The year was 1986, and for some reason I felt it was important to focus on my swimming for that year’s Ironman. I swam pretty much every single day that summer and ended up having my best swim ever in Kona, something in the 1:02 range. Great. So I took a few minutes off…
Mike Plant has been involved in endurance sports since he covered the early triathlons on Fiesta Island in the 1970’s. From there he went on to create Running News, Running and Triathlon News, announce at the Ironman World Championship, and then move on to become part of the United States Triathlon Series. Mike is the…
When Venus Williams stood up and took a stand on equal prize money for professional women tennis players, the arguments against her and her supporters were that the men’s field was stronger than the women’s at most events, that the men played the best of five sets rather than the best of three sets, and there…
Classics Interview Series: Linda Sweeney Linda Sweeney flew over to Kona to do the fourth ever Ironman World Championship back in 1981. She ended up winning the race even though she rode a bike with a basket on the front that carried a cassette player blasting tunes for her throughout the bike ride. By the…
Valerie Silk was never an athlete and couldn’t understand why her husband at the time wanted to connect their business, the Nautilus Fitness Center, to an obscure event that only had 15 people entered. The year was 1978, the event was called the Ironman, and Valerie Silk was the person who would guide what would…
Breakfast from Kona Interview: Diana Bertsch and Mayor Billy Kenoi Ironman Hawaii race director Diana Bertsch and Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi joined us on Breakfast from Kona to welcome everyone to Ironman Week and to Kona! Mayor Billy raced this year and inspired everyone in his wake! Subscribe to Babbittville Radio on iTunes …
2014 was a very special year in the wonderful world of endurance sports. When I look back at the year that was, there are three moments – and people – that stick out more than the others. [dropcap style=”round”]1[/dropcap] At the very top of my list is Australian John Maclean who was the first paralyzed athlete…
Diana Bertsch is the long-time race director for the Ironman World Championship and the Vice President of Ironman’s World Championship events. What is it like to oversee the most important event in endurance sports? You can feel Diana’s passion for the event, the brand, the volunteers, and the Big Island come right through the phone…
He grew up in Australia as a basketball and rugby player. But Tim Reed eventually realized that his body type and work ethic made endurance sports a much better fit for him. As an age grouper, he made it to the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii and completed the 112 mile ride on a borrowed…
Breakfast from Kona Interviews: Rachel Joyce After another great podium performance at the Ironman World Championship, Rachel Joyce joined us on our Championship Edition of Breakfast from Kona to chat about her day out in the lava fields of the Big Island. Rachel, as always, was gracious, positive, and insightful. You can check out all…