The Ironman Welcome Banquet was held on Thursday night, in the King Kamehameha Hotel parking lot. It was about a mile from our hotel, and the weather is always beautiful in Hawaii, right? So, we decided to walk to the banquet. A few minutes before time to leave, we realized it was raining! It stopped soon after though, and we decided to walk as planned. I am sure you know this was a plan we ended up regretting!
Rylan is not big on banquets, so we left him at the hotel with Paw Paw Mark. James, Aaron and I enjoyed a spectacular sunset and beautiful weather as we strolled down Ali’i Drive. Our curiosity was up as we approached the hotel. What kind of food would they serve? Would we see anyone famous? Would there be speeches? What would this evening hold?
We soon arrived at the banquet and went in to find a seat. Even though we were right on time, the front tables were already filled up. We sat towards the back, but the seats were not too bad. Seated beside us was a couple who turned out to be from NC, also! They take turns running the Ironman, and this year was his year to run. They had left their children at home (smart people! Just kidding! Sort of …)
Aaron was fascinated by the hula done at the banquet and about the story it told. The story was of a battle. In the battle, High Chief Kekuaokalani was killed. His wife, Princess Manono, ran to him, covered his face, picked up his spear and joined in the battle, shouting ““Ko aloha la ea, Ko aloha la ea” – Keep your love, keep your love.”
Toward the end of the banquet, it started to sprinkle a little. Then, it started to sprinkle a lot! We ran under a sheltered area to wait it out. Then, it started to POUR! We tried to listen to the end of the program, but it was almost impossible with the hundreds of people crammed under one little shelter. The rain finally slowed down, and we walked on back to the hotel.
LOL.....I thought he would have liked it too. I can see Aaron now complaining all the way back. Too funny!
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