Banquet Adventures!

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.

I would like to say that Aaron enjoyed the adventure, but that would be untrue! That child complained the entire mile back about how the evening was ruined. I guess he did not inherit our sense of adventure!

Ironman Welcome Banquet

Enjoying the sunset on the way to the welcome banquet

Walking down Ali’i Drive with my favorite first grader.

James enjoying himself at the banquet!

Hiding from the downpour that struck at the end of the banquet!

Thursday Afternoon

Thursday afternoon was spent down in the “Ironman Village”. We visited the different booths and made some signs to cheer James on with!

Ford is one of the big sponsors of the Ironman World Championship (yep, that is why they call it the “Ford Ironman”). They have an area where you can go and type messages for the racers. Then, they flash the messages on a big screen out on the run course.

After walking around for a while, the boys were hot and hungry, so we headed to “Bubba Gump’s” for a yummy lunch. After lunch, it was time to head back to the room for a little rest before getting ready for the Ironman Welcome Banquet that night.

Sweet Baby Rylan after swimming and a nice warm bath!

Hanging out at the “Bubba Gump Shrimp Company”. From the first time we walked by it, Aaron had been asking to go there. Dad got shrimp. Aaron got shrimp. James got shrimp tacos. I got…a burger!

Blazeman Foundation

The Ironman was more than just another triathlon to James. It was a way to honor the memory of his grandmother, Modra Goforth, who passed away from ALS in May. One way that James has been honoring her memory is by raising money for the “War on ALS” with the Blazeman Foundation. We look forward to a time in the future when ALS will not necessarily be a death sentence.

Once we had arrived in Kona, we were thrilled to meet Bob and Mary Ann Blais. They are the parents of Jon “Blazeman” Blais, and they run the Blazeman Foundation in his memory. Jon was the only person with ALS to ever finish the Ironman. He rolled over the finish line, and now the Blazeman Warriors do the same to remember him and call attention to the war on ALS.

http://www.active.com/donate/teamblazeman/blazemanJGarris

As I would see Mr. and Mrs. Blais around the town, I could not help but wonder what was going through their minds. To be in this place that their son loved so much…and to watch this race that was so important to him…but to have to do it without him. I cannot begin to imagine how that feels.

Here we are at the “War On ALS” tent, with Bob and Mary Ann Blais