The Kona Ironman 2018 is coming soon. https://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-2018-ironman-world-championship This is a huge event on the west side of the Big Island.  Already, with the race in 8 days, the number of new faces and rental cars in Waimea is appreciable.

The Ironman relies heavily on volunteers, and lots of people from our area get involved.  In fact, if you’re on the Island, you’re likely to be involved no matter how hard to try to avoid it.

There are more drivers who are not familiar with the area or our local driving habits, there are cyclists in places you don’t see them the rest of the year, and many restaurants, as well as farmers markets, will be especially busy.

There’s a happy bustle in the air.  This is a group of focused, highly competitive individuals, along with the families who have supported their considerable efforts to qualify for the race,  They are sometimes more aggressive and less accomodating than the local people, and feathers can get ruffled.  This is especially true when it comes to sharing the roads.

Our roads are not designed to accommodate cyclists, which is a crying shame.  Poor planning and a failure to allocate our resources to promoting what is so obviously a great match with our local climate have led to dangerous conditions for cyclists and flairing tempers for motorists.

Cyclists who come from more cyclist-friendly communities, and are more focused on their times than their surroundings, can be oblivious to the interference they are creating for commuters who just want to get to work, or get home.  I hope and believe the Ironman organizers spend a fair amount of time counseling competitors to be aware of conditions on the roads they use, but accidents still happen all too frequently.

Unless you’re employed in a trade related to tourism, or particularly keen on endurance sports, the Ironman can seem like more of a curse than a blessing.  While it would be lovely if all competitors and their families were to approach their time on the Island as if they were respectful guests, many will not.  So it’s up to the locals to put up with the horde of invaders with every bit of grace we can muster.  They are a happy, if oblivious lot, and they will be gone soon after the Kona Ironman 2018 race ends on October 13!