"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." ~William James
The 2010 Rohto Ironman 70.3 Hawaii is now behind us but memories of the day continue to linger in so many ways. Athletes are cherishing the completion of a monumental goal, and some are still be donning their sun-powered race-number tattoos on their arms.
The race office has been able to catch up on some sleep and is already looking forward to next year. But before we do, we want to take the time to thank the hundreds of volunteers who made the 2010 race such a success.
The race would not have happened without the tireless efforts and boundless enthusiasm of the volunteers. The aloha that poured forth from registration tables, aid stations, transitions areas, and the post-race festival was as important to the athletes as all the ice, the water, the sports drinks and gels that fueled them through the course.
From the bike course volunteers who helped keep our participants out of harm's way on our picturesque roads to the water patrol who joined the athletes for a glorious morning at Hapuna Beach State Park, to the security personnel who watched over the carbon-clad wares of 1,300 racers, the volunteers gave a top-notch, all-out effort and have gained the gratitude and heartfelt awe of all who were a part of the day.
Our second year of partnership with The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii worked like a dream and we are so thankful for the hard work and support of The Orchid team. The post-race area drew rave reviews from athletes and their families; the historical beachfront's stunning beauty and the graciousness of our hosts adds special meaning to our event.
Our aid stations were raucous and bounteous as always. Volunteers along the course went the extra mile to deliver the athletes sustenance, not only for their bodies but for their tired, hopeful souls. Each and every aid station was an oasis of aloha and showed the best of our Hawaii ohana.
Volunteers aren't the type of people to be looking for a lot of recognition, but we can't stop talking about how special the volunteers have made the Rohto Ironman 70.3 Hawaii. Hats off to the volunteers who come back and make this race happen year after year. It has not gone unnoticed the way our volunteers embrace our athletes with such aloha.
Athletes were pulled through 70.3 miles of lung-burning, muscle-aching swimming, biking and running by the smiles and encouragement of the volunteer force. And such humility – our volunteers spent hours in the sun giving their all, yet always turned the spotlight and the cheers back to the race participants.
This year, one of our race sponsors has helped turn the focus back toward our amazing volunteers. T3 Recovery Products, which produces state-of-the-art mattresses made for the active human body, gave away three of its mattresses to three lucky volunteers: Claudia Kane, Sonja Navarro, and Tim Billow. The environmentally-friendly T3 mattress is designed to help us recover from the day's work, and T3 Recovery Products knows that our volunteers are some of the most hard-working, active people in our community.
Volunteers – you are the face of the Rohto Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, and on June 5th, you made our race look so beautiful. Mahalo nui loa for your kokua. We look forward to celebrating with you again next year.