I'm here in Kona for the Kona marathon, which essentially uses the same course as the run leg of the granddaddy Ironman... so I thought I'd take some pictures. I hope some of you like them, even though they aren't the greatest pictures on earth.
Disclaimer #1 - they aren't race pictures. They'll still give you an idea of the area if you've never seen it.
Disclaimer #2 - I wanted to get some shots of the outermost part of the run course... but it was crazy crowded here today... so no Natural Energy Lab, and certainly no Hawi bike shots. This is town stuff.
Let's start with the sign. It definitely marks the finish. It isn't exactly the start, no matter what the sign says.
Here's where the swim starts, next to Kailua pier. Picture this little bay filled with swim caps. The pier itself serves as T1 and is filled with bikes. There's usually a grandstand overlooking the start.
Here's the end of the pier. Imagine a straight line out 1.1 miles, basically to that cruise ship, a right turn about .2 miles, and another right turn to the other side of this pier.
Here's where you exit the swim. Watch out for toe stubbing... ouch ouch ouch. T1 is to the left of this picture.
Below is the intersection of Ali'i drive and Hualalai. Once upon a time, this was the "hot corner" because you could see the bikes at about M104 as they headed for T2, then runners at about M8 headed out to the Natural Energy Lab, and then if you hung around long enough, runners returning at M25. They've since moved T2 and the bike leg... but they've also changed the run, so you can see runners going in three different directions from this corner.
From this angle, you are looking at the view a runner would have on her/his way to the finish. This person would enter the picture from the right side, make a right turn onto Ali'i and then head down about one more mile. If you are slower than 11 hours, you are probably carrying a glow stick.
And here's the last 100 yards of the race, heading into the finish.
It's possible I'll snag some pictures of the more remote parts of the run course tomorrow or Sunday after the marathon... but doubtful.
However, if you've never seen the course, perhaps these will give you something to consider
http://This message has been edited by srlopez (edited Jun-23-2007).
Disclaimer #1 - they aren't race pictures. They'll still give you an idea of the area if you've never seen it.
Disclaimer #2 - I wanted to get some shots of the outermost part of the run course... but it was crazy crowded here today... so no Natural Energy Lab, and certainly no Hawi bike shots. This is town stuff.
Let's start with the sign. It definitely marks the finish. It isn't exactly the start, no matter what the sign says.
Here's where the swim starts, next to Kailua pier. Picture this little bay filled with swim caps. The pier itself serves as T1 and is filled with bikes. There's usually a grandstand overlooking the start.
Here's the end of the pier. Imagine a straight line out 1.1 miles, basically to that cruise ship, a right turn about .2 miles, and another right turn to the other side of this pier.
Here's where you exit the swim. Watch out for toe stubbing... ouch ouch ouch. T1 is to the left of this picture.
Below is the intersection of Ali'i drive and Hualalai. Once upon a time, this was the "hot corner" because you could see the bikes at about M104 as they headed for T2, then runners at about M8 headed out to the Natural Energy Lab, and then if you hung around long enough, runners returning at M25. They've since moved T2 and the bike leg... but they've also changed the run, so you can see runners going in three different directions from this corner.
From this angle, you are looking at the view a runner would have on her/his way to the finish. This person would enter the picture from the right side, make a right turn onto Ali'i and then head down about one more mile. If you are slower than 11 hours, you are probably carrying a glow stick.
And here's the last 100 yards of the race, heading into the finish.
It's possible I'll snag some pictures of the more remote parts of the run course tomorrow or Sunday after the marathon... but doubtful.
However, if you've never seen the course, perhaps these will give you something to consider
http://This message has been edited by srlopez (edited Jun-23-2007).
