KAILUA-KONA — To capture the Triple Crown Race Series of open water swimming is tough as it not only demands consistency, but also exceptional speed and skill to navigate the waters on the Big Island.
But on Sunday morning, Kamuela’s Kelan Kennedy and Holualoa’s Kiliheamaikalani Oka made it look easy as they zoomed through a field of over 200 swimmers to take the top male and female titles at the prestigious Kamakahonu 1-Mile swim race — subsequently putting a stamp on their 2024 Triple Crown campaigns as the overall series winners.
Kennedy, who is just 16 years of age, won his first Kamakahonu title in a stellar time of 19 minutes and 8 seconds. Not too far behind him were Waikoloa’s Nathaniel “X” Rose (17 years) in 19:15, and Kailua-Kona’s Ethan Ng (15 years) in 19:19.
On the women’s side, 14-year-old Oka took a commanding lead from the start, and kept the momentum going all the way to Kamakahonu’s sandy beach to win in a fabulous time of 19:24. Kailua-Kona’s rising star, 13-year-old Millie Knudson claimed second with her time of 20:11, followed by Holualoa’s Noelani Vargas in third at 20:21.
The journey to the Triple Crown championship began in May with the Anaehoomalu Splash, followed by the challenging Hapuna Rough Water Swim in June, and culminated with Sunday’s Kamakahonu swim. While each 1-mile event within the swim series presented unique challenges with varying water conditions, the ultimate honor of being crowned the Triple Crown champion was reserved for the male and female swimmers who posted the lowest, or fastest, cumulative times among the three qualifying races.
Through their individual performances, Kennedy and Oka proved that they are the Big Island’s best. Kennedy’s cumulative Triple Crown times placed him as the series winner at 1:02:49, while Oka successfully defended her Triple Crown women’s title with an impressive, combined time of 1:04:26. Following Kennedy in the male swim series were Rose (1:03:22) and Ng (1:03:40), and on the women’s side were Knudson (1:08:13) and Kali Kennedy (1:09:39).
Kona Aquatics head coach and Triple Crown Swim Series race director, Dave Gibson, summed up Sunday’s race by stating, “It was a perfect ocean swimming morning in beautiful Kailua Bay. Once the race started, the racers were greeted by a pod of dolphins that were swimming in the bay. Many of the dolphins came right underneath the swimmers or swam right next to them. A special treat for many of the participants!”
This year marked Gibson’s third successful year organizing all three events in the Triple Crown Series hosted by the Kona Aquatics swim club. Gibson shared what his experience has been like being the Triple Crown Swim series race director.
Q: How would you describe the overall experience of organizing the Triple Crown Swim Race Series, and what were some of the most memorable moments from the final race?
This was our third year for Kona Aquatics to host all three Triple Crown races. We have a core group of around 10 people that have been with us all three years, and at each race we have around 60 volunteers to help run the race. To run an Ocean Swim Series there’s hundreds of moving pieces that all need to come together on race day. Volunteers and great organization are keys to running the events. For many of the participants, the most memorable part of the swim was having spinner dolphins join in for part of the race. For many of the swimmers this was the first time they’d ever been approached by dolphins while swimming in the ocean.
Q: What kind of feedback have you received from participants about the Triple Crown Swim Race Series as a whole?
Feedback from the participants has been great. Many of the participants realize the amount of work it takes to put on high-quality events and they can see all the details that go into the Triple Crown Swims. Many of them are so grateful to have the opportunity to swim in the race with friends, families and visitors. It’s a great ocean community that enjoys the ocean swimming experience. I’ve had multiple people pull me aside at the races and thank us for hosting the races every year.
Q: Were there any standout performances or notable achievements by the swimmers in the final race or series that you would like to highlight?
Kinsey Oka won the Triple Crown for the second year in a row. She won all three races and she further showed that she’s the fastest and most versatile 14-year-old female swimmer in Hawaii. Coming in second this year was Millie Knudson, who is the state’s fastest 13-year-old female swimmer, and one of the up and coming 13-year-olds in the nation. We’re also seeing the emergence of a strong brother and sister swimming combination from Kamuela, Kelan and Kali Kennedy. Kelan won the male Triple Crown and his sister placed third in the female Triple Crown.
Q: On a personal level, what has been the most rewarding aspect of directing the Triple Crown Swim Race Series?
It adds to all the work I’ve been doing with Kona Aquatics in the West Hawaii swim community. We coach kids and adults. It’s great to see all the keiki growing and getting faster. It’s just as satisfying seeing the adults that swim Masters doing their best and enjoying swimming. Swimming has meant so much to me throughout my life so it’s great to be in a position to make a positive difference in people’s lives.