Triathletes flood Ali‘i Drive for Ironman’s Parade of Nations

The Tahitian drums echoed up and down Ali‘i Drive as men, women and children cheered Tuesday for the thousands of triathletes who came from 85 countries to compete in the Ironman World Championship.

They were walking in the Parade of Nations, one of the many events leading up to the race on Saturday.

Vicki Fenton, 67, of St. Augustine, Fla., was all smiles as she held her iPhone to take video of the event.

“Absolutely fantastic,” she said after all the groups of athletes carrying their country’s flag had passed her by. “It reminds me how small our world really is and how many people I actually know from so many of these countries.”

The parade started at King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel where triathletes walked down Ali‘i Drive, ending at the Ironman Village set up at Hale Hālāwai. The men and women competing in the triathlon will take on the 140.6-mile grueling swim, bike and run course on Saturday.

The top five countries represented are the United States with 589 athletes, Germany with 279, Australia with 166, France with 156 and the United Kingdom with 132.

North Dakota is the only state not represented in this year’s triathlon, with most U.S. athletes hailing from California. Athletes range from 18 to 84 years old.

Fenton was surprised by the number of athletes, particularly the numbers from Spain, Germany and Ukraine.

Fenton was back on Hawai‘i Island for the first time in more than 40 years to see her husband, Charles, 73, compete in his first Ironman World Championship.

“He’s been doing these for many years, but he qualified this year in Jacksonville,” Fenton said with pride.

Kristi Adams, 80, of Kansas, has been coming to the Big Island every October for several years. Ironman has always fallen during the time she takes her trip.

And this year, she invited her friend Sheila Smith, 70, of California.

Adams was excited for Smith to see the Parade of Nations, saying: “I told her we need to come see this parade, because it’s quite something to see all the nations and all the athletes.”

Smith witnessed the Ironman World Championship 16 years ago but never saw the Parade of Nations.

“It is amazing how many people are here,” Smith said, adding she liked the Tahitian dancers the best.

Adams said Kona is a very welcoming place.

“I think seeing all the nations, and the faces, and how wonderful everybody is, this is how the world could be,” Adams said. “It’s just a very special thing.”

Before the parade kicked off, children participated in the Keiki Dip-N-Dash, where kids from 5 to 14 years old ran either .25 miles or .75 miles of Ali‘i Drive and swam 150 yards in Kailua Bay. Kids as young as 2 years old could participate in the dash portion of the event.

Jackson Costa, 11, and his twin brother Charlie, took part in the Dip-N-Dash. Visiting from Massachusetts, they are here in Kona to cheer on their dad, Rob Costa, who is competing in the Ironman World Championship in a wheelchair.

Jackson said he thinks the event is fun and is inspired by his dad.

Costa got into endurance sports after suffering a spinal cord injury in a dirt bike accident in 2019. On Tuesday, the 46-year-old said he was pumped to be in Kona for a second world championship and was excited to take the field with men and women this year.