In line and waiting to get in the water.
I was SO happy to see Tonya and Maria. I hugged them both and the gratitude that had been below the surface poured out in tears. I’m so glad you're here! I practically shouted. They might have cried a little, too. We moved over to the wall near the cove and waited. I had almost an hour to go before my race started. So, we watched as the pro women waited in the water. We listened to the National Anthem, the Hawaiian state song and suddenly the gun went off and they were gone.
I made friends and joked around with some nearby spectators to try to keep the nerves at bay. Once the first two age-groups were in the water, I finally said my goodbyes to Ace, Tonya and Maria. I made one mistake and that was circling all the way back around to the swim entrance. I should have snuck through the gate like everyone else was doing. Instead, I got stuck behind a lot of slow-walking spectators. I felt trapped & like I was gonna be late. Plus, I'd been told I could drop my morning clothes bag at the banyan tree. Well, there were two of those and my misunderstanding meant that I carried my bag into the swim corral. I am sure that my heart rate was up because I wasn't following the rules. Fortunately, Tonya and Maria made their way to the fence near my swim group. I passed off my bag (with shoes, jacket & some nutrition) to them and found my way into our group. And, just like that, we were moving along the carpet towards the swim stairs.
Best support team ever!
I started to calm down when I heard Katy Perry started belting Firework over the P.A. I felt even better dancing to Taylor’s Shake It Off! But, my favorite moment came as we inched closer to the steps at Dig Me Beach while the groups ahead of us entered the water. At one point, we stopped for nearly five minutes. I looked back and the Hawaiian king who had been at the luau on Thursday night was standing on the wall that separated the grandstand and the red carpet. I was surprised that he wasn’t watching the action in the water. Instead, he was facing those of us waiting to go into the water. He was praying over us. He had his hands folded together and he was praying aloud over all of us. I caught his eye, folded my hands into prayer mode & mouthed the words: THANK you. He smiled the biggest smile & nodded. I tried not to cry.
Our group in silver caps waiting to get in the water.
Our group moved again & we shuffled under the arch and onto the sand. Andrew Messick, the CEO of the Ironman Group was there and I made sure I high-fived him. Thank you, Andrew I said and he grabbed my hand with both of his and said, You're going to have a great day, Beth. I moved to the far left and did my pre-swim routine. Swish my hands three times in the water. Run my hands through my hair three times. Cap on. Goggles on. Walk out to waist deep. Sprinkle more water over my head. Go under. Float and scull for 20 seconds with face in. Stand up. Take a few strokes. Move forward with the group. We were treading water pretty close to the buoy line and the volunteers on boards. I looked back towards the shoreline and then out at the group ahead. Only five minutes to go.
Tri-Q (3 QUESTIONS FOR YOU):
For any athletes who were there….do you remember seeing the Hawaiian king?
Do you know where I could find his information?
Do you have a pre-race ritual that you like to do?
Answer these questions or write your memories of the pre-swim in the comments below.