Kona Underpants Run!

Thursday rolled around, which I had been looking forward to for a while. The Kona Underpants Run somehow worked its way into pre-race tradition. Connecting running around in underwear with athletics has deep roots with me, dating back to high school cross country, so I had to participate. As my understanding is, the Underpants Run is a way for the triathletes to basically make fun of themselves and their atrocious race garb and general lack of public decency; highly based on the common practice of Europeans (usually but not always) wearing Speedos (racing, beach or otherwise). Anyway, whoever wants to wears underwear and whatever “accessory” items they want and runs a mile up and down Alii drive. I got some super classy Ironman (of the Marvel Comic fame) boxer briefs (WalMart didn’t have them in briefs), and pinned a Gu packet to them (in case I needed a mid run-refuel). I also had some compression socks and the pride of my outfit was a temporary tattoo Mdot (Ironman’s logo) tramp stamp. 

The whole event was a fun way to relieve a little pre-race tension. As we ran down the streets I think I saw more people with cameras capturing this event than I saw old creepy men with cameras on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras (and there were a ton of creepy old men there). There was only one thong sighting and it was one to many. It was on a dude. There were also a few ladies that had on underwear of specific types that shouldn’t have been manufactured in that large of a size, but hey, it’s all fun anyway and it’s cool everyone’s comfortable enough with themselves to participate. Moving on…

I’m very glad we are not staying in Kona Town directly as we avoid much of the bustle and of course the testosterone fog that blankets the town as race day approaches. (It’s very similar to walking into Mitchell Hall in Alma aka FuBALL!!!! Hall). There’s the “athlete village” which is really just a place where all the brands have their “stuff” to show and demonstrate. Of course there are tons of sweet bikes and other cools stuff I can actually appreciate, but the silliest thing I see is the Ironman Recovery Mattress.  I’m willing to admit that Ironman has an amazing marketing department but seems they’ve gone a little overboard. In addition to Timex watches I expect to see Ironman soup, toilet paper and light bulbs sometime in the near future.