Gil Loomis, a friend from Hawaii, is doing his 4th Ultraman Race on the Big Island of Hawaii. He is a young 58, and has evidently talked a mutual friend of ours, Steve Dewald, into doing his first Ultraman. If you are unfamiliar with Ultraman, just think of it as about three Ironman triathlons in 3 days, circumnavigating the island of Hawaii, starting with a 6.2 mile (yes, that's right, 6.2 mile) ocean swim and ending with a little double marathon run of 52 miles. All complete with the heat/humidity/wind of Hawaii, and this year there is a special bonus challenge of VOG - i.e., sulfuric dioxide and other toxic fumes emanating from the active Kileaua volcano. Oh, did I tell you that the race entry fee doesn't include any race support -- your self-funded support team has to be your best friends you'll ever have for 3 days of fun fun fun.

Good luck, Gil and Steve! May Pele bless you with constant cool tailwinds and lots of Longboard Lager at the end. Although I still think you guys are both crazy.