There’s been lots of hype and talk this week about the launch of the new Specialized, Shiv bike. In a new blog post I look back to 1989, my first Ironman with a few anecdotes, including the launch then of a new bike with a new design, by a guy named Dan Empfield. Dan’s approach back then was a bit more low-key and low budget than the Specialized Launch this week!
My first year to volunteer was 1999 and I’ve been every year except 2002 between 1999 and 2008, racing in 2005 and volunteering all the other years, though 2007 I volunteered at Ultraman instead.
The main change? It’s just more, more, more. Of everything. You used to see everyone around town and now it seems a number of pros stay up the road until the day before the race. It seems nearly every company has their own bar or restaurant.
The vibe around town was so much different for Utraman. No masses of lycra clad triathletes, little traffic, walk in to any restaurant and get a table.
And honestly, Lava Java has truly jumped the shark. Reservations and white tablecloths???
I remember watching from home and seeing a lot of neon or otherwise bright colours. I remember the Puntous twins from Quebec (who lived and trained out of Kelowna for a bit). I can recall the onset of the Germans in that period as well.
Steve, what bike were you on in '89 and what gear did you have on it?
I was here in '84 (spectating) and am back this year to compete. Much more of a corporate presence now which seems logical with the amount of exposure this race generates. Don’t remember stand up paddle boards then and I haven’t seen a Bud Light visor yet.
I’m just surprised Dev or Demerly haven’t responded yet with a multi-paragraph epic tale of self discovery, enlightenment and blabbery. C’mon guys… you know you want to…
I remember Timex was there and had just introduced a new watch, the Timex Ironman. We all got a free one in our race bag.
Famous Amos cookies were huge then too, and they were in the aid stations.
The new, forbidden technology was a thing called “clipless pedals”. One guy, a masters athlete, had fallen while using them and been njured. Rumor in Kona was he was suing the company that made the pedals and they were unsafe. The debate over clipless pedals was huge.
You ate a lot of bananas and carried a jug of water. That was sports nutrition. Rice cakes too, because Dave Scott ate them. If you didn’t have cotton, patterned ST shorts you didn’t belong. A new company, Oakley, had gained ground in a windsheild style sunglass. You wore those. They were cool.
My first triathalon (the common mis-spelling ‘in the day’) was Hawaii Ironman, Feb, 1981. Still active, doing Kona in 2010 and Racine 70.3 this year. I remember getting seven t-shirts in ‘81. Met Cowman, drank beers with Walt Stack, remembering that John Howard may have been the only guy skinnier than me.
I remember a group of us being assaulted by a wild pig while swimming out of the bay area (doubters, there were pics in the local paper!), destroyed the swimming escorts’ surfboard.
There were NO triathlon bikes and very few triathletes. There were runners and cyclists and swimmers who argued which was the best athlete.
There were a few foreigners.
There was Valerie Silk greeting us, by name and location, several times in the days leading up to the race and at the finish line.
There were bandits (Yep).
There were scales to weigh us during the race. If we lost too much body weight, we got pulled from the race. There were guys packing rolls of quarters in their jocks that they were handed from wives and girlfriends on the marathon course (exact location, entrance to the airport, where we were weighed).
There were ‘triathlete groupies’ asking for autographs.
Things have changed…but not everything.
Since the IRONWAR thing is out there, let me add a detail that was discussed in the book and that I saw first hand in 1991-Autograph sessions with both Dave and Mark. Dave was very personable and his then-wife Anna took a couple of pictures of us together, one because Dave had his mouth wide open. Very relaxed and fun. Mark…pleasant but distant and I remember walking away asking a friend of mine what she thought of him. She said “California space-y.”
Now, Dave wasn’t racing and Mark was going for the three-peat, so factor that in. And boy, do I remember him on race day riding back down as I was climbing up to Hawi looking like an absolute focused piece of iron. He was also very nice the next day as we were going to breakfast at… Kona Ranch I think…and he was walking out. We shook hands and he asked me how MY 13 hour race had gone!
Steve, what bike were you on in '89 and what gear did you have on it?
I road Gardin custom steel road bike with the original Profile one-piece aero-bars on the front kitted out with Shimano Dura Ace**. ** Gardin was a small custom road bike company based out of Toronto and they sponsored the triathlon team that I raced for.
Steve,
I have this memory of the water from the bike aid stations just being ice cold and wondering how they kept it that way. The aid/volunteers are just great out there. It doesn’t quite fall within your time frame, but I have a story from 2001 I could share about that…
My first trip to Kona was in '95. I didn’t race that year but rode the bike course and there wasn’t a wide shoulder the entire way to Kawaihae like there is now. I had to ride just inside of the white line on the Queen K for about 20 miles. Also remember the newspaper they (I think Gu sponsored it?) used to hand out each morning at the pier with the latest news. I raced there for the first time in '97 and was one of less than a dozen in the field riding a Cervelo!
