Ko Aloha La Ea

The last thing I wanted to do before I left Kona was run. Not for the workout or to get back into training but simply 'run' because I love the movement, the freedom, the fulfillment it offers.

Running in Kona is beautiful whether you're feeling the pain of IM or just taking in the sights and sounds. It is a very active environment and its not uncommon to see folks running and biking up and down Ali'i Drive. I asked Steve if he wanted to go out for a quick run together before we left and the cave man grunt and baffled look I got in return pretty much answered that question. Besides, with everything we needed to do to get ready to catch our 9:40pm flight and the questionable feeling of a blister from the event, I was pretty sure that running in Kona one last time was not going to happen.

Mark and Justy had left the day before and Beno and Toni had just left to take Kristen and D to the airport. Since the race on Saturday we had done so much on the island that none of us had taken a break. We'd been snorkeling, SUP, outrigger canoeing, boogie boarding, hiking, body surfing, driven to the volcano, diving with the manta rays and dolphins - everything but sit beachside and take it all in. But none of us were complaining, just our bodies were starting to rebel.

When everyone left it started to rain. Light rainfall turned heavy. Steve and I sat there for about 15 minutes and took in the sound and smell of a good tropical rain. We hadn't showered and thought it would be meaningless, since we still needed to pick up a couple things in town and then have dinner before getting to the airport. So in typical adventurer's spirit, I threw my buff on to contain my hair, grabbed a pair of running shoes to get through the now flooding streets and protect my blister and off to town we went.

We grabbed a shrimp dinner and watched the sun set over Kona. It was beautiful. We ate at Bubba Gumps and watched the eels slither over the rocks to enjoy their own shrimp provided by our waiter. Because of the rain there were only two couples on the deck and it was awesome. We watched the cruise ship disappear into the huge orange ball in the sky as the sun peeked out through the clouds despite the rain. But the rain kept on coming.

After we ate, the clock was ticking for us to get to the airport, but we needed to pick up a few items. It was pouring. I had worn my running shoes as they were the only thing I could wear since IM due to the blister on my foot. It was starting to feel better (since I'd cut it open to get all the black sand from various beaches out of it) so I could at least walk normal by now.

We stepped out into the street and the rain was coming down. We both spontaneously started running...and giggling...and running. Through the puddles, through the streets, down the sidewalks, dodging and weaving through deeper puddles, enjoying the fun of the journey and the uninhibited ability to maneuver the rainfall.

I laughed as I heard Steve, running beside me, say, "You got your last run in Kona!" He was right. I got to run again. I didn't have to. The event was over. We could have walked and taken cover in area stores. But no. We were running. Because we wanted to, because it felt good, because it was what our bodies wanted to do.

"Ko Aloha La Ea". Keep Your Love.

That was this year's motto for Ironman. When I first heard it explained by Race Director Diana Bertsch at the Welcome Banquet, it made me curious. I had been wondering what would be next after IM, where my body and soul would be led, what the "next level" would be for me physically and spiritually. I wondered if it would even be physical or if that was what had just gotten me to where I am now. Even though I didn't have my answers yet, that was okay because as always, I knew that "what's next" would be an evolution, a process, as God stirred inside me. This event was a stepping stone and listening to Bertsch gave me peace as I knew the answer was within me. I listened intuitively as Bertsch went on to explain the motto with the following:

"Bertsch explains that this year’s theme comes from a significant moment in Hawaiian history. First, a little background. In 1819, King Kamehameha I, the first king to unify the Hawaiian islands, died, and his son, Liholiho was named King Kamehameha II. At the same time, the traditional lifestyles of the Hawaiian people were undergoing rapid change, in part because of the increasing exposure of the islands to foreign traders and settlers. Liholiho was immediately at odds with his cousin, High Chief Kekuaokalani about how to lead the Hawaiian people. Kamehameha II favored abolishing the old religious ways of the islands, known as the Kapu system, while Kekuaokalani fought to retain the Kapu system. The old way of life was in peril, and it caused much conflict within the islands.

The year was 1820. On the Big Island of Hawai'i, on the south end of Ali'i Drive, in Keauhou, this conflict between old ways and new resulted in the Battle of Kuamo'o. Before the battle began, Kekuaokalani’s wife, High Chiefess Manono, expressed her desire to join in the fight. Kekuaokalani discouraged her from joining the battle, but made a platform for her at the battle site so that she could watch the fighting unfold.

The Ironman Kona race office explanation of the theme tells us what happens next. As High Chiefess Manono looked on, Kekuaokalani was killed. The Princess went to her husband, “covered his face, picked up his spear and charged into battle chanting “Ko aloha la ea, Ko aloha la ea” – Keep your love, keep your love.”

Ultimately, King Kamehameha II’s soldiers defeated the forces of Kekuaokalani. High Chiefess Manono was killed in the fighting, along with hundreds of soldiers. The bodies of the soldiers were covered with rocks and remain at the battlefield.

“Today, the Kuamo'o Battlefield and the Lekeleke Burial Ground is where heartbreak became a part of history as well as a message to live by: No matter what obstacles come, keep your love. No matter what suffering you face, no matter who you are or where you come from, with love you can surmount anything."

As Steve and I ran down the street like two kids in Kona, the answer for what's next was clear to me. "Keep Your Love." Do what you love, love what you do and share it with others.

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/dawn-henry-describes-this-years-ironman-world-championship-theme#ixzz1b2kn9yT5