There are no words to describe last week in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. I wish I could bottle all the awesomeness to open when I need a giant dose of inspiration and motivation (and heat + humidity!) at home in Minnesota. No doubt, Hawaii is amazing, but the best part? Meeting in real life the badass Coeur teammates I’ve know on social media for years!
Biggest mahalo to Kebby + Reg, Hailey and Coeur Sports for the incredible opportunity to soak up all the race week magic on the Big Island. I’m beyond grateful to be part of such a special community of strong and rad women who inspire me daily to give my best both on and off the course. ♥
With that, the Ironman World Championship in photos. Counting down the days until I *get* to race along the Queen K and Ali’i Drive on October 8, 2016…!
coeur sports photo shoot with LAVA magazine. so much fun!
because who doesn’t love running down ali’i in a bikini or underwear?! the underpants run was a riot! check out all the coeur pics in the triathlete magazine gallery.
morning swim with heidi in kauila bay’s deep blue waters.
quite possibly the best thing i’ve ever eaten… an açai bowl from basik café. how can i recreate at home?! no lie, i’ll dream about these until kona next year.
beer (and root beer) mile hilarity… there was puking (not by me… that happened later because I was so dehydrated. hawaiian weather is no joke!).
kona sunset.
i could get used to morning swims to the coffee boat.
a little race day lava rock good luck (don’t worry, we put the rocks back… no way did we wanna anger Madame Pele).
race day ready with a helicopter and drones.
the official race day huggers ready to cheer at bike out!
my partner in cheering and spectating crime, Heidi, and i at the magical final hour finish line, soaked in sweat and with legs more swollen than after any IM.
counting the days until i get to cross this amazing finish line. someone pinch me because it still doesn’t seem real yet that i qualified…!
sunrise my last morning in kona… there may have been tears.
post-race recap with Stef from witsup.com. rock star teammate laura has raced kona 25 times (and, check out the fab 2016 coeur line on the banner).
gallons of kona coffee consumed. until next year, hawaii. mahalo!
Loved following your posts on Insta and Facebook while you were there. It looks like you had an amazing time. So cool to be able to meet the Coeur girls! And so exciting that you get to go back next year to RACE!!
I LOVED staying caught up with your adventures through Instagram and Facebook while you were in Hawaii!! It looks like you had a blast and I can’t wait to be cheering you on next year!! How inspiring to be surrounded by the Coeur girls!! With family who live on the big island, I may have to try to find a way to experience my own Ironman Hawaii spectating adventure one of these years 😉
Thanks, Kecia! Hawaii is such a special place… counting the days until next October 🙂 If you have family on the island, definitely take advantage of that! Well worth the trip!
Yes, for sure! So glad I was able to experience Kona and the course before racing next year… it’s a magical place! Counting the days until next October 🙂
What an incredible experience! I am
So excited for your race next year. Jascia and I are thinking about coming out to volunteer. Can’t wait to cheer for you!
I would love to get to Kona one day for the Ironman, if anything to spectate (although one can dream). It was so fun following your adventures on Instagram during your trip! It looks like you had an absolute blast. 🙂
Thanks, Kathy! Coming your way… let’s get some rides in together this year. No doubt we’ll be in Madison a couple times to ride the course! Excited for YOU to race IMWI!
I’ve seen all your pics on Insta so so fun to read about your trip. Looks like a life changing experience. Congrats on all of your hard work and so happy that it all paid off with this incredible vaca!
What a great experience – and nice to be there in advance to know (a bit) what to expect for next year. I would love to go to Kona to spectate – that would be such a fun experience, but racing? Ha ha, no thank you!
Absolutely! So grateful to experience Kona a year prior to racing… definitely helps to know prior about the heat + humidity. It’s no joke! Hope your having some amazing adventures!
[…] got a new custom iPhone case + custom laptop skin featuring two of my favorite photos from last year’s trip to Kona. Because a daily palm tree reminder makes the looming Minnesnowta winter a little more […]
31 Comments
Loved following your posts on Insta and Facebook while you were there. It looks like you had an amazing time. So cool to be able to meet the Coeur girls! And so exciting that you get to go back next year to RACE!!
Thanks much, Kelsey! An amazing time indeed 🙂 Yes, counting the days until next October! Gonna be an awesome year!
I LOVED staying caught up with your adventures through Instagram and Facebook while you were in Hawaii!! It looks like you had a blast and I can’t wait to be cheering you on next year!! How inspiring to be surrounded by the Coeur girls!! With family who live on the big island, I may have to try to find a way to experience my own Ironman Hawaii spectating adventure one of these years 😉
Thanks, Kecia! Hawaii is such a special place… counting the days until next October 🙂 If you have family on the island, definitely take advantage of that! Well worth the trip!
Those swimming (and coffee boat) pictures blow my mind! I’ve never been in water that looks so beautiful. What an amazing trip!
The coffee boat is so cool! Best way to enjoy coffee, I think 🙂 Thanks, Amy!
Love your recon update!!
Thank you, Valerie!
Unreal, everything looks amazing, and your race day coverage on Instagram was awesome! Where did you stay?
Hawaii’s an amazing place… put it on your must-visit list, Laura! We stayed at a house not far from Ali’i! Thank you!
What a trip! You have a great camera, great photos. No doubt for inspiration you can look back at this post. Especially come this winter. Awesome!
Thanks, lady! Gotta love the GoPro and our 70D Canon, though the iPhone takes really good pics, too!
So much fun!!! Its so exciting that you got to experience it before you went to race!! You will have that much more to look forward to next year!!!
Yes, for sure! So glad I was able to experience Kona and the course before racing next year… it’s a magical place! Counting the days until next October 🙂
Looks like an amazing, unforgettable trip!
It really was! Already counting the days until the next visit 🙂 Hope to see you soon, friend!
What an incredible experience! I am
So excited for your race next year. Jascia and I are thinking about coming out to volunteer. Can’t wait to cheer for you!
That would be awesome, Michaela! Keep me posted if you decide to! Thank you!
I would love to get to Kona one day for the Ironman, if anything to spectate (although one can dream). It was so fun following your adventures on Instagram during your trip! It looks like you had an absolute blast. 🙂
I have no doubt… you will get to Kona! Thank you! We did have a TON of fun!
Love it!!! So pumped for you! Sent me some of your speediness for 2016!
Thanks, Kathy! Coming your way… let’s get some rides in together this year. No doubt we’ll be in Madison a couple times to ride the course! Excited for YOU to race IMWI!
I’ve seen all your pics on Insta so so fun to read about your trip. Looks like a life changing experience. Congrats on all of your hard work and so happy that it all paid off with this incredible vaca!
It really was! Hawaii is a magical place. Thanks so much, lady!
So utterly amazing Erin! Just…. wow. I feel like you’re a celebrity now 😉
Ha! I don’t know about that! 🙂 Put Hawaii on your bucket list, friend… it’s amazing!
What a great experience – and nice to be there in advance to know (a bit) what to expect for next year. I would love to go to Kona to spectate – that would be such a fun experience, but racing? Ha ha, no thank you!
Absolutely! So grateful to experience Kona a year prior to racing… definitely helps to know prior about the heat + humidity. It’s no joke! Hope your having some amazing adventures!
Cannot wait to see what you have next in store!!!
It’s shaping up to be a great year! Thanks, Nicole! What’s next for you?!
[…] got a new custom iPhone case + custom laptop skin featuring two of my favorite photos from last year’s trip to Kona. Because a daily palm tree reminder makes the looming Minnesnowta winter a little more […]