It didn’t matter that only a few early rays of sunshine peeked through the darkness over the slopes of Hualalai, and the temperature of Kailua Bay registered a chilly 76-degrees. For 40 eager participants, Sunday morning kicked off the start to the 2016 triathlon season.
It didn’t matter that only a few early rays of sunshine peeked through the darkness over the slopes of Hualalai, and the temperature of Kailua Bay registered a chilly 76-degrees. For 40 eager participants, Sunday morning kicked off the start to the 2016 triathlon season.
The fourth edition of Team Mango’s Wintertime Super Sprint Triathlon featured a 200-yard swim, a hilly 6-mile bike course, followed by a 1.5-mile sprint on Alii Drive.
“I was surprised with the turnout,” said Carl Koomoa, event organizer of Team Mango Races. “Being that we’re just getting out of the holiday season and the race starts relatively early for this time of year, it was great seeing everyone out there getting back into the groove.”
From a racing and training standpoint, Koomoa explained that putting on a sprint triathlon in January benefits everyone.
“It’s really a transition race,” he said. “It’s for people who want to try a triathlon for the first time before jumping into a longer distance race, or for people who are training and want to keep their fitness up, or for people who took some time off like I did and are trying to get back into the swing of things. It’s just a great way to start off the New Year.”
Koomoa added that because his Team Mango calendar events are designed to progressively “beat the heck out of people” throughout the season, starting out with a sprint distance that takes less than an hour to complete is ideal.
And along with the usual competition that showed up to race such as Gerald Gruber, Harry Yoshida, Lori Montgomery, Chris Prater, Kris Kiser, and Frank Ferren, arrived a few new faces ready to give it a go.
Eleven-year old Aiden Ankrum, who comes from an athletically gifted family, decided to jump into his first triathlon alongside his father, Adam.
“I think triathlons are fun,” Ankrum said. “I really like it.”
Crisp, clear skies and near perfect conditions set the stage for a fast and furious race up at the front of the pack.
Kealakehe’s Prater made quick work out of the 200-yard swim to exit the water first in a time of 2 minutes and 54 seconds. Right on his heels were Dan Gampon (2:59), Kiser (3:00), Josiah Randerson (3:07), and Aiden Ankrum (3:10).
Prater, who is a member of the Waverider Triathlon Club, was able to maintain his lead along the hilly 6-mile bike loop and start the 1.5-mile run in first.
While it seemed that Prater would take home his first Wintertime Super Sprint title, Gampon managed to run him down for the victory in a stellar time of 31:39. Prater followed in second at 32:16, with Jeremy Withrow outpacing Kiser on the run for third, 33:26 to 33:34 respectively.
In the women’s division, Kailua-Kona’s Serena Puaokalani and 2015 Team Mango Series Champion, Lori Montgomery, exited the water together in 3:36. Puaokalani then peddled herself into the lead on the bike and remained unchallenged during the run to win in a great time of 39:18.
Nina Hasler followed in second place at 41:11, with Montgomery rounding out the women’s podium with her time of 42:15.
The relay division title went to the team of Peter Rice (4:55), Todd Weinmann (18:33) and Katie Rice (12:04) for a combined time of 35:32.
One competitor who hasn’t competed in a triathlon in nearly twenty years surprised all when he racked his race bike and set up his transition area.
It happened to be none other than our very own, Sean “Peaman” Pagett.
“I was super excited on the inside and my heart was doing jumping jacks but I tried to keep it real casual on the outside to not give away all the energy I was feeling,” Peaman said. “A few years ago my health hit rock bottom so the thought of doing a triathlon wasn’t even an option for me. So this was huge for me to be out there and I couldn’t have been more excited.”
Peaman explained that two and half years ago, everything he could think of health-wise went wrong.
“My kidneys were distressed, I had a MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection, broken ribs, and my weight hit an all time low,” he said. “Since then, my life took a dramatic change for the better. I gained back weight and began to feel that my health was stronger than what it was. I also realized that I could be away from home for more than two hours at a time – something that I struggled with before.”
Peaman, who routinely competes in his monthly swim-run events, admitted that the 6-mile bike segment was the hardest – physically and mechanically.
“It was hard because I hadn’t ridden a bike on the road in a long time,” he said. “Riding on the road is a lot different than riding on a stationary bike. And because I borrowed a bike that hadn’t been used in awhile, it wasn’t working properly. It kept shifting into a harder gear going up Hualalai road that made a tough climb even tougher. But it turned out to be a super fun day.”
Peaman added that although he stopped doing triathlons for nearly twenty years, he never stopped being a triathlete. The four-time IRONMAN World Championship finisher completed Sunday’s Team Mango event in a time of 1:14:43. It certainly turned out to be the perfect start to a healthier 2016 ahead.
“I’ll always be a triathlete no matter what. And if I do triathlons, it’s because I do it for myself. Everyday is the start of a new life for me.”