As the only underwater state park on the Big Island, Kealakekua Bay boasts breathtaking natural beauty with its protective rocky lava shoreline, surrounding lush vegetation and towering sea cliffs that encapsulate a blue oasis like no other.
As the only underwater state park on the Big Island, Kealakekua Bay boasts breathtaking natural beauty with its protective rocky lava shoreline, surrounding lush vegetation and towering sea cliffs that encapsulate a blue oasis like no other.
Intimate encounters with Hawaiian spinner dolphins, schools of tropical colored fish, Hawaiian green sea turtles, and a plethora of vibrant coral plumes is an everyday fascination within this amazing marine sanctuary they call home.
On the northern end of the bay stands a site of great historical significance — a tall, white, marble stone memorializing Captain Cook, who sailed his ships into the Bay in 1779, which ultimately culminated with his death.
For the past 33 years, this towering monument has served as the 1-mile swim marker for the most challenging and brutal triathlon in the South Kona District, simply known as the Captain Cook Challenge.
Race organizer Carl Koomoa described the uniqueness of his event as being “truly special” and that he’s proud to have had the ability to keep the tradition going on for so long.
“It really is all about the course,” Koomoa said. “When Ben Fisher and Kelly Beck first created this course, it was unbelievably beautiful and tough and it had everything special for a challenging course. We have the beauty, the toughness, the venue itself, the bay is sacred, you really get the Hawaiian feeling which is really prevalent down here and that’s just many of the wonderful things that competitors enjoy.”
Those who summon the courage to show up on Kealakekua Bay’s rocky shoreline for the swim start are not what one would call “the Average Joe.” Tough competitors return year after year for bragging rights.
“The people that come out to race are your bunch that want to just belly up at the starting line,” Koomoa said. “They want to race hard, it’s a tough course, and we got a real brutal race here. This is one of those real grass-roots type of race without the hype and hoopla of a big event.”
Sunday’s event featured a 1-mile swim across pristine waters of a dolphin-filled bay, starting from Napoopoo Beach and finishing at the Captain Cook monument.
After a quick transition, a rugged, off-terrain 2.5-mile uphill trail run with an elevation gain of 1500 awaited, followed by a quad busting 28-mile hilly bike course, and finishing off with soul drenching 4-mile run on the Old Government Road.
Returning to improve upon last year’s second place finish was Keauhou’s Michael DeCarli — who won the previous weekend’s Carboman 10-Mile Mosey.
“It’s just not a triathlon — it’s definitely a challenge,” DeCarli said. “Coming out of the water then running two miles up a steep hill definitely takes some gas out of you and your legs before you hit your bike ride.”
Sixteen-year old Chris Prater was the first to exit Kealakekua Bay in a time of 24:01, and with a large lead ahead of the rest of the field before starting the 2.5-mile uphill grind. Following Prater were Adam Ankrum (25:48), Dan Gampon (25:55), and John Howerton (26:00).
“I was a bit shocked to see Chris near the top of the trail as he had a big lead on us,” Gampon said of passing Prater on the trail. “But I knew the trail was going to be my favorite part of the race as I love trails and it’s one of my strengths. So getting to the top first was great as it was my favorite.”
With Gampon emerging as the new leader, just over a minute behind were Prater, DeCarli and Howerton. Gampon however, had a sinking feeling that his lead would be short lived.
“I just knew it would only be a matter of time before Mike would blow by me,” he said. “So I was actually just waiting for it. After Mike blew by, I just focused on staying within myself and being safe.”
DeCarli, known for his strength on the bike, continued to extend his lead along the hilly circuit course to build a huge cushion, securing first place before starting the 4-mile run.
DeCarli said that he felt happy that all of his hard work and training has been paying off. He won in a superb time of 2 hours, 46 minutes and 17 seconds.
“Everything was perfect today with the conditions, the water was smooth and very calm,” DeCarli said. “And I was able to shave six minutes off of last year’s time which is a great confidence booster for Honu.”
The battle for second turned out to be an exciting match between Gampon and Howerton. After Howerton passed Gampon during the steep bike climb of Napoopoo hill, Gampon entered the run transition in third place.
Yet once out on the steamy run course, Gampon was able to pass Howerton for a final time, finishing in second with a great time of 2:56:15. Howerton followed in third at 2:57:35.
“I really surprised myself these past two weeks,”Gampon said. “Mike and I have been saying that we really need to get out there and prove ourselves to everyone and I think we were able to do that today.”
The women’s division also turned out to be equally as exciting between veteran Captain Cook Challenge finisher, Dene Sturm, and teen rookie triathlete, Olga Brocks.
Brocks found herself ahead of Sturm exiting the swim and trail run, but Sturm’s quick transition placed her in the lead heading out onto the bike course. It then quickly became a game between “the veteran and the rookie” as the duo continued to exchange the lead on a course that left Brocks asking Sturm for directions.
“On the bike I just kept her in sight,” Sturm said. “But when I went by her, she didn’t know where she was going so I think she kept me in sight so she wouldn’t get lost. So yes, experience definitely helped me on this course.”
Although Sturm was able to head out onto the sun-drenched run course ahead of Brocks, Sturm said she had no idea that she was in first place.
“She never caught up to me during the run,” Sturm said of Brocks. “I didn’t know I was in the lead as there was a girl in front of me but I didn’t know she was part of a relay. Even when I crossed the finish line, I didn’t hear people say that I was the winner. It was only now with you asking me about my race did I realize that I won.”
Sturm claimed her first Captain Cook Challenge victory in a great time of 3:55:11, with Brocks in second at 3:57:50, and Wendy Minor rounding out the women’s podium in 4:21:10.
Sturm said that after completing the event the first time around a few years back, she knew she wanted more, and Sunday’s race became her third attempt at the challenge.
“This is a good determination to know where you are at for Honu,” she said. “It’s really family-oriented and it’s not about who finishes first or second. Just being a part of the race makes it special.”
The teen relay team of Natasha Brocks (swim-run) and Malik Mariano (bike) finished strong with their combined time of 3:21:18.
With the 33rd edition of The Captain Cook Challenge now in the history books, Koomoa says that he feels thankful to all who has supported this event from the beginning.
“I would like to say mahalo to everyone, to this entire Honaunau-Napoopoo area, to the competitors, to all my volunteers – Mahalo. We couldn’t make this happen without the volunteers. It’s really just about the Aloha and the wonderful spirit we have here.”