Many locals don’t like that the Ironman is here.
Many are frustrated because some of the visiting athletes come from places that don’t tip, some of them are not nice, and some of them don’t understand or appreciate our culture. I understand all of these things.
As a local Ironman athlete I would like to share my story and maybe encourage some locals to share Aloha for the two weeks that we are all inconvenienced.
I come from a background of addiction. My older brother died an addict and alcoholic, my mother died an alcoholic, and I struggled with my own drug addiction for many years. I’m 58 now, and although I had long since quit using drugs by the age of 44, my diet and lifestyle were still poor and I was extremely overweight.
My doctor wanted to put me on statin drugs and I refused. He said, “You have one foot in the grave…and the other is on a banana peel. You need a drastic change in lifestyle.” On that very day, May 4, 2008, I bought my first road bike. Never ridden one before. The next day I rode it to work, only 10 miles. It was a solid eight on the difficulty scale for me!
Long story long, the following year I did my first of 10 Ironman triathlons.
Not bragging, just sharing what can be done if you set your mind to it and in my case, channel the addiction in a more positive direction. If you got this far, I would like to thank you for sharing the road with me and all of the cyclists that will be here soon, even if some of them don’t ride with aloha.
In the mean time, stock up and get two weeks of shopping done by the third weekend in September.
Please try to have patience with all the mayhem that is coming, it will all be over soon. If you happen to see me out there running or cycling with my kupuna gray ponytail please give a gentle toot on your horn, a big shaka, and a happy smile. Aloha!
Dave Lee is a resident of Kona.
