In order to fully appreciate the etymology and historical significance of the Underwear Run, you must think back to a time when the indigenous denizens of a sleepy fishing village were startled when, upon turning a corner from the cereal aisle to the produce section, German and Finnish men were pushing shopping carts around in their skivvies.

Or so it would've appeared.

Tri coach to Hollywood stars Paul Huddle leads the Underwear Run, which is fast closing on the Parade as the most popular non-race phenomenon during Ironman week. Huddle leads his charges over a two-mile course along Alii Drive, stopping occasionally for calisthenics. "Jumping jacks. Ready. Eins, zwei, drei, vier. Now vee do sqvats. Eins, zwei, drei. Und now, paddycake."

It actually was a problem in the "old days." Word filtered down from the Ironman office through the Euro racing community: Please don't wear Speedos when grocery shopping. Over the intervening two decades since the race first came to Kona, the locals have become immune to skimpy attire, and nowadays you could select ripe mangoes and drop them into the car while in the nude without eliciting much of a reaction. Just the same, the athletes from all continents respect the locals and exhibit appropriate decorum.

But the Underwear Run continues, poking fun at both the Euro dress habits of the early days of the race and the reaction they elicited.