Hawaiian Holiday

Mr. Turtle and his yellow friends.

WELCOME TO KATE CHAPMAN'S FIRST BLOG, MEANING THE INITIAL ONLINE JOURNAL DETAILING HER TRIP.

Read on for some cool stories and hopefully some inspiration!

The only hickup that occured during my visit to Hawaii actually happened before i even arrived. I was delayed in L.A. airport (no surprises there) which caused me to miss my flight connection to Maui. No worries though as I was able to catch the last flight over at 9:30PM local time, 1:30AM back home! My new friend Bruce Wacker picked me up and we proceeded to shove my bike box and two loaded backpacks into the rental car for a short drive to Kiehi. Already i knew that i was in for a climatic shock as the temps were in the mid 80's and very humid.

Left: Xterra Eco-team clean up. I find a machete/knife on the beach!

Before the race Bruce and i were able to ride a practice loop and swim the course. We also snorkeled, zip lined (video below), scenic drive (which is any time you get into the car) hiked and hung around. I also helped with the Xterra Clean up, something I would like to help grow and encourage at more events. It was great to see all the other racers from 'home' as well as from around the world.

Below: Host hotel, the Maui (Price)Prince for only $200 per night! no thanks

One of the greatest things about the Xterra Worlds in Hawaii is all the Lu'aus. Think teakie torches, awesome food, people and converstation. These were also some great awards handed out including the Warrior Award which was given to world class athelte Jamie Whitmore who is currently fighting cancer.

As for the race, it went pretty well considering it was only my second time racing there and my first as a 'pro.' Of course, the morning of we awoke to the hottest, cloudless and windless day so far. Before the gun even went off i was sweating more than i ever had (execpt for maybe hockey).

My swim was good as I took 5 min of my usual 1500m time. On the bike I finally got into a groove and started passing people on the first miles where the course in undulating. As far as sweet 'trails' go I would not put this one on the top of the list, but it's challenging nonetheless. Between the lava rock, three inch cactus thorns, no line to follow and 550+ people in a mad frenzy, you cannot left your guard off. When I got to the run i felt quite decent and believed that I ust have hydrated and fueled appropiately. However, half way through I started to get passed by some girls and could not stay with them. Then, I felt queezy, lightheaded and goosebumps despite the 90 degree heat. Suffice to say, Ifinished with everything i had, nothing was left in the tank. Check out these online pics> http://www.brightroom.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=34690&BIB=74&S=230&PWD=

My final days in Hawaii were also great. The day after the race we went snorkeling (below right) and saw awesome tropical fish, coral and sea turltes. That night, after dropping Bruce at the airport, i went back to our Ohana (condo) and grabbed my bike and loaner surfboard and rode to the beach. here i caught three waves in addition to a steller sunset (below).

Later I headed over to Paia on the north shore where i met some great people, namely a French windsurfer and helicopter engineer (no joke) named Vincent. We chatted for a while as he spoke good, i mean, English WELL (better that me, right?)

Left: MTB ride to some archeological ruins in a watershed. Right" Vincent and i on the beack near Lahina.

The next morning I got up early like always and attempted to run through the sugar cane fields and up to road to upper Paia. I could not believe how sore my calves were. The signs of dehydration from the race were still apparent. When I came back I wrote letters home and waited for Vincent to wake up. Once he was awake I pursuaded him to come on a Kate's Krazy Adventure Day. Basically we did an adenture/triathlon type day that included swimming/snorkeling, hiking, sightseeing and night biking. To celebrate, we had a Hawaiian BBQ with some Xterra biking folk at crazy Steve's place (he windsurfed from California to Hawaii solo and has done every Xterra worlds race). Great beer, food and fun was had by all. Sadly the night had to end, as did my time with Vincent.

Overall, my last day in Hawaii summed up my entire week of fun, sun, people, playing, surf and so much more. If I could recommend anything to any travler it would be to live in the moment, do as many cool and sponatenous things as possible, and enjoy it all 'cause you never know when things could change (often for the worse as is the case with Jamie). Sieze the day and live life to the full as Christ would. I try to think about this each day as i continue my Krazy Adventures Down Under.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more updates.