Trash Can Triathlon

Just when we were starting to think we might have one weekend off from racing, that didn't turn out to be the case...for me, at least. (And don't get me wrong, we enjoy all of the races we enter, but having a race every single weekend gets to be tiring!) Last week Lava 105.3's Eddie O started recruiting a relay team for Team Mango's Trash Can Triathlon. He would do the 10-mile bike, but needed a swimmer and a runner. Despite my lack of swimming speed, I was recruited to do the 1/2 mile swim. Ray from Big Island Honda was our runner for the 3.1 mile run.

One of the reasons I agreed to do the race, though, was the great twist on the timing - for each piece of trash you picked up on the course, you got minutes deducted from your overall time. For the swim, each piece of trash was worth 5 minutes; on the bike, it was 3 minutes; and on the run, it was 1 minute. All I had to do was find one piece of trash to make my swim respectable!

That turned out to be a lot harder than it sounds. First off, the ocean is generally pretty clean. Then the waves were a little rough, so I really had to concentrate on not taking in salt water every time I breathed and that took away from my trash search. Finally, the water was really cloudy in spots, so I couldn't even see the bottom. I made it through the swim without finding one piece of trash - until I grabbed a cigarette butt on the beach on the way out!

Then Eddie was off. Apparently his plan was to pick up trash on the first 5 miles of the out-and-back course and then hammer on the way back in. Ray, Rose and I were at the pier waiting... and waiting...and waiting. Finally, we saw him - with a huge smile and loads of trash!


Not only did he fill up the bag provided by the race, but he also filled up the basket on the back of his bike. At the end of the count, he had 74 pieces of trash! And some interesting items, too. In one of the pictures below, he's holding an electric water pump that he found.

(Try to ignore the bad exposures above - I don't know what happened there!)

Finally it was Ray's turn to take to the run. His stated plan was to run conservatively so he had time to look for trash. He even picked up some bonus cigarette butts right at the end.

At the end of the day, his trash total was 47 - making 122 pieces of trash total for our team! That translated into a time of -2:52:55 (yes, that's a negative time!), good for second place in the relay division and only 5 minutes behind the winners. I guess I should have picked up another cigarette butt on the beach!

No races this coming weekend, but we'll be out at the Mana Road Runs (10 miles or 10K) on Sunday, August 8, so come join us!

Running on Faith 5K/10K - Tuesday, August 24, 2010

On Tuesday, August 24, Big Island residents and visitors will have the rare opportunity to participate in a night run. The Running on Faith 5K/10K is being hosted in connection with the release of Jason Lester's new book, "Running on Faith: The Principles, Passion and Pursuit of a Winning Life," on the same day. Jason won the 2009 ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete with a Disability. In addition to competing in numerous Ironman and Ultraman events, he also organized and completed the EPIC 5 in 2010, an Ironman distance event on each of the five main Hawaiian islands over the course of a week.

The run will finish at the Coconut Grove Marketplace where Jason will be also be holding a book signing. The event will also feature prizes, giveaways, post-race refreshments and a live DJ. All participants will be entered into a drawing for a free Zoot Fuzion Wetsuit, running shoes and a copy of "Running on Faith."

The cost for the event is $30 for the 5K and $35 for the 10K before August 1 and $35 for the 5K and $40 for the 10K after August 1 and on race day, so register early! Also, if three or more members of your family want to register for the race, the third person will get a free race entry! You can register online at runonfaith.com or in person at the Big Island Running Company.

Peaman's Pedal Til Ya Puke and Run Til Ya Ralph

Yesterday was a chance to participate in a Peaman race that wasn't held at the pier. Instead, hearty runners and bikers headed up to Kaloko Road for some fun hill climbing. As Peaman said at the start of the race, there really only was one hill. But it was a killer - climbing more than 3000 feet in 6.5 miles. In typical Peaman fashion, there were other options for those who weren't ready to tackle the 6.5 mile distance (including me!), with a 3.5 mile climb and a 1-mile loop run.

The 6.5 mile distance started at the bottom of Kaloko Drive for the climb to the top. The pictures below are the view from the starting area, before things really started getting steep. Pictures don't really do it justice, though.


