Incredible Ironman

On Saturday, October 10th, Randy and I were able to tag-team on security with our YWAM base for the Ironman Competition here in Kona. It was a staggering race in what was expected of the contestants, in the sheer length of the thing (2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking to the other side of the Big Island, and a whole marathon running), and in the number of volunteers needed to pull this off. Of the 2000 volunteers, 500 were from our organization. Our job was to stand at the finish line and keep back the crowd so that the runners could finish the marathon without people hindering them (especially those pesky photographers). Of course, for me especially, this was a front-row seat to cheering loudly for those who were hearing “You are an Ironman” over the loudspeaker. Our shift was later in the afternoon, but we arose early as a family to walk down to the starting point and snag a seat on the sea wall for the big swim. We were flanked by far-traveling folks with t-shirts bearing the name of their loved one in the race. Above us, a military transporter plane dropped skydivers with colored smoke trailing off in curly-cue designs. As the boys watched the flying fish launching in front of us, helicopters circled above. One of our team leaders was assigned to be on a surfboard, literally inching alongside a slower finisher who had recently received a new heart. (Sadly, he missed the deadline by eight seconds and was out of the race.) There were many reflections for us and our boys on the power of encouragement, endurance, discipline, and various scriptures on running the race and being surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses.” The Ironman Race was a special memory and definite privilege for our family.