Kona Fashion

Just from my personal observations watching several hours of Ironman Hawaii it will be an interesting 2008 season visually.

To begin with, a lot more bikes painted in light blues and whites. I have not noticed many white bikes in the past but they are certainly turning up now.

The dress of the day can be summed up in one word, Retro. Macca wore a Day Glo blue one piece with the entire side panel in hot pink. Very 80's.

Torbjorn Sindballe wore all white on the run which is not very fashion forward, but it was all compression material. A long sleeve compression top, long white compression shorts and compression socks. Why all the white? Apparently he believed it would keep him cooler and have more places to put ice and water to cool his core. In fact there were a couple dozen people out there, it looked like, that were wearing compression socks. Now I used a compression sock to help heal my stress fractured tibia instead of a cast but its application to running has been fringe at best in my understanding.

Photos from the Underwear Run, and conversations about modes of dress during race week, have led me to believe that speedos will once again be worn a local races in 2008. Designer speedos were being shown off as fashion, like striped or textured pieces.

Also, word is that Speedo Fast skin suits were THE most talked about piece of clothing of the day. Apparently in 2006 only Normann Stadler wore the super slick in water fabric and at the 2007 race the beach was lined with bodies wearing the stuff.

Confidence is sexy. If nothing else, confidence and preparation favored the race. With so many former world champions out of the race so early, many people who planned only on a top 15 finish, came in top ten. What does this mean for us? Its an object lesson that no matter how many times we have missed the podium or a Top 5 placing in our divisions, Anything Is Possible.