Edward Ignacio isn’t in Hilo to merely compete, nor is he in it to win it.
Edward Ignacio isn’t in Hilo to merely compete, nor is he in it to win it.
Ignacio won’t be among the leaders at Sunday’s Hilo Triathlon, but he’ll stand out for another reason. As is his custom, he’ll don law enforcement tactical gear – battle dress uniform, a ballistic vest and helmet – for the running portion of the Olympic-sized triathlon to honor Hawaii’s fallen heroes.
He’ll also be sporting a smile, because his work is almost done here.
“I’m either working or training,” said the affable 46-year-old Oahu FBI agent, formerly of Laupahoehoe.
Ignacio was happy to answer two questions for a fellow passenger Saturday on the plane ride from Honolulu to Hilo on Saturday.
Yes, Hilo has a triathlon.
No, Hawaii does not have a memorial to officers killed in the line of duty. It’s the only state not to have one – until now.
His 20-month mission to have a memorial built received a big boost when the state Legislature approved a bill, introduced by Suzanne Chun Oakland – to provide $600,000 for the Hawaii Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation.
“Everything is falling into place,” Ignacio said, “That along with the existing funds is enough to construct it, but it will also probably exhaust it.
“I want to finish what I started. There will be overruns. We still need money for upkeep, maintenance and security cameras.”
Ignacio already had targeted this as his last year in gear. To up the ante, he’s “gearing up,” competing with 50 pounds of equipment instead of 40.
He finally noticed it at Honu 70.3 in May, which included a half-marathon.
“I felt it,” Ignacio said. “It was hot and heavy. I was thinking thank goodness this is my last one.”
The Hilo Triathlon, which begins and ends at James Kealoha Beach Park, will be his fourth “mission” this year. He’d like to avoid the deluge that weighed down his equipment last year, but the 10-kilometer run should prove easier than the marathon he competed in last year at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona or the half-marathon at Honu.
“I usually start to feel the gear at about 10 or 12 miles,” Ignacio said. “I get a lot of encouragement and thank yous.
“A lot of people want to tap me on the back to see if I’m wearing my plates. They hit it and say, “Oh, you actually are wearing metal plates.”
Ignacio got an exemption to the 2014 IRONMAN World Championship, and he’s hopeful of getting another one this year.
If so, that will be his last race in gear.
On Oct. 24, two weeks after the championships, he’ll be the race director of the inaugural HLEMF Triathlon on Oahu.
“We needed a perpetual fundraising mechanism,” Ignacio said.
His highlight to date came last year at the World Championship when race winner Sebastian Kienle bowed to Ignacio as he finished, late in the night, and handed him a lei.
“He probably could have done it twice before I did it once,” Ignacio said. “That’s the race that ultimately made the campaign.
“When you have a world champion bowing before you, how can you top that?”