Every year in Kona, Hawai’i, the Ironman triathlon world championship basically takes over the city.  This year, on October 11, 2008, over a thousand athletes run, bike, and swim the grueling course that has made Ironman–and Kona–famous.While I don’t know many triathletes (they always seem to be training instead of combing the beach for that perfect shell), my favorite Ironman story is about Major Bill Connor, who won a lottery spot in this year’s triathlon, and is training for it in Iraq.   Now THAT’S multi-tasking.  Way to go, Bill, we’re rooting for you.

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

The recent resurgence of stand-up paddle surfing is in part due to the celebrity status it’s received by the likes of Archie Kalepa, who paddled the channel between Moloka’i and O’ahu, and Laird Hamilton, who took on the infamous Jaws on a stand up paddle board. Is it just for experts, though?

The good news is no, it’s for mere mortals, too. In my opinion, paddle surfing is easier and more comfortable to learn than traditional surfing, and other exciting, but less forgiving water sports such as kiteboarding.

Another bonus: You don’t need waves to play along. And in fact, I say it’s better if there arent any. It’s a self-paced sport that allows you to go as fast or as slow as you want, and you don’t have to learn how to stand while the water shoots you across the beach. Good times.

And if Denise Richards can do it, you can too!

You can read more about stand-up paddle surfing at these fine Web sites, or you could, as they say at Nike, just do it.

• Paddle surf Hawaii
• Paddle surfing blog

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by Mike Baird

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler