Our man on the scene, Lee Gruenfeld captured some sights during the 2016 edition of Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, aka Ironman Honu. All photos © 2016 by Lee Gruenfeld Sponsors Subscribe to Newsletter CREDO Tri SFuels Endurance Zone TV Velofix Links Babbittville Radio on Apple Podcasts Babbitt Media Group Babbittville Radio on Stitcher Challenged Athletes Foundation…
Our man on the scene, Lee Gruenfeld was in Tempe for Ironman Arizona, and brings us these images from a rainy day of racing. All photos © 2015 by Lee Gruenfeld Sponsors Subscribe to Newsletter CREDO Tri SFuels Endurance Zone TV Velofix Links Babbittville Radio on Apple Podcasts Babbitt Media…
Kekoa (the warrior) Ever think about what kinds of animals we admire the most? Put it this way: When was the last time you heard of a high school calling its football team the jackals, hyenas, cows, sheep or tuna? They call them eagles, sharks, tigers, lions, or falcons. Otherwise known as predators. Peace, love,…
Kokua (assistance, cooperation, lending a hand) This is another of those Hawaiian words whose true meaning differs subtly from a single-word translation such as “help” or “crew.” Kokua carries an undertone of cooperation, of mutual assistance. A better translation would be “pitching in.” Which is why “kokua” is the only word to adequately describe 5,000…
Ali’i (Royalty, or rulers) Up until 1893 when Queen Liliʻuokalani was overthrown by a U.S.-backed coup d’état, the islands were ruled by various flavors of ali’i. There were nearly a dozen classes of royalty, including the kahuna, but the Big Lebowskis were the ali’i nui. Each island had its own, and they governed with divine…
Keiki (child, or an immature plant) There’s just too much self-evident irony in that definition to warrant a lot of exposition. But upon reflection, English is also full of anthropomorphisms (my excuse to use a six-syllable word): there are parent-child relationships in data bases; we grandfather in old laws; typesetters try to avoid orphans and…
Actually, ‘ohana means more than family. Think of it less as a noun than as an imperative. The Maōri cognate of ‘ohana is kōhanga, meaning “nest,” and from that origin flows a set of obligations that are baked deeply into Hawaiian culture. Families are tied together, and that binding includes caring for one another, cooperating…
‘Aina (the land) I was born in Brooklyn. My most intimate tie to the land was descending a staircase on Flatbush Avenue to ride the #2 IRT subway into Manhattan. I thought the only thing under the ground was steam pipes and phone cables. Hawai’i, on the other hand, wears its geomorphic origins on its…
Friend of Babbittville, Lee Gruenfeld was in Milwaukee for the USAT National Triathlon Championships, taking photos and supporting his superstar better half, age-group legend Cherie Gruenfeld. Enjoy the gallery! Sponsors Subscribe to Newsletter CREDO Tri SFuels Endurance Zone TV Velofix Links Babbittville Radio on Apple Podcasts Babbitt Media Group Babbittville Radio on Stitcher Challenged…
By Lee Gruenfeld, guest contributor to Babbittville.com When the waters receded, Noah thought it a blessing. Here at Wildflower…not so much. To read about the relentless California drought, now in its fifth year, is one thing. To have it thrust in your face with shocking clarity is quite another. Just two years ago, athletes here swam…