Most people visit Hawaii to relax, enjoying the tropical sights while taking it easy on the beach.

One local athlete’s recent visit was far from what most would call relaxing, however, as he pushed himself by participating in one of the most well-known triathlon events in the world.

The Ironman World Championship is an event held each year in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, seeing participants race along a 140.6 mile journey.

The championship – one of many Ironman triathlons which take place around the world – begins with participants swimming in Kailua Bay, traveling 1.2 miles into the ocean and back.

This is followed by a cycling portion as racers bike along the northwest edge of the island of Hawai’i, the total trip amounting to 112 miles along the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway.

The event concludes with a marathon of 26.2 miles as participants reach the finish line back in Kailua-Kona.

Michael Crook was among the many men participating in the event Oct. 26.

Crook has long been local, growing up on a family farm south of Waterloo and attending Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic School.

He has, however, also done a great deal of traveling over the years as he served in the United States Air Force. Though he retired in 2013, his wife similarly served in the military, and he thus continued to travel until around 2018.

Crook spoke about his athletic interest, though he noted that he has never been much of a swimmer and continues to dislike that component of the event.

His interest in running began with a friend during ROTC as a way to get away from studying. It’s now his dog that serves as a regular companion along the county’s rural roads.

A biking trip in Colorado got Crook especially interested in biking, which has proven to be a rather expensive hobby.

While he bemoaned the overall cost of participating in Ironman events given all the sign-up fees, he also noted how much he has spent on Cadillac bikes to ensure that part of the triathlon is decently comfortable.

When it comes to his interest in Ironman competitions in general, he said the events have always been an interest for him.

“I always wanted to do an Ironman,” Crook said. “Well, I wanted to do a triathlon just to do it.”

He first competed in an Ironman in Florida back in 2015 and has been participating in events around the world regularly for the past nine years.

Regarding his training regimen, Crook said he doesn’t take things as seriously as many others do.

While some start training for a May Ironman at the start of the year, he focuses on just generally keeping in shape, with any heavy training coming shortly before the event.

“I sort of make my own schedule, put the produce out there for people to take at their own leisure, and then I go out and do a six-hour training ride or whatever,” Crook said.

He spoke further on his ability to participate in Ironman events over the past few years.

“My normal line is, ‘You can’t choose your parents’ genetics. Some guys got it, and the rest of us have to work harder and, in some cases, just pay more entrance fees,’” Crook said.

For him, having a good massage therapist and chiropractor have also been rather beneficial.

The races themselves are naturally intense, though Crook said the biggest drain he tends to experience is mental.

He further explained that a key focus of the triathlons is energy management and attitude, with the only three things you can manage while racing being speed, nutrition and attitude.

Having signed up for and completed each of the events he’s participated in since 2015, Crook noted participants fail to finish the race rather frequently. He said he’s been in some Ironman events where 95 percent of folks finish and others where 65 percent don’t.

On his most recent experience in Hawaii, Crook explained he qualified for the championship in 2020, only to have things pushed back by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally being able to participate this past month, he was positive about the experience even as the swimming left him with a nasty mark from a jellyfish and he described the black rocks of Northern Hawai’i as “stark and desolate.”

For someone who regularly pushes himself to participate in these races, participating in the championship event – and finishing with a time of 14 hours and 31 minutes – stands out.

“The very first one was most emotional,” Crook said. “This was probably number two as emotional. It’s not as significant after you’ve done 22 of them. Some people, I’ve seen them cry on tops of mountains and I’ve seen them cry at the finish line of Ironman.”

Crook is already eager to participate in future Ironman events, with plans to join one coming up next year.

He said he intends to continue racing until he’s at least 65, though his most recent Ironman will likely stick in his mind for some years to come.

“Kona, Hawaii is just the mother of them, and it’s so much history there,” Crook said. “Everybody knows it, the course is legendary. It’s not the most difficult course… but it’s just the storied home of Ironman world championships.”