HOPE IS A DANGEROUS THING
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Mon, 12 Mar 2007 by William Lobdell
"Hope? Let me tell you something, my friend, hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane."
-- Red, in "The Shawshank Redemption"
It would be like playing at Fenway Park with the Red Sox, Madison Square Garden with the Knicks, Wrigley Field with the Cubs, Lambeau Field with the Packers, Boston Garden with the Celtics or Soldier Field with the Bears.
If you're not into pro sports, how about playing the violin with Itzhak Perlman at the Lincoln Center, acting with Robert Duvall on Broadway, teaming up with David Letterman in the Ed Sullivan Theater or singing with The Who at the Los Angeles Coliseum?
That's how competing in the Ironman World Championships at Kona would feel to the Iron Kahuna. Hallowed ground. Swimming, biking and running alongside the best in the world. In an event he's watched for more than 25 years. He's not sure his feet would ever touch the ground.
He's already done the next best thing: compete in an Ironman elsewhere. It was sweet, but Kona is The Show. Triple A vs. the Bigs. The problem with Kona is, the Kahuna doesn't have the credentials (speed) to earn his way there.
So he played the lottery. It's a low-percentage gamble, but the Kahuna laid down his money like the knuckeheads who line up outside of liquor stores for a chance to purchase a lottery ticket that could bring them $350 million.
He's not exactly sure how the Kona lottery works, but he's pretty sure it's more than a random drawing. On the lottery form, he was asked a series of questions about his triathlon life. He laid it on pretty heavy about the Tri-Blogger Alliance and the "Get Your Geek On!" podcasts. And he is starting to think that may separate them from some of the pack.
But there's the rub. Hope is a dangerous thing. The Kahuna has found himself fantasizing about competing in Kona. Not really a fantasy though. More like anticipating the real thing. And he's trying to tap that down. The lottery winners are announced April 15. He doesn't want to be like a little boy on Christmas eve, staying up all night to see Santa and then realizing the Big Guy doesn't exist.
Still, in the back of his mind, he wants to stay up anyway. Because there's still a chance that St. Nick could come down the chimmey. And wouldn't that be a sight.
