A Different Kind Of Independence Day Celebration In Los Angeles
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger
If you’re looking for a Bucket List item for the 4th Of July – and why wouldn’t you be, quite frankly? – then travel to Los Angeles and then down to the South Bay and Hermosa Beach.
Not only is this little seaside community a great place to be for the 4th, with several house parties all along the beach-front Strand, but it has a unique event to start the day that you won’t be able to see anywhere else in the good ‘ol USA.
It’s called the Ironman but it’s not like those rugged Ironman competitions that involve running a marathon, swimming miles in the ocean and biking for ridiculously long distances.
This Ironman has three elements to it but with a certain “South Bay twist” to it.
First of all, instead of swimming, there is paddling. Not stand-up paddling, but laying on a paddleboard and stroking with your arms. For a mile. It’s tough.
There is also running, but this is really just a sprint down the beach.
Next comes the core of the Hermosa Beach Ironman: downing a 6-pack of beer. With a clock running, and a judge watching to make sure competitors don’t miss a drop.
All the while, a DJ is playing very loud music and then a band – for a few years it was Hermosa Beach’s own Pennywise – bangs out punk rock tunes as shirtless guys and a few brave women race around in a small circle, banging into each other and screaming wildly in a scene that, if you didn’t know better, would scare the crap out of you.
In addition to the couple of hundred competitors are a couple hundred spectators – and guys, you should see the bikini-clad eye candy at the Ironman – who surround the action and even occasionally get caught up in it.
One TV reporter found that out the hard way last year when she got too close to the competitors during the beer-drinking element of it and got puked on while doing an interview. The video from it went viral and the Ironman was on the national map for, well, a few hours anyway.
Veteran spectators know to keep their distance.
If you’re wondering what all this has to to with the Fourth Of July, well it’s just an American celebration. The Ironman starts with the playing of the national anthem and the male and female winners are lifted on the shoulders of those in the mosh pit holding American flags.
And if you’re wondering why this is a 4th of July bucket list item, it’s because the Ironman showcases the great freedoms we have in America.
Plus, it’s a great party and sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Cheers!
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