of the fun period and the mood starts to get a bit more serious.
In the second part of our blog, we'll cover race day and beyond.