What a busy couple of weekends. In the past two weeks, we’ve had a biathlon, a triathlon and a run-only race (an athlon?) Anyway, here is a recap of the past few events.
What a busy couple of weekends. In the past two weeks, we’ve had a biathlon, a triathlon and a run-only race (an athlon?) Anyway, here is a recap of the past few events.
July 14
The Vitamin Shoppe held its first-ever fun run. This run-only event included a one-miler, a 5-kilometer run and a 10k. The challenge for this race was the morning heat — the race only started at 9:45 a.m., but most residents know that’s early enough to push the heat limit for your body on a course with little to no shade.
All three races started and ended at the Vitamin Shoppe, with the one-mile race’s turnaround at the intersection of Kuakini Highway and Makala Boulevard, and the 5K and 10K heading into Old Kona Airport Park.
I couldn’t locate the results from these races, but it was a fun run, and that’s the most important part – right?
July 15
Frozen Pea Productions held the Red, White and Blue Biathlon, a half-mile swim and a 3.5-mile run in which the athletes dug out their most patriotic attire and wore smiles as they flew through the race.
The girls dominated this Peaman event.
Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen led the swimmers out of the water with Bree Wee right on her heels. Wee caught up with Pipes-Neilsen on the run and claimed first place with a time of 36 minutes, 10 seconds. Pipes-Neilsen followed close behind at 38:19.
James Resor took third overall and first for the men in 41:41, and Jon Jokiel placed fourth overall and second for the men at 42:10. The top two relay teams were: Superman and Austin Miller (38:11), and Wonder Woman and Janette Dosch (39:01).
For the pea-wees, who race with a shorter swim and a one-mile run, Kanaipono Eckart finished in first with a time of 12:11. Jackie Payne (12:17) and Zachary Shepard (12:21) were right behind. The pea-wee split pea top two teams were: Wonder Woman and Waileia (14:46), and Cat Woman and Katie Payne (15:02).
July 22
Team Mango Racing held the Trashcan Triathlon. The race course took the athletes on a half-mile swim, 10-mile bike ride and three-mile run.
This event is not only a chance to show the hard work of your training but a time to give back to the community and take action by cleaning it up. The catch in this race is that the more trash you collect along the course, the faster your time will appear in the end. For each piece of trash you collect, organizers will deduct time — 5 minutes in the swim, 2 minutes in the bike and 1 minute in the run. If an athlete finds an oversized piece of trash — for example, a bike frame or television — time is deducted according to the weight of the item.
The morning started out on the beach with a running start into the warm waters of Kailua Bay. The swim course was a 1/4-mile triangle close to shore, and the athletes rounded it twice. Sarah Chang led the swimmers out of the water and still managed to pick up three pieces of trash along the way.
Immediately following the swim, the racers jumped on their bikes and began their 10-mile ride along Alii Drive, still with the aim of picking up trash and following all traffic rules as they went. As the cyclists came into the final transition back at Kailua Pier, all the onlookers were mesmerized at the types of trash the athletes found – bicycle frames, cardboard boxes and rubbish stashed in odd places just to get it back to count as a deduction. The funniest sight coming back from the bike was Albert Martinez, who carried a large cardboard box on his head that draped over his whole body, making him look like a rubbish robot. The fastest bike time of the day went to my dad, Michael DeCarli, with a time of 26:18 – an average speed of 22.8 mph. Good job, Dad.
Last, but certainly not least, was the three-mile run that took the athletes, from the pier, 1.5 miles out along Alii Drive, just past the bridge and back into the finish located at the pier. Runners came through the finish line with plastic bags full of trash and smiles on their faces. One participant, Pam Miller, rolled a car tire across with one hand and a large bag of trash in the other.
Jason Braswell turned in the fastest run time for individual competitors (20:10).
Pam Miller took the Trashcan Triathlon title. After trash deductions, she finished with an outstanding time of minus-6:52:41. Congratulations, Pam, and way to go finding a junk bike and spare tire along the way.
Bob Smith picked up the second-greatest amount of trash, giving him second-place honors with a time of minus-3:09:36. Jim Moore took third, ending at minus-1:30:38.
For the most part, this was just a race to have fun in and clean the aina, but there were a few who really took it seriously and raced their hearts out. Finishing in under one hour was Michael DeCarli, who flew into first with a time of 59:44, but his one piece of trash was not nearly enough to secure his No. 1 spot in the official results. Without the trash deductions, Chris Prater took second (1:02:25), and third went to Kris Kiser (1:02:56).
The top three for the women were: Kym Kiser (1:05:58), Winona Chen (1:12:10) and Susan Nixon (1:19:25).
Coming up next on Aug. 5 is the Pedal Till Ya Puke, Run Till Ya Ralph, Papa Pea Pedal or Plod and the Mad Dog Mile. You can run or bike one, 3.5 or 6.5 miles up Kaloko Drive. The race is free and open to everyone. Race start is set for 8 a.m.
On Aug. 11, cyclists will test their strength and stamina in the Sea to Stars race, a race from the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows to the Mauna Kea visitor’s center.
The 50-mile bicycle race has a 9,200-foot elevation change. For more information, visit seatostars.net.
Until the next race recap, be safe and train hard. See you out there.