The 10th annual Ironman 70.3 Hawaii was held on the Kohala Coast Saturday, with more than 1,400 athletes being welcomed by cheers while crossing the finish line.
The 10th annual Ironman 70.3 Hawaii was held on the Kohala Coast Saturday, with more than 1,400 athletes being welcomed by cheers while crossing the finish line.
A record was set before the half-Ironman triathlon even began: Saturday’s race had more than 1,700 athletes at the swim start.
The day was beautiful but brought many challenges. The water was rough, the headwinds made it hard to bike fast, and the extreme heat taxed the already exhausted athletes. Some athletes claimed the run course had the hottest conditions they had experienced before.
Australia’s Craig Alexander of Australia crossed the finish line first in 4 hours, 5 minutes, 43 seconds. Alexander clocked the fastest bike split of the day at 2:13:59. The United States’ Paul Matthews finished second (4:12:13), and American Damon Barnett was third (4:14:14).
Australia’s Belinda Granger was the first female finisher at 4:44:36. New Zealand’s Julia Grant placed second (4:46:46), and Kailua-Kona’s Bree Wee had a hard-earned third-place finish. Wee clocked the fastest swim (28:29) and bike (2:30:31) splits for the professional women.
Luis De La Torre was the first Big Island finisher. He finished the half-Ironman in 12th place overall with an outstanding time of 4:27:29.
Seven 18-year-old Hawaii residents put it all out on the line as some of the youngest competitors. Five of the seven were Big Island residents and members of the Waverider Triathlon Club.
Dan Gampon was the first of the five to finish with an amazing time of 5:31:55. Keoni Smith wasn’t too far behind at 5:40:57, and CJ Agusen clocked in at 6:13:00.
The only female of the five, Cedes DeCarli, finished in 6:47:18. Rafael Flores crossed the finish line at 8:30:10.
From a personal point, this race was all that they hype it up to be: one of the most difficult courses in the Ironman 70.3 series. Even with the tough conditions, just being out there racing on our training “backyard” made me smile. Smiling and encouraging others along the way are two ways to make that finish line seem like it came fast — when you are no longer running with your legs but are running with your heart.
Congratulations to all who competed in the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii. You should all be proud of your big accomplishment. A big mahalo to all the race directors and volunteers who made this possible; and a big mahalo to all those who cheered for your favorite athletes.
Hope to see you all out there again next year.
On Sunday, the Kukio Challenge took place at Kukio Bay. The race included a half-mile swim, a three-mile run and either a two-mile paddleboard or stand-up paddleboard course.
Ed Doherty finished first overall in 1:03:11. Chandler Nacino placed second at 1:04:35, and Jason Cullum was third (1:06:18).
For the females, Lucy Bell finished first in 1:11:11. Rebekah Lussiaa claimed second (1:13:10), and Melanie Aiona was third (1:15:00).
Congratulations to all who competed in the Kukio Challenge, and we hope to see you all out there again next year.
On Sunday, the Queen Kaahumanu Triathlon Club will host its Terrible Twenties training run at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority. The free event will offer 20-mile and 20-kilometer runs. The 20-mile run will begin at 6:30 a.m., and the 20-kilometer run follows at 7 a.m.
On June 15, the Aloha Keiki Run will take place from 8 to 10 a.m. at Kona Commons. The race is for keiki ages 1-14. For more information, visit konamarathon.com.
On June 16, Frozen Pea Productions will host its Papa Pea’s Birthday Biathlon and Salute to the 70s near Kailua Pier at 8 a.m. Hawaiian time. This race features a half-mile swim and a two-mile run. As always there will be a shorter course (half-mile swim and one-mile run) for any pea-ticipant.
Hope to see you all out there. Until next time, happy training.