As usual, Peaman gave instructions to the race participants, before everyone started off.

Thirty minutes after the 6.5 mile start, the 3.5 mile race started 3 miles up the hill. It was an interesting ride up there as the road became congested with the 6.5 mile participants and the cars going to the 3.5 mile start or to the top. Since I was doing the 3.5 mile run, I left the car at the 3.5 mile start, but unfortunately had to ditch the camera there, too. A few of the 6.5 mile bikes and runners passed us by, but then we were off. I think I lasted about half a mile before we hit a portion that went straight uphill. That's where I started my first of many walk portions (I like to think it was just as effective as running). The remainder of the race was spent trying to run the relatively flat portions while walking the really steep grades. It seemed to be a common strategy, although I was completely impressed by the couple of people who passed me and managed to keep running the entire time!

Right before I got to the finish line, I saw the 1-mile group flying down the hill at me at the beginning of their loop course. That group definitely looked the happiest.

At the finish, the spread was incredible - all kinds of homemade cookies, fresh fruit, and bread, which was a welcome sight for all the athletes. Also, at this race there wasn't the typical Peaman drawing for prizes, instead he let all participants pick out a prize in reverse order of finish. Boy, were the kids excited! The perpetual pea was also presented to Bobbi Reif-Acheson and her husband Cliff "Armstong" who won the mountain bike division of the 6.5 mile race.

The times for this race were not what you would typically expect for a 6.5 mile course. The winning bike, Sam Corace, made the trek in 46:33. For the runners, Josiah Jennings came in first for the 6.5 mile run in 56:40. The winning time for the 3.5 mile run was Wilfredo Duran in 36:50. Full results are here. Jason and I both finished second in our races and are glad that we have another year before we have to do that again!

Thanks Peaman for a fun, challenging race!

Bike Works Beach 'N Sports 5K/10K

This past weekend there were a couple of fun events going on on the Big Island. First on Saturday was the King's Swim, a 1.2 mile swim from the Kailua Pier to the beach in front of the King Kam hotel. Unfortunately, I chickened out on swimming it this year and think I really missed out. I will definitely be out there next year. From what I hear, some of the usual suspects had really good swims, including Nick Garrett, Noe Vargas, Madison Hauanio, and Bree Wee.

Then on Sunday morning, there was a 5K/10K in Waikoloa to celebrate the opening of Bike Works' new store Bike Works Beach 'N Sports in the Queens' Marketplace. Jason and I both opted to run the 10K, so we didn't get any pictures of the actual race. In the men's 10K race, two pro triathletes took home top honors as Mark Twelsiek won in 35:52 followed by Ian Mikelson in 37:49. Jason came in third with a time of 38:25. In the women's 10K race, Bree Wee won easily with a time of 39:54, followed by Melanie Aiona in 45:22 and Andrea Bess in 47:06. I finished in 7th place for the women, but realized how tough the 30-39 age group is - I finished 6th in my age group! Full results for the 10K are here.

In the 5K, Garrett Pringlaw came in first with a time of 17:58, followed by Alan Ryan at 18:50 and Lyman Perry at 18:54. For the women's 5K, it was Nicole Lane coming in first at 20:16, with Rani Tanimoto (20:36) and Melanie Yu (22:36) taking second and third. Full results for the 5K are here.

While there was some speculation that the 10K course was a little bit long, Bike Works put on a great race. In addition to the prizes for the top two winners, there were also several door prizes and a drawing for some great stuff - like a new bike, a night at the Hilton and gift certificates. Unfortunately we didn't win anything, but had a great time anyway.

The only photos of the event I was able to get were of some of the age group winners, which are below. Several of them are members of our running group!

Two of our favorite keiki runners. Duke Becker finished second in his age group for the 5K and Makena Becker won her 5K age group!

Women's Overall 10k winner Bree Wee

Age Group Winner Michael Woodbury

Age Group Winner and Running Group Member Brad Argue

Age Group Winner and new Running Group Member - Shirley Pratt

Another age group award for Lesley Cens-McDowell!

Lisa Bryant also claimed another age group award.

Congratulations to all!