It turned out to be a day full of surprises and inspiring moments.
At Sunday’s 3rd Annual Hilo Triathlon, everything that was expected for the Olympic Distance event featuring a 1.5K swim, 40K bike, and 10K run, simply didn’t unfold the way everyone thought it would, and it started off with the swim being cancelled.
“We had to cancel the swim due to safety,” said race director, Joe Wedemann. “We had a little bit of high surf and surging conditions so we had to call it at 6:45 a.m. But we added a mile run which went pretty well even if it wasn’t the original plan. The only big complaint came from the swimmers who swim really well and the fin division who now had to do a mile run that they didn’t train for. But they liked it and all ended up having a good time.”
The modification turned the 1.5K swim portion into a 1-mile run prior to the bike segment and had all divisions – men, women, and relays start at the same time instead of having separate 5-minute wave starts. Thus, it drastically altered the dynamics of a race typically dominated by faster swimmers.
It was now a race geared for the stronger runners and cyclists – perfect for someone like me – as I found myself toeing the line alongside some of Hawaii’s most acclaimed triathletes such as Bree Wee, Luis De La Torre and Brent Imonen.
What remained the same and came almost as everyone expected, was what Wedemann would call “normal Hilo weather.” Yes, it truly wouldn’t be the Hilo Triathlon without the rain, and right on cue, the grey skies burst into a heavy downpour at the start of the race.
A field of nearly 200 participants charged out like lightning bolts – all jostling for position while dodging mud puddles and potholes along the slick 1-mile route.
Kealakehe High School cross country and track & field standout, Adalberto Malagon, was the first to reach the transition area – clocking in with a time of 4 minutes and 47 seconds before tagging his bike relay partner, Malik Mariano.
Right on his heels and in the men’s individual race for first were Volcano’s Michael Hoff (4:49), Kealakekua’s David Wild (4:52), and recent Kona Half Marathon winner, Mike Sullivan (4:58), all within a few seconds of one another.
Meanwhile, the women’s race seemed to be unraveling just as expected – with everyone chasing Wee – who finished in 5:07, followed by myself in 5:26, and Volcano’s Noe McMahon at 5:38.
Onto the bike, the rain intensified as athletes headed out to the turnaround in Pepeekeo, which then became strong headwinds on the way back.
“It was challenging and definitely a lot harder than I preached to people,” Wedemann said of the bike course. “I just figured that you would climb 400 feet or so then turn around and come back with the downhill, but then the wind was in your face so it made the bike challenging. Plus with the rain, it made it a little sketchy going across the singing bridge – but it was safe.”
With this race being my first triathlon in two years due to pregnancy and now raising two young boys, you can imagine how surprised and excited I felt to be just under two minutes behind Wee at the turn.
Wee, who recently retired from the professional world of triathlon, has always been known for her endless smiles and sending positive cheers out to everyone while on the racecourse.
Wee yelled out to me, “Alright Rani!” which encouraged me to pedal even harder.
Back in transition, as I racked my bike and headed out for the final 6.2-mile run segment, spectators yelled that I was still only two minutes behind Wee. Excitement again filled my entire body as it was the closest that I’ve ever been to her in a triathlon – now turned duathlon – and it was time to go for it.
With the once cool morning rainy conditions dissipating into a hot and humid soul drenching run, the gap between us began to close.
Then near mile four, the unexpected was about to happen. I knew I would pass Wee.
I instantly flashed on all of the years that we raced alongside one another. Some were close finishes, while most were blown out of the ball park by a talented Wee’s amazing skills to swim, bike and run.
She set the bar high and wide for women on the Big Island, inspiring us to train harder, go faster, and push toward personal goals no matter how daunting it may seem. She taught us many great lessons in the sport of swim-bike-run and became the standard that we all wanted to meet.
For me, having Wee in any race always inspired me to perform my best. And on this day, I pushed harder than ever to catch up to her.
I took a deep breath and readied myself to dig deep as I closed in behind her. She then instantly turned to give me a “high five.”
“You got this,” she smiled. “Finish strong!”
In that moment, 12-years of competing against this woman to countless finish lines simply vanished. We now were one of the same – two moms cheering for each other and genuinely happy to have this opportunity to come to a realization that it’s not about winning or losing. It’s about being in the moment and being happy doing what you love no matter the result.
Wee was definitely celebrating her moment and so was I.
The adrenaline that surged through my body kept me going all the way to the finish line to claim my second Hilo Triathlon women’s crown in a time of 1:58:18. Wee followed in at 1:59:16, with last year’s defending champ, Winona Chen, in third at 2:07:35.
Hakalau’s Mandy Lemes, a mom to three young children, finished fourth in 2:18:12, with Kailua-Kona’s Mercedes DeCarli rounding out the women’s top five with her time of 2:20:49.
Other inspiring moments and close finishes of the day unfolded within the men’s division.
In a heated battle for first, Kealakekua’s David Wild outran last year’s overall champion, Luis De La Torre, to win in a great time of 1:44:07. It would be Wild’s first win in four finishes against De La Torre.
De La Torre was a close second in 1:44:50, with the next three spots going to Holualoa’s Dan Gampon (1:55:12), Kona’s Mike DeCarli (1:55:54), and Kapaau’s Malcolm Davis (1:56:19).
Wedemann also finished his first ever Hilo Triathlon as race director with a great time of 2:19:12.
“This was definitely a tear-jerking moment for me on the course partially because I wasn’t ready for the conditions, but also because I don’t know if I’ll be able to do the race and have the event again as the race director,” Wedemann said. “Having it all come together after three years and finally just being able to race, and finish, and be a part of it was definitely a good moment for me.”
The run-bike-run relay title went to the team of Malagon (4:47), Mariano (1:03:28), and Malagon (43:30) for a combined time of 1:52:52. While Volcano’s Todd Marohnic won the newly added 40K individual time trial cycling race in a swift time of 1:01:30.
On an island that is home to some of the greatest triathlons in the world, such as the IRONMAN World Championships, IRONMAN Hawaii 70.3, and Lavaman’s Waikoloa Olympic Distance Triathlon, the bar is indeed set high for other events to follow.
The Hilo Triathlon did just that – elevating their game by providing an exceptional event featuring uniqueness and inspiration for everyone to enjoy.
Coming Up
Sunday: Frozen Pea Productions presents the Peas on Earth Biathlon at Kaiakeakua Beach. Start time for the free and fun ½-mile swim and 3.5-mile run is 8:08 a.m. A short Pea Wee course of 200-yard swim and 1-mile run is available for everyone. No registration or sign-in needed, just sign-out when finished. For more information or to volunteer contact Peaman at 938-2296.
Sunday: The Greg Cameron’s Fireman Fund 4th Annual Biathlon, and LavaKids Biathlon & Keiki Dash will be held at Hapuna Beach State Park. The 400-meter swim and 1-mile beach run will begin at 9 a.m. with late registration and check-in starting at 7 a.m. at the main pavilion. The shorter LavaKids Biathlon & Keiki Dash will begin at 8:30 AM. For more information contact Grant Kojima at 325-3251 or inkona@hotmail.com.
