KOHALA COAST – At the end of a nearly picture-perfect day for a triathlon, the athletes at Saturday’s Ironman 70.3 Hawaii are, more than anything, grateful to be back and competing.
After a one-year hiatus, the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run known as the Honu was held for the second year in a row, starting and ending at the Fairmont Orchid. Mexico’s Andoni Valencia recorded the fastest time of the day, crossing the finish line in four hours, 18 minutes and 54 seconds.
“It was really hard. I fell on the bike, which really hurt my hip,” said Valencia. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to have a good run, but I managed it well.”
Valencia’s blistering pace, averaging 6:35-minute miles during the run was the second-fastest in the field, allowing him to ultimately claim the overall win.
“In the turnarounds, I could see I was opening up space,” he added. “When I started the third lap, I kind of realized that I was in a good place. I was just like, ‘Don’t blow up, just keep the pace…’ I’m just excited to get the slot for the Kona World Championship; that’s what I came for.”
Colton Douda (4:20:21), Drake Deuel (4:24:17) and Matthew Doyle (4:26:56) rounded out the top four on the men’s side.
Kailua-Kona’s David Wild crossed the line in a time of 4:33:16: good for eighth place overall and tops in his age group.
“I felt really good out there; I didn’t feel like it was a bad run, but it was actually my slowest race,” said Wild. “From a personal, competitive standpoint, I’m a little disappointed, but my goal was to finish strong and happy. I did.”
Though Wild earned one of the slots to compete in the World Championship, the racer may turn it down.
“I love this sport that’s brought me so much joy and so many friends,” he added. “Now, I’m switching priorities; I want this to be more of a hobby and bring it back to just a super fun thing… All these volunteers, the community to come out and support this. Hawaii, and this island; it’s so special. Shout out to Hawaiians, the native people who were here first, for letting us be here and share this space.”
In the women’s race, San Francisco-based triathlete Sarah Cameto took the lead from Kailua-Kona’s Bree Wee in the first half of the run and never looked back. Cameto’s final time of 4:58:49 was the fastest in the women’s field.
Wee ultimately took seventh place, crossing the finish line in a time of 5:04:39. After the race the former professional triathlete, expressed how grateful she is to still compete at a high level.
“I don’t spend a lot of time training; I’m super devoted to my classroom,” said Wee. “My students are everything to me, and my son is everything.
“That’s my priority, not triathlons. To be able to do well is such a gift; I don’t take it for granted. Every performance, I’m just thankful for another finish line.”
Carolyn Olsen (4:59:11), Christine Warren (5:01:55) and Peggy Yetman (5:03:03) rounded out the top four finishers.
Next on the horizon is the 2022 Ironman World Championship, which will be held on two days for the first time. The 140.6-mile race will start and end in Kailua-Kona on October 6 and October 8.