We’re back in Kona for our 10th year to help provide race day medical support for the Ironman Triathlon. Most competitors are getting in one last training day before Saturday’s race. Hopefully not at the detriment to their big race. Plenty of cyclists on the Queen K at 1 pm in the afternoon yesterday when I was coming in town from the airport.
The one difference this year as far as weather conditions may be the “Vog” – the volcanic “fog” from the active volcano at the south end of the island. Over the past year there has been more days where Kona has had the vog clouds roll in during the early afternoon. Right now sitting
Vog is similar to your typical smog found around Los Angeles and other major cities and contains a high level of sulfur dioxide which can trigger respiratory irritation such as asthma or allergy symptoms.It will be interesting to see if there are a higher rate of respiratory issues on race day with the athletes.
The vog also seemed to keep the afternoon a little cooler than normal at least yesterday. We’ll see if it has any impact on race day.
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