good evening. wow, what a long day. i got a call from a friend yesterday for an opportunity to film this famous baseball player from japan. all i knew was his name is Furuta-san and came to hawaii to run the honolulu triathlon. shoot? triathlon? i’m there!!! i woke up at 3 am, headed down there in the dark and seeing some pretty amazing things. i’ve had friends throughout the years that did triathlons but i never thought anything of it. but after today, everything changed. these guys are athletes. the real kind. yeah, talk about zero body fat. these guys are fit, focused, trained, and as healthy as you can possibly be. i was totally inspired from what i saw today and i’m thinking about trying it next year…. but first, i have to get a bike. haha..
i had no idea who Atsuya Furuta was until today. after the race finished, this local triathlete came up to me and asked me if that’s Furuta-san, the famous japanese pro baseball catcher. i told him, “yes” but wasn’t really sure. so i came home and did a google search. and yes indeed, that was the famous catcher Furuta-san. wow! he’s retired from baseball and running triathlons? that’s pretty cool!!! anyway, i filmed him all day and was pretty amazed by his determination. he was fit and focused to finish the race, and he did…. congratulations…
i can’t wait to get my blue cap for next year. and i can’t wait to pull up to my $99 wallmart bike that i will use. i better start training…
this is team japan!! can you believe that 1/3 of the competitors were from japan? freaking amazing!!! i was really happy to see such great athletes from japan come to hawaii and perform as well as they did. i have a whole new respect for these guys….
oh, wanted to especially congratulate naoyuki honda-san!! nao-san is a really nice person. a surfer/athlete that knows how to have a good time. this was the finish line and i can’t believe he was smiling. i would be throwing up. swim, bike, and run? are you kidding me????
and also wanted to congratulate yu-san. i was sitting near the transition line where they change from bicycle to running. i wasn’t expecting to see any japanese in the top but i was wrong. i seen yu-san fly around the corner in the top 5. what? yeah, top 5! he left his bike, put on his running shoes, and ran with the front of the pack. he’s like a japanese superman. i was totally impressed!!! yu-san is not only a top triathlete, he’s a trainer. he trained Furuta-san as well as other athletes for this race. and yu-san’s also a surfer….
well, i better get going to bed. oh wait! i forgot. i have to pick up tokura-san and naoka from the airport. maybe i’ll ride my bike down there? haha… have a great night and hope you sleep as well as i do…
**last, i wasn’t sure to post the photos but after seeing hundreds of japanese taking photos today, today’s news is probably old news. once again, congratulations to all the finishers!!!
