Captain Cook Challenge and Cinco de Mayo Swim 2014

Two weekends ago, Team Mango hosted the Captain Cook Challenge, one of the most challenging events on the island.  Then last weekend, the summer swim race series kicked off with the Cinco de Mayo Splash.  Since we didn't recap the Captain Cook Challenge last week, I'm combining both race recaps here!

Captain Cook Challenge

Carl Koomoa and his Team Mango races hosted this race for many years before being forced out of Kealakekua Bay last year, resulting in an alternate race - the Escape to Puuhonua.  Luckily, Carl received permission to use Kealakekua Bay again this year and the Captain Cook Challenge was back on.  The race starts on the south side of Kealakekua Bay with a 1-mile ocean swim across the bay to the Captain Cook Monument.  After leaving the water, runners climb the 2-mile hike up to Napoopoo Road, with approximately 1500 ft of elevation gain. From there it's on to the bike, heading out to the highway headed south before turning down past the City of Refuge, and up Napoopoo Road for one more loop. The bike course finishes at Kealakekua Bay again before runners head out on a hot and unshaded 4-mile run on the old beach road toward the National Park and back.  No leg of this event is easy! 

Two years ago I tackled the first two legs of this race before tagging off to Jason for the bike.  Then we both did the 4-mile run (guess who won that one?).  Jason had a scheduled rest day this year, so I recruited John Ferdico to do the bike leg for me again, with both of us running the last 4 mile run.

Even getting into the water provides quite a challenge.  After carefully climbing over the slick rocks, you have to time your entry perfectly so you don't get slammed back into the rocks by a big wave. Once in the water, though, it's surprisingly sandy and a good place to wait for the start.  Once the horn goes off, everyone takes off on different lines to the monument. I ended up staying pretty far out, while others took a route closer to shore.  Pretty early on, the bottom drops out and you can't see anything but blue. Unfortunately about halfway through the swim, we started getting hit with jellyfish.  Mainly just the little annoying and somewhat painful sea lice type, but I did manage to get whacked with something different on my neck and arm.  Let me tell you, that impact and pain took my breath away! Although there was water patrol out there on SUPs, there weren't many other options at this point than to finish on. I kept thinking that if I swam faster I would eventually get out of the stingers. Turns out that didn't really happen until I got out of the water, but all that adrenaline led to my fastest mile swim ever - approximately 30:30 (34:00 minutes officially with T1 time).

After taking too long in transition to collect myself, I started out on the first run.  For some reason I didn't remember this being as hard two years ago.  I ran for about 2-3 minutes before slowing down to a walk/climb.  I tried to push myself in less steep sections with better footing, but still wasn't able to run much at all. (Of course there were lots of photographers out there, so I had to pick it up to run everytime I saw one of them).  But I was never so happy to see the end of a run!

First runner up and eventual race winner Chris Gregory

Yes, that's how we all felt!

I tagged off to John for the bike and sat down to catch my breath and try to figure out what to do about this stinging pain on my neck (turned out ice helped pretty well for that one).  After watching all the runners come up the trail, we headed down to T3 to watch the bikers come in.

This race is relatively small, with only 21 individuals and 3 relay teams competing.  At the end of the first two legs, we were in 3rd place for the relays.  The eventual winning team had quite a lead with super masters swimmer Jim McCleery leading the way and getting about 12 minutes on me on the swim. So John had some work to do.  He did a great job, catching up to Dave Cobb to put us in second place.

Then it was off on the run. Compared to the first run, this was a piece of cake! Even though it was hot and sunny, at least it wasn't straight uphill and I felt like I could move my legs.  My goal was just to stay ahead of John off the head start I had while he was transitioning.  I got to the turnaround and was heading back when I saw he was the next person behind me.  But I still had some people to catch ahead of me.  Disclaimer, though - all of the people I was chasing had done the full race and didn't have a couple of hours to rest before this run.  I really had an unfair advantage.

