Froh, Frodeno, Frodissimo...

So many different titles came to mind for this blog article, I have never come up with so many for any other article! But in the end, I chose this one....

Today, our alarm clock went off early again, because we didn't want to rely on our internal clock waking us up at 5:50 am.

Quickly have breakfast and then go down to Kona, park the car and walk the last few meters to Kona Pier... When we arrive, there is already a lot going on here, for the first time we also discover the coffee boat, a small platform in the sea about 400 m from the shore, where the athletes can have a coffee chat after the 'warm-up' swim. Today I don't have a swimsuit under my clothes, but maybe I'll swim at least those 400 meters in the coming days, provided I find a suitable companion!

Again and again, it's amazing how busy it is at the pier at 6:30 am - I can only emphasize that no picture can capture this, you have to experience it yourself. Once again, the sun rises directly above the athletes and we have to squint to be able to see anything.

All of a sudden, my mom whispers to me that she heard from another German tourist - Frodeno has just arrived at the pier. 'Follow the woman in the green T-shirt - she knows where Frodeno is', those were my mom's words, I will probably never forget them. So I try my luck - somehow you are thrown into the deep end, although I jokingly said the day before, 'tomorrow we have to go to Kona Pier, if Frodeno just arrived on Big Island today, he will probably swim here tomorrow morning', but to be honest, I didn't really believe these words. But I was proven wrong - a little off the hustle and bustle, the 2016 Ironman World Champion - Jan Frodeno, is standing there, surrounded by several camera crews. However, he is like surrounded by a soap bubble, none of the reporters are really close to him and he can calmly prepare for his 'swim'. And honestly, I had imagined him completely differently, actually Frodeno is a tall guy - must be close to 2 meters and slimmer than most of the triathletes. I keep my distance, take some photos that I'm really proud of and hear him say 'the whole route today - nonstop!' before he dives down...

Amazing, I thank the Hula Mama for her hearing - without her, I probably wouldn't have recognized the world champion. Now we have to wait until he resurfaces from the water, of course, we stay by the shore in the meantime - after all, we are still entertained by the numerous other athletes. After about 50 minutes, we notice many camera crews positioning themselves - we know that 'Frodo' will probably be coming out of the water soon. Even ARD sets up their camera for the wide shot, so now we have to keep our eyes open. And indeed, Frodeno surfaces from the water again and the cameras are immediately around him. We enjoy the moment and soak up every second. Before we know it, he's back in the water and we follow him as inconspicuously as possible. But somehow we're not fast enough - where did Frodeno go?? 'Over there', the Hula Mama finally calls out, she has spotted him, he's getting changed and once again surrounded by numerous cameras. We observe everything from a distance, being pushy is just not my thing. Internally, I wrestle with myself because of course, I would love to have an autograph from such a top athlete. Finally, I seize the opportunity because who knows when there will be another chance like this. I simply walk up to Frodeno and ask him if he could sign my swim cap, 'yes, of course,' his answer is, and in that moment, I am the happiest person in the world. I hold the cap eagerly for his signature, he swings the pen and I have a keepsake for eternity. I really have to say that during those 15 seconds that I am next to him, he seems very human to me and I wish him all the best for Saturday, I told him that, too.

Actually, my autograph is the only one the top athlete gives out this morning at Kona Pier - two more fans dare to get closer to him for a photo, but none of them have a signed swim cap like me (which I will probably get framed).

Stimulated by this encounter, I do my laps in the 'swimming pool' - despite the run last night, it's going very well, which is probably due to the Frodeno adrenaline rush...

Then Mama and I go to Honaunau Bay, 45 minutes away from Kona, for snorkeling, the fish are already waiting for us. And as if the day couldn't get any better, I actually discover a sea turtle here, which gives us both a private show. Amazing, what a day.

We spend the afternoon at home first, eagerly following the 'Kona Daily' report, which also reports on Frodeno's swim. As we learn, except for a one-time swim training at the pier, he will hardly appear in public again before the competition on the coming Saturday - what luck we had. It will probably take a few more days for us to fully grasp all of this...

Afterwards, we go back to Kona, always a spectacle... Here we catch the last traces of the 'Kids Ironman' - where the children of the triathletes compete against each other in swimming and running. Somehow cute...

By chance, we also witness the start of the 'Parade of Nations' in Kona, basically very similar to a carnival procession in Germany. Participants from all the nations represented at the Ironman walk in a parade one after the other and are dressed according to their home country. We are enthusiastic spectators of the Hawaiian Carnival, which convinces us much more than the German one.

But to make sure we arrive at the 'Turtle beach' in time for the sunset, we say goodbye to Kona after the German section of the parade and drive about 10 minutes to the beach. Here, a truly spectacular sunset awaits us - the perfect ending to this phenomenal day...