Honolulu Triathlon, twice: 2014 and the year we meant it
Same island, same three sports, two completely different athletes. The 2014 version of us was not training. The later version was.
2023-05-21
The Honolulu Triathlon is the local Olympic-distance day: ocean, bike, run, Ala Moana, the city watching. We did it in 2014. We were not really training. We had not decided this was a life, just a weekend.
When we came back to it years later, the useful comparison was not a Strava trophy. It was how much of the week before the race we had already paid for. Sleep. Brick sessions in humidity. Food that did not fall apart at mile 18 of the bike. Showing up as people who had already suffered, not as people hoping the course would be gentle.
Olympic distance is where a lot of Honolulu athletes live. It is also where you find out whether you actually like triathlon or you just like the idea of a Saturday with a timing chip. In 2014 we were not sure. Later, we were sure enough to put Honu and a marathon on the same year.
If you are standing on that beach for the first time: the swim is the part that feels like a different planet. The bike is where Honolulu traffic and heat start arguing with you. The run is a negotiation with whatever you ate. None of that is a medical protocol. It is just the day.