Ha! I looked at buying a Gardin when I first moved to Vancouver. I think it was blue and yellow and the shop guy in Burnaby was keen to inform me that it was a Canadian bike.
I raced the '89 Ironwar year (9:53). Still going, did IMCDA this year at 55 (11:46). It was my second IM, I had qualified the year before at IMC (9:50). Back then Canada was not a qualifer for the same year. I dueled it in coming down Palani Hill with a guy in my AG named Rick O’Bryan. He beat me by a few seconds, we had very close splits all day. I wonder what ever happened to him? We ran like 3:05 for the Marathon which were two of the fastest AG run splits on the day.
I recall seeing Mark and Dave on the way out on the run as I came off the bike. We rode down Alii then to the Kona Surf so they were at roughly 12 miles or so side by side hammering. I remember thinking that this was going to get ugly between them. On the way back in (for them) they were still side by side. I remember back then you got to run on both sides of the Queen K to the turnaround. So watching the leaders meant you were looking clear across the highway. The turnaround was past the airport on the Highway (no energy lab turnaround).
I recall Tom Warren leaned over to one side as was his usual, he was way up there in the AG race. I also remember seeing Mike Pigg who clearly looked like he thought the race was too long. As far as equipment, I rode a Schwinn Paramount with some aero bar set up that weighed a lot, but was pretty cool for it’s day (not Scott DH). We stayed at the Kona Seaside and arrived just on Wednesday and out on Monday. Money was pretty tight then. I still have the T-shirt from the race, but it’s a little too tight now (Heh Heh).
I raced there (here!) in '90, '91, and '92…now back for my 6th.
It is in many ways very similar, and in many very different. Talking with guys at dinner last night they were explaining all of their complicated training…back then we just figured it out as we went. Was fun and still is!
pdx…Talk about a throwback, I rode my Schwinn Paramount in 2010! I saw a total of 3 steel frames last year. Gotta say, I was very happy with the bike and it’s performance (aerobars/semi-aero wheels, of course). I also remember Mark Allen riding a Schwinn Paramount in the late '80’s in Kona. Great and under-rated bikes…
1989 was my first race in Kona too. I got to see Mark and Dave running out of town side by side and then coming back from the turn around side by side and wondering which of them was going to be the winner.
Exeed was the official drink on the course…Powerbars were caked in flour when you opened them…Valerie Silk was better at remembering my birthday than most of my family…I didn’t get a Timex watch in my bag, just a visor. I think we got neon yellow Ironman running shorts and a singlet. The finishers medal says Bud Light Ironman.
I volunteered to be a Labman subject to get a “cool” Labman t-shirt. Its still in a drawer somewhere.
Giro gave me one of their new-fangled aero helmets to race in.
Go ahead, critique my position
More things are the same than they were in '82. It is still hot, humid, windy and 140.6 miles. Tons of support, good people, lots of hype. Less marketing then.
Back then if you had a pro road bike (Campy only, Shimano was just becoming popular). Nothing was aero. Superlight was good. No nice bikes had clinchers. We had to wear helmets, but the old leather ones were acceptable.
Gee, they charged $100 entry fee and they could not have treated you better.
No lottery because if you signed up, you were in. Bud Light was the sponsor and was damn good at the end of the race!
Peanut butter and guava jelly sandwhiches were a hit on the bike course. Erg was the energy drink.
We all wore Speedos. Everyone changed into the Black Bottom cycling shorts with real leather chamois. Then dolphin running shorts and singlet.
Mark and Dave were leading on the bike on my way out to Hawi. Mark soon broke his bike and DNFed. Dave had the fastest swim, bike and run times. No one has done that since in Kona (I think).
Transition at the Kona Surf was fun, but damn that run down Allii dr. was hot on the way out to the turn around on the Queen K out past the airport.
Some drafting. Not blatant but people riding beside each other talking and sharing stories.
Very few resorts out on the Queen K.
Valerie Silk putting a lei over your neck. Telling us we would always be welcome back as a member of the Ironman family (Where did that go?)
Hmm? 29 years, think I’ll ever get back in?
The best part of the old days was meeting everyone the next day at the Kona Surf to pick up bikes/transition bags/ race photos. Then you would go to the King Kam and hope that the results were finally posted.
Steve - my first visit to Kona was in 1986 to watch 2 of my Nebraska friends do the race. I was lucky enough to then race here in 1988 … on a first edition QR, that I ordered directly from Dan over the phone … shipped to Nebraska. I also had a set of the brand new Scott DH aero bars on that bike; and, of course, my Oakley Factory Pilots - which I still have.
The other day, I took two friends from Scotland to the old T2 to see how the run started back then, with the huge hill out, then down to the Pit, and back out. Everyone should make that pilgrimage just to appreciate The Grip’s 2:41 in '89. Still, the most amazing marathon run on these sacred lands!
