Over the past year we’ve all become accustom to change and perseverance amidst a sea of challenges and uncertainties. For Lavaman race director, Gerry Rott, this could not be any truer as she continues to show resilience by shifting gears time and again. The latest: Lavaman Waikoloa Olympic Distance Triathlon has a new race date slated for Oct. 31.
Through Rott’s popular newsletter called, Newsflash, an “Urgent Lavaman Triathlon 2021 Update” was emailed to participating Lavaman athletes on Jan. 30.
“After examining the current status of COVID-19 as well as the future projections, we now know that it will not be possible to produce the 2021 Lavaman Triathlon on March 28 as previously scheduled. We have been exploring with our venue and host hotel the possibility of a later date when vaccinations should be in place and the production of the race is possible. Yesterday, we finally reached an agreement, and have secured our new date of October 31, 2021. This will be for this year only and in 2022, we plan to return to our regular schedule of a spring race, with that date being April 3, 2022.
“We are excited with the new date and will plan some fun things around the Halloween Theme, and are sure that even though we know COVID Safety Systems will still be in place, we can produce a quality experience that our Lavaman athletes have come to enjoy and expect. We will ‘make lemonade out of lemons’ and have a fun and unique Lavaman experience.”
The Olympic Distance Triathlon featuring a 1.5K swim, 40K bike, and 10K run has been a staple on the Big Island for 24 years, but due to COVID-19 forcing the cancellation of nearly all in-person sporting events in 2020, Lavaman Waikoloa will celebrate its 23rd annual race at the Waikoloa Beach Resort on Halloween.
Rott said several factors led to postponing Lavaman Waikoloa to a later date.
“It became apparent a couple of weeks ago that it would be unlikely we would be able to hold the Lavaman on March 28 as scheduled due to continued COVID-19 restrictions and consideration for the safety for our athletes and volunteers,” she said. “We began negotiations to secure an alternative date that would be late enough during the year, that we could feel more confident in being able to hold the event without having to cancel or postpone again. We were very excited when we were able to secure the Oct. 31 date.”
The biggest impact of delaying her event is the expectation that most people will have been vaccinated, and the spread of COVID greatly reduced. It will also allow Rott and her staff sufficient time to adequately plan and prepare around a date firmly set.
“We expect that by that time, travel restrictions and restrictions on the (gathering) sizes will be greatly reduced so that Lavaman can be safely held,” she said. “We will work with our hosts as well as the County and State to make sure that all recommended steps are taken to assure the safety of everyone. This will most likely still include the wearing of masks and some form of social distancing, plenty of hand washing and sanitation procedures, as well as, minimizing personal contact. We have an action plan that incorporates all of this and are event prepared to do on-site testing, at least on unvaccinated people, if recommended by the CDC.”
Rott has been the driving force for Lavaman, building it from a small local race with 83 participants into a bucket-list event attracting a wide range of athletes. In addition, the race has built quite the reputation as having the, “Best Party in Triathlon,” waiting at the finish line.
When asked about her famous post-race Lavaman beach party, Rott said, “We will still provide an experience for the athletes worthy of the Lavaman name.”
“There will still be live music, beer and plenty of food at the finish, however it may be more spread out to accommodate the ability to socially distance. We are sure masks will still be necessary, and they will be provided, and we do not yet know if spectators will need to be restricted or not. We hope not, but will once again go by the recommendations of the CDC and our State &County officials.”
With this year’s race happening just three weeks after the Ironman World Championship scheduled for Oct. 9, Rott anticipates having a great turnout even with the reduction in size to approximately 800-1,000 competitors.
“I would just like to add a message to all of our future competitors to stay safe and keep training, and we very much look forward to seeing you in October!”
For more information on this year’s Lavaman Waikoloa Olympic Distance Triathlon visit the event website at lavamantriathlon.com.