I have a new appreciation for Kona Ironman finishers. A week ago Sunday I rode the bike course on a Specialized Allez rental. At first glance there is nothing particularly difficult about the ride. It’s fairly flat, out-and-back on good pavement and mostly very wide shoulders. The challenge is the unrelenting wind. It wasn’t too bad when I started, about 7 am. But winds were 30-40 mph for six miles in and out of Hawi, the turnaround point of the route. It was a bit calmer for a few miles. Then, after turning south onto the main highway to Kailua, I faced 15-20 mph winds for the remaining 40+ miles. I took a brisk 2 mile walk with my sister afterwards (which nearly made me puke because I’d eaten a bowl of cereal before I saw her lacing up her walking shoes). I don’t think there’s any way I could’ve run 26 miles.