Thanks Monty, awesome read!

A good friend of mine raced his one and only Ironman in Kona that year. Tom Fenske who swam for Arizona finished around 15th or so.

I see that he got 17th, pretty cool. Do you remember what kind of swimmer he was back then? Kim and I were in the lead group of 4 in 55;10 with one guy off the front in 51+. It was a freakish slow swim in February, real waves would actually break on the course, although that day it was just the winter currents.

The guy that won the swim was apparently the 5th fastest guy in the world in the 1500 and he had a wicked fast turnover for the OW, a precursor to todays swimmers and their turnovers. He was gone from the gun and I always wondered how fast the guys around us were in the pool.No doubt he would be a 47 guy on todays course in October. Kim and I were just ok, not national caliber or anything like that, but we knew the ocean and I had done a ton of lifeguard racing by then too.Molina was there and he had a 16+ 1650 as I recall but he was off the back of our group a couple minutes. Maybe your buddy was near us?

Somewhere there are splits for that race, hand written on a blank piece of paper. But I know just from mine that they made some mistakes, as I have the actual footage from wide world of sports that shows Kim and I coming out together in 55 minutes. I think ironman has them on their site somewhere, but finding them is like finding Waldo, they don't make it easy..

I had a copy of the splits at one time - hand typed I thought. Let me see if I can find them at my office tomorrow. Otherwise I think we are getting together for a beer Friday and I can see if he remembers his swim time.

Yup! Enjoyed reading it when you originally posted it 10 yrs ago and just glossed over it again! Great stuff! (You looked pretty fit there old man:)

Same—read it in 2007 and appreciated it even more now.
I love the spirit of the early days and try to take this to my racing now. Not sure I’ll ever be duh an adventurer, though.
Thanks again, Monty.

I really enjoyed reading that. Thanks for writing/posting it. :)

Great read Monty. Thanks!

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Matt Gervais

Enjoyed your write up a lot! How refreshing to read what is essentially a race report without all the bike data AP,NP,TSS, ect... No heart rate monitor, no Garmin. No tire/tube/bike set up discussion. Peanut butter jars holding race nutrition and the anti-aero helmet! Good piece of history. I'm a bit envious of those who had a chance to discover this sport in its earliest days.

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Blog: https://swimbikerunrinserepeat.wordpress.com

Wow, great story! Now, somebody needs to make a movie out of this.

That. Was. Awesome.

That was one of the best pieces (3 pieces) I have ever read. Thank you for re-sharing.

That was a good series. I've read it previously, but I enjoy the unknown territory you and other early racers experienced.

Monty - Is that picture in part 1 of you or of Kim Bushong??? I'm guessing it's Kim??? In any case, great race report!!!

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Monty - Is that picture in part 1 of you or of Kim Bushong??? I'm guessing it's Kim??? In any case, great race report!!!

What are you trying to say? It is me, in my more leaner years of course. Same height now just 20 extra lbs, all muscle of course..(-;


Glad everyone is enjoying the pieces, great memories of a bygone era...

OK, thanks, I just was not sure it was you. Your hair and Kim's hair are about same color, at least in the B/W pics, and you two are about same height, plus the passage of 36 yrs. Honestly, I was not trying to "say" anything... :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

What a great read, thank you so much for sharing!

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the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning

Kim is actually 5'8"(me 5'10") and he raced at 148(me 158/160). Funny thing is that kim is still 5'8" and 148, he hasn't gained one single pound in anger over all these years. Me on the other hand, well lets just say I'm watching that weight thread on the forum here very closely these days.. (-;

When you round that boat out in Kona's harbor, think of old Monty 27 years ago, telling them to drop it “right here.”


Now I understand your passion around them shortening the swim course last year. :)

Now I understand your passion around them shortening the swim course last year. :)

And it only took them 37 years to figure out that swimmers just might make the swim course a little long!!!

Monty, I never get tired of reading this. ERG Electrolyte Replacement Glucose or Gookinaid. The only thing available even before Gatorade!.....Gary

read it in 2007, re-read it now, still great fun. .thank you..

Part 1 is absolute gold. Parts 2 and 3 are great, but feel, I don't know, rushed? I think if you edited 2/3 you might have something publishable (no offense to ST but I think you know what I mean).

either way great stuff to me...

Monty, thanks for sharing - they were great reads.

This was most excellent... part 1, 2, and 3.

Priceless. Thanks Monty for the read!!

Since you refer to ABC coverage a number of times, I would love to watch this. Is this available online anywhere? I found only some local TV coverage in youtube..

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Sr. Salitre

Where exactly was the banyan tree where you cramped? Is it still there?

Great story. Glory days!

I can't remember if it was the 1st Kona race, but I seem to remember the funniest photo from the sport from Hawaii. I think back then there was no "time cut off" (or atleast not to the point where you were taken off the course), and if I remember it correctly it was a picture of a guy finishing the race reading the newspaper article about the race results he was still in. I thought it was pretty cool and just how epic an event it was. (I'm trying to find the picture).

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Where exactly was the banyan tree where you cramped? Is it still there? //

Last I looked it was there, on the final little road before you turn onto Alli drive, you go out and in. on that road a bunch now I believe. The stories that old tree could tell, bet the old king K even pissed on it a time or two.

 if I remember it correctly it was a picture of a guy finishing the race reading the newspaper article about the race results he was still in. //

Don't remember that one, but do recall a bunch of us getting up the morning after to do the all you can eat buffet at the king kam, and watching old Walt Stack come in and finish while we were lined up. He did about 27 hours or so, so must have been about 9 to 10AM.

Well. That's f-ing awesome.

Hualalai Rd between Ali'i and Kuakini? Uncle Billy's on one side and the farmers market parking lot and the library on the other side?

Unfortunately I couldn’t find my typed splits for the entire field in the office today. But I had a couple of beers after work with Tom and he remembered you and the other lifeguards that went over there early to train. He thought his swim was around 1:01 so probably not in the lead swim group with you. He said he biked a 6 hr ride (with weigh in breaks) and ran a 4 hr marathon so finished right in the 11 hour range. Also when he finally saw and passed you at the tree when you cramped up he actually thought you were just taking a nap! You guys that pioneered this sport are the BAMF’s of all time.

If this was the first, I believe Frank Day raced the first and started the second. I saw the bike he road for the first IM at his home.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Hualalai Rd between Ali'i and Kuakini? Uncle Billy's on one side and the farmers market parking lot and the library on the other side?
I think that is the road and the tree would be on the town side of that road. It was the last road you could go out of town on from Alli drive before actually getting stuck on the road through town. Maybe a gas station at the top of the road?

Dave,

Monty is referencing the first race in Kona on the Big Island not the first ever Ironman that occurred on Oahu. Frank never raced at Kona.

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

That is why I asked the way I asked. I assumed that but thought I would ask anyways

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep