The conditions were perfect Sunday morning for the fifth annual Lavaman Keauhou triathlon, as more than 500 participants took to the Olympic distance course (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run). ADVERTISING The conditions were perfect Sunday morning for the fifth
The conditions were perfect Sunday morning for the fifth annual Lavaman Keauhou triathlon, as more than 500 participants took to the Olympic distance course (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run).
Honolulu resident and Lavaman Keauhou veteran Timothy Marr took home first overall with a time of 2 hours 5 minutes and 27 seconds, securing his second title in three years.
“It’s a really challenging race that is always a lot of fun,” said Marr. “I didn’t have the most fluid day on the course, but it was good enough to get the job done.”
Marr was the first athlete out of the water with a time of 20:50 and held on to the top spot until crossing the finish line. However, it was not without having to look in his rear-view for Kona’s Luis De La Torre.
De La Torre had Marr within sight for a good portion of the run, but could never catch him, finishing in second.
De La Torre was participating in the race only a week after running Ironman Arizona, where he won his age group.
“I was happy my body felt this good,” De La Torre said. “I was concerned my heart would be a little slow on the uptake after a long race like that, but I was very satisfied with the results today.”
De La Torre finished the race just under a minute behind Marr with a time of 2:06:19.
It was not quite a three-peat for Marr, who won the race in 2011 and placed second last year, but he was not disappointed.
“Last year we had Chris Leito here and he’s a legend in the sport,” said Marr. “Getting second to him is still a win in my book.
In the women’s race, Kona’s Bree Wee and three-time Olympian Kiyomi Niwata battled for the top spot.
Wee led by 20 seconds after the bike transition, but the 43-year-old veteran Niwata took control of the race on the run.
“I knew coming in [Niwata] was a short course specialist and I’m a long course specialist, but I was ready for the challenge,” Wee said. “She made me get out of my comfort zone. I thought I was going to throw up the entire run.”
Niwata finished in first with a time of 2:11:50, followed by Wee at 2:14:18
Despite the heated competition, the mutual admiration between the two elite competitors was evident at the finish line.
“I always wanted to go to the Olympics, but [race director Gerry Rott] brought the Olympics to me,” Wee said, with her arm around Niwata.
Tomoya Hara was third for the men with a time of 2:13:40, and Sylvia Ravaglia took third for the women finishing at
2:25:48.
Marr and Niwata will take home the $1250 prize for first place, while the second and third place finishers earned $750 and $450, respectively.
Race director Gerry Rott decided to incorporate the hilly Mamalahoa bypass road for the bike portion of the event this year. The addition made the triathlon a uniquely demanding course.
“The hill was rough — it was really challenging going up,” said Marr. “I never look down and see 9 mph on my computer. We usually average around 28 mph on the bike, so seeing that number really shows how tough that hill was.”
Rott credited her crew of over 600 volunteers for another successful event.
“It’s always a little crazy in the morning to see the traffic pattern and how things will pan out, but these volunteers are so incredible. They see what is going on, adapt and make things work.”
