A Ralph Steadman illustration of Hunter S. Thompson at the foot of an erupting volcano in Kona, signature cigarette holder in mouth.

Steadman and Thompson’s story quickly turned away from the marathon and toward his obsessive attempts to catch a giant marlin.

“A woman who runs is a very attractive person.”

“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”

Gonzo in Paradise

When Hunter S. Thompson set out to cover the Honolulu Marathon—with a touch of cockfighting on the side—he first had to convince his old pal Ralph Steadman to join him …

By Hunter S. Thompson

Illustrations by Ralph Steadman

In May 1980, Running magazine offered Hunter S. Thompson an all-expenses-paid trip to cover the Honolulu Marathon, promising “an excellent fee.” Thompson recruited his longtime illustrator, Ralph Steadman, and the assignment became The Curse of Lono, a full-bore Gonzo account of Hawaiian misadventures, punctuated with Steadman’s feverish drawings. Dismally received upon release, and long out of print, the black sheep of Thompson’s bibliography is now being reissued. Below, Thompson’s letter to Steadman outlining a few modest ambitions for the trip.

Dear Ralph,