I’m going to in Kona to watch the start of the Ironman, from Maui where I will be on vacation, but unfortunately I need to fly back to Maui for a wedding in the evening. (I know, who plans a wedding in Maui the same day is IM Hawaii…they are my girlfriend’s friends, not mine!).
Having never been to Kona, I have no idea how far the airport is from the race site, nor how long it will take to travel to the airport on race day.
Can someone give me insight into how much time I should allot to getting to the airport from the race site. My flight to Maui leaves at ~3pm.
The airport is about 7 miles from transition. Its on the bike course, it will likely take you quite a while if you are coming though Kailua. You can avoid most of the race course by going across the top (Queen K, Right up Palani Road) and coming down through Kona Palisades (Kaiminani Drive),its less than a mile to the airport from the bottom.
If you can bring a bike over (rent one on Maui?), you’ll have a much easier time getting to and from the airport on race day, plus you won’t miss anything on Queen Kaahumanu. On bike, you’re talking 30 minutes from The Pier.