Yesterday was the Underpants Run here in Kona, a hallowed tradition for the truly bold & brave. We thought it would be a fun opportunity to strut our GU stuff, but we were completely unprepared for the level of interest we generated. Our special costumes for the skivvy-fest consisted of a base layer of bikini bottoms or briefs, topped off with a hula skirt fashioned from GU wrapper foil. The foil is the packaging we use for our world class energy gel (the original, and still the best!), which comes in bulk rolls about 12 inches wide. It’s shiny and colorful and covered in GU logos, the perfect material to slice and dice into mini Hawaiian hulas. In addition to our six member GU Crew, we were joined by my dear friend and Challenged Athletes Foundation spokeswoman Sarah Reinertsen, as well as Jene', an athlete from the CEO Challenge team. This evened out our male to female ratio, allowing four gals to proudly display the crowning accessory to the skirts, Tri Berry GU gel packet tassels fastened to our jog bras with Victoria’s Secret fashion tape. I’m entirely certain my upper half has never before received so much attention.
From the moment we began to assemble our outfits, we were mobbed by Ironman paparazzi, athletes & IM fans wanting photographic evidence of what makes the Kona experience so unique. As we made our way to the starting line the mob followed and grew, and the snapping of so many cameras was enough to send us all into a 15-minutes-of-fame induced tizzy. Even Michellie Jones, our superstar GU athlete and reigning women’s World Champion turned the lens on our panty parade.
Speaking of Michellie, I had the pleasure of interviewing her later that afternoon, the video of which will be posted sometime Friday to her new community site, www.gomichellie.com. Aside from being a phenomenal athlete, she’s an outstanding individual who embodies a down to earth humble attitude balanced with a wicked sense of humor. Be sure to send out a cheer to her on Saturday as she defends her title on the Queen K Highway, fueled by her favorite Vanilla Bean GU.