At the end of the day, we finished in second place in the relays with an overall time of 3:35:01.  And I'm pretty sure John will never do that again:

Full results from the race are available here. Chris Gregory finished in first place with a time of 2:34:05, a new course record. Sylvia Ravaglia was the first (and only) woman to finish the course with a time of 3:09:48.  Congratulations to everyone who participated in this epic Big Island event.  More photos from the race are available here. Also, big mahalos to all of the volunteers! With three separate transition areas, this was a logistically difficult race that went off without a hitch because of them.

Cinco de Mayo Splash

Then last Saturday morning, swimmers (and wanna-be swimmers) gathered for the Cinco de Mayo Splash at Ana'ehoomalu Bay, the first race in the Triple Crown series of swims over the next month and a half.  Jason and I were excited for this race, since it was going to serve as a big showdown between us. Jason beat me in the races last year, but since then he's taken some time off from swimming, while I stayed at it consistently.  I was hopeful the results would bear that out!  Thanks to Nori Becker for taking all of the photos at this race for us.

Another tricky ocean entry for this one.  There was a coral reef that you basically had to belly flop over to get to the start line.  But it was a pretty great day for an ocean swim.  The water was calm, the sun wasn't too bright and the water was relatively clear.  Apparently several people saw honus and rays near the start of the swim. 

The course was pretty direct, just a straight shot out to the Ocean Sports boat, around it, and back in.  Not surprisingly, high school senior Leahi Camacho was the first out of the water by quite a margin.  Rumor has it she swam so fast because she needed to get ready for prom that evening.

Other fast swimmers started charging out of the water a little while later, with a mixture of youth and experience.

Many minutes later, I was heading in on the home stretch. I hadn't seen Jason since the start, but I thought it was safe bet that I was ahead of him.  Then I took a breath and looked to my right and who did I see?  No, not Jason, but John Ferdico instead.  I decided there was no way I was going to let him pass me, so I had to pick it up for the last 200 yards or so.  He hung on, though, and I managed to just beat him up the beach, both coming in just under 30 minutes.

Can't breathe ... but can't let John pass me!

Then we started looking around for Jason. He wasn't hanging out on the beach, but about a minute later we saw him come through the finish line.  Turns out he had his own battle with John's girlfriend Ali, beating her out of the water by just a few seconds, too. Although all of us were pretty far back in the pack, it was still a lot more fun to have that healthy competition.

And then it was on to the post-race fiesta.

Chips and salsa, fruit, donuts and cookies all on the beach afterwards - a pretty perfect post-race!  Then it was on to the awards, which were won by some seriously fast swimmers.  Full results are available here. More photos are available here. Congratulations to all of the swimmers and mahalo to all of the volunteers!

Coming up this weekend is Peaman's Polar Bear & Pinto Bean Biathlon, a 3/4 mile swim and 3.1 mile run starting at 8:08 am from the Kailua Pier.

An Easter Weekend of Racing

Since I took a large portion of 2013 off of running and racing while I battled plantar fasciitis, it had been awhile since I'd been able to enjoy all of the fun local events as a participant.  I solved that problem last weekend by running two races in the span of 15 hours and then attending a third the next day.  It was great to be back again, but I was very happy to have a rest day after that!

On the afternoon of Good Friday, I drove over to Hilo to participate in the Emily Wedemann Memorial 5-miler.  Emily was a longtime supporter of the Big Island Road Runners and the running community on the east side of the island.  Her sons are also great assets to that community with Joe serving as race director for the new Hilo Triathlon while Bob serves as the race director for the Big Island International Marathon. Emily passed away a few years ago from cancer, so instead of an entry fee, the run collections donations to the American Cancer Society (almost $600!). 

(Photo by Big Island Road Runners)

The run started at Coconut Island, ran a loop around Liliuokalani Gardens, headed up the Suisan Bridge to Bayfront before turning back, running along Banyan Drive and out on Kalanianole Ave towards the port and back.


Tony O'Toole was the first men's finisher with a time of 34:28.  Harrison Bierman (34:40) and Patrick Baker (36:29) took second and third for the men. 

