It might have been just another laid-back Peaman Biathlon event on a cloudless Sunday morning, but it wasn’t hard to notice the increased turnout at one of Kona’s most beloved community sporting events.
“I’ve definitely noticed a couple of things,” said Frozen Peas Production event organizer, Sean “Peaman” Pagett. “I think we had the most kids ever at the last Peaman. So, if we went percentage-wise, I think it was 50-50 adults and kids. Also, I’ve been seeing more local families coming out which has been awesome. We usually get more visitors, but now more local families, long-time biathlon regulars, and also a lot of the younger kids who used to participate in the PeaWee course, now all grown up and competing in the long-course division.”
A good example of an athlete who used to compete in the LavaKids PeaWee course was Levi Childers, now a senior at Kealakehe High School who competes in swimming, running, and triathlons.
Childers whipped through Sunday’s swim-run named “Peaman’s Fun in the Sun Biathlon” featuring a half-mile swim in Kailua Bay followed by a three-mile run on Alii Drive in a stellar time of 32 minutes and 19 seconds. Peaman added that two former LavaKids PeaWee athletes, Archer Ankrum and Cameron Cornforth, have also been finishing within the top five in the long course event. Both placed second and third in the men’s division, but third and fourth in the overall race, with their times of 34:48 and 35:39 respectively.
Fifth overall again went to the amazing Peaman (36:19), who reminded me that I forgot to mention in my last writeup that his age of 56 years was “the combined age of all four teens who placed ahead of him.” Peaman truly amazes all with his passionate athleticism for the sport and that age doesn’t matter when you are having fun.
Sunday’s biathlon also kicked off the five-week countdown to this year’s Ironman World Championships that will be held on October 6 and 8. The 140.6-mile distance featuring a 2.4-mile swim in Kailua Bay, 112-mile bike along Queen Kaahumanu Highway, and a 26.2-mile marathon returns after being postponed three times due to the pandemic.
Hometown athlete who returns to the October start line is Bree Wee. Wee finished Sunday’s Biathlon second overall, and first in the women’s division with her time of 34:19. The 42-year old competed in her very first Kona Ironman race 15 years ago and this year’s event marks her 25th Ironman race and seventh at Kona.
Another former LavaKids PeaWee biathlete was Jada Keen, who placed second in a fantastic time of 41:58. Keen was followed closely by Elizabeth Torres, who finished just eight seconds back to secure third place at 42:06.
In the competitive LavaKids PeaWee course featuring a 200-yard swim and one-mile run, Kona Aquatics swimming standout, Amelia “Mia” Yamasaki, claimed her second victory by once again winning the overall title with her time of 11:01.
Fellow Kona Aquatics teammate, Cole Henderson, finished second overall and first in the male division with his time of 11:35. Noe Hensel secured the third spot in 12:06, with David Hensel and Norah Yamasaki finishing fourth and fifth with their times of 12:06.7 and 13:14 respectively.
Elisa Childers won the three-mile run division with her time of 21:55, Abby Brown won the 1-mile run in 12:05, and Kinsey Oka whipped through the ½-mile swim in a time of 13:18.
As Peaman took a moment to take a look at a beautiful community coming together for some Sunday fun, he said the motivation for him to continue his Peaman Biathlon events was, “this,” as he pointed to the ever-growing turnout at Kaiakeakua Beach.
“Peaman Biathlons have always been about the community and the way it brings together so much diversity,” he said. “Friends from the gym, friends from school, parents who I have met along the way, to those who come just to walk, and others who want to race hard. I just love that diversity and how it brings together our community. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
