Even though the sport of triathlon has exploded exponentially and there are now Ironman events all over the world, the race in Hawaii is the one everyone knows. In 1978, 15 men and 1 woman waded into the water at Waikiki for the first Ironman triathlon race. Three years later, the race moved to the small town of Kona on the Big Island. Tell someone you are doing a triathlon and it's the ocean swim, the lava fields, the big finish line that flashes through their mind.

That first year there was little volunteer help apart from the people keeping track of the finishers. The race was a self-supported task. Thirty years later, there were almost 5,000 volunteers keeping track of almost 2,000 athletes. Two of the volunteers were my wife and I.

She and I recently talked about vacations to celebrate our 20th anniversary, and since I am a triathlete with Ironman aspirations, I thought combining a trip to Hawaii and volunteering at the Ironman would be an ideal proposition. I didn't have to sell too hard, as my wife, bless her, has volunteered at a few of my races and jumped at the chance. I hoped that by showing her the magic of Ironman, the overwhelming emotions and sacrifice involved, she would understand and support my need to chase the dream.

Plus, we would get lots of cool schwag.

Schwag, for those not in the know, is free stuff given to athletes and volunteers as a way to say thanks or to get you to try a product. It can be anything from a t-shirt to a hat to shoes or anything else you can imagine.

So we found ourselves at the airport on October 8th, packed and ready to fly. A lot of people in the waiting area had that triathlete look: fit, restless, always moving, flipping pages in a book without really reading.

(Side note: We upgraded to first class on the flight from Seattle. Trust me on this: upgrade. I had a Mai Tai in my hand before I had my butt in my seat. Pure heaven and clearly the way to hook me into upgrading again; yes, ply me with free booze and I will spend more money. No wonder casinos picked up on this trick a long time ago.)

We soon arrived at Kona, the youngest island in the chain and consequently, the island with the least vegetation than the others. Even though temperatures were in the mid-80s, it always felt much hotter because there was little shade available. Some parts of the island had nothing on the ground but black lava rock from recent flows. Hydration is a major problem, especially for the athletes, and if you go, be sure to drink water early and often.