Tight Buns and Hard Bodies

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.

10/10/26

 

Aloha  Everyone!

 

Today is he annual Iron Man Triathlon World Championship here.  All week long we have been humbled by the 2500 participants as they have been getting ready for the race.  They are easy to spot as they bike, run, or swim:  tight buns, upper bodies like inverted triangles, zero body fat, and leg muscles like steel cables.These magnificent specimens of humanity are very distinct from usual visitors (and ourselves) who are considerably more squishy.  Only about 130 of the participants are professional triathletes.  The rest are amateurs with jobs and families who somehow find the time and commitment to train for this grueling event.  Even in my most fit moments I could not have completed any of the three legs, let alone do all of them back-to back.  The professionals finish in 8-9 hours, while the amateurs take around 12-13 hours, with a final cutoff of 17 hours. Although Iron Man competitions are held at many locations throughout the year, the one here is the World Championship.  Not just anyone can sign up.  You have to qualify by winning in your age group in one of the designated qualification races leading up to this one.  This selection process has resulted in a higher and higher percent of finishers, now about 95%. This year there is special concern, however, because it may be excessively hot and humid, although we had some overnight rain that cooled things off a bit.  If it clears later, however, the number of dropouts may be higher than normal. The ultimate DNF is death, and about 3 participants die per year worldwide, usually from cardiac arrest during the swim portion.  I'm not sure what the number is for the Kona race in particular, but I would certainly be one of them.

 

In past years we have served as volunteers to help put on the event.  We used to enjoy this, primarily

because it gave us a chance to interact with the participants and to help make their experience a uniquely special one that they had worked so hard to achieve.  However, this year we opted out.  Iron Man has become more and more commercialized.  It is now a big business, bringing in yearly revenue of about 250 million dollars,  It's a privately owned company so the exact profit amount isn't public, but one thing is certain:  company profits are heavily dependent on the free labor provided by volunteers.  Many come from the community where the race is being held, but a large number are family and friends of the athletes.  The largest chunk of revenue comes from entrance fees -- about $1000 per athlete. There are now around 200 Iron Man events per year held in 80 countries around he world, with about 200,000 participants.  Do the math and you will see what I mean -- Big Bucks!  In recent years we've gotten the feeling that the company takes volunteers for granted, a work force to be exploited rather than appreciated.  One of the few positive aspects of Geezerhood is the freedom it gives you to not put up with that #@%%^ We wish the athletes well, but not the money-centered owners of the race.

 

Not much other news this week.  Our continuing hot weather has kept us holed up, except for a couple of shopping expeditions, two workouts at PF, and at least one daily session in our pool.  Our three a.c.'s are humming in harmony starting in the late morning.  Surely this will break soon.

 

Ok, that's it for this week.  Here's my latest question for you: Is there a difference between a skeptic and a cynic? Carpe Vitam!