For me this was already the second full day on the Big Island but starting today more athletes and industry folks are arriving in droves. But I was not at the airport to check that out, there was much to see in town and around with folks who already got here.

Scott has now found a home at Bongo Ben's below where LuLu's used to be.

This is likely a Betty Design, but I could be very much wrong.

The CeramicSpeed crew has been busy with a walk of fame setup in downtown Kona. See who else you might find there.

This stop sign at the intersection of Ali'i and Hualalai sadly gets run through too often, but these 2 guys were considerate and stopped as they should.

The Wattie Ink business is now running with custom kits for triathletes and cyclists.

The coffee shop near the swim start was packed this morning and will likely be so the next few days.

And once inside you also realize you can get Coffees of Hawaii without swimming to the floating coffee bar.

Heather Wurtele was at the Kona Aquatic Center for a swim, but she was lucky to get a narrow lane.

All other lanes were filled with a kids swim program as this athlete noticed too.

The pool was truly jammed packed as I had never seen before.

Fraternal twins Mark Luckin and Lisa Luckin qualified for Kona and will be racing in the 25-29 year old age group, but they qualified in the 18-24 one. They are coached by Guy Crawford and Kate Bevilaqua.

The ON Cloud is not only the lightest ON shoe but also apparently the most popular one. And unlike the current trend it comes in very calm colors.

Late afternoon runners on Ali'i Drive.

In general traffic everywhere seems to be picking up.

Meanwhile on the Queen K many miles were being logged.

Around 4:30pm the heat was no longer as oppressive, but certainly not comfortable.

In full flight on the way back into town.

We also noticed runners near the airport.

But not everything is about triathlon in town, the Kona Task Force On Feeding The Hungry sets up every Monday afternoon to help those less fortunate.

All images © Herbert Krabel / slowtwitch.com