Women's Winner Emily Wallingford (Photo by Big Island Road Runners)

Emily Wallingford took first place for the ladies with a time of 36:55.  I followed in second place in 39:07, with Sarah Bidwell finishing third in 39:10.

Full results from the race are available here. Some additional photos of the race are below:

Happy finisher Jim (Photo by Big Island Road Runners)

Running in slippers (Photo by Big Island Road Runners)

Veronica Wedemann outpacing husband Joe to the finish (Photo by Big Island Road Runners)

Thanks to Big Island Road Runners for hosting this race! After the run was over, I drove back to Kona, grabbed a quick dinner and hopped in bed to be ready for the next race - the 33rd Annual Mac-a-thon 5k/10k in Honaunau.

Jason and I take turns attending this race because it's on a Saturday morning and conflicts with our training groups/store opening, but it's always one we fight over.  Several people I've talked to say this is their favorite race on the island.  The course is challenging (running the road from Honaunau to Kealakekua Bay and back), but the post-race festivities and local vibe are well worth it.

This race is full of perennial competitors - including race starter Teddy Ginn, who at age 81 is still going strong!

After his blessing, the 10k took off on the course.  Kris Keough from Kealakekua used his knowledge of the course to his advantage and beat out Nathanael Mole to take first place.  Big Island Running Company's John Ferdico was unable to hold off the women's winner Stacy Schlocker-Zurich, but held on to third place for the men.  After Stacy, second place went to Anna DeLeon and Nancy Kramer took third. Full results from the 10k are here.

Nancy Kramer

The 5k started 5 minutes after the 10k and went out with a bang - keiki charging ahead.  Of course, that lasted about 200 yards before they were gasping for air. At the front of the race, it was a battle between Tai Scarborough (pushing his son Lihau) and Joe Fairchild, with Joe surging ahead to finish in 18:41 to Tai's 19:03.  Third place overall went to Heather Scarborough in a time of 20:47.  Third place for the men was Carlos Uribe -Bounos in 21:47.  Erin Stephens (21:57) and I (23:02) were the next two finishers taking second and third for the women. Full results from the 5k are here.
 
The post-race festivities are what separate this race from others.  The biggest draw is the huge, delicious macadamia nut pancakes that they serve at the end.  While everyone is enjoying those at large picnic tables, a local band plays Hawaiian tunes.  A silent auction also has prizes from local vendors for people to browse and bid on.  After everyone talks story, it's time for the awards, which are some of the best around.  The top three in each age group receive carved stone medallions, while the overall winners win huge carved stones, sometimes quite a surprise and packing challenge for non-local winners.

Awards (Photo by Diane Quitiquit)

This year several friends won age groups awards, including:

Rick Rubio

Jon Kunitake

Ali Steiner

Lava People

If you missed it this year, definitely put this race on your calendar for next year!

Although this was the end of the weekend racing for me, several people did the Mac-a-thon/Carboman double, participating in Peaman's Carboman 10-mile Mosey, Roadrunner 3.5 mile Romp and Mighty Mouse Scamper on Easter Sunday morning.

Photo by Makena Becker

Although the fields were smaller because of Easter, the times were still fast. Luis De La Torre took first place in the 10-mile distance.  Karlyn Pipes was the first finisher in the 1-mile distance, followed by a close race between Alec Ankrum and Duke Becker:

Photo by Makena Becker

 Alec's dad, Adam, took first place in the 3.5 mile distance.

Photo by Makena Becker

Since it was Easter morning, there were a lot of families out being active together:

Photo by Makena Becker

Photo by Makena Becker

Photo by Makena Becker

 And of course Peaman was out there in his seasonally appropriate attire:

Photo by Makena Becker

Full results from the races are available here. Congratulations to everyone who participate in one (or more) of the races and events going on this past weekend. 

Tomorrow morning is the Captain Cook Challenge hosted by Team Mango.  The race starts with a 1-mile swim across Kealakekua Bay, followed by a 2-mile run/hike from the Captain Cook Monument to Napoopoo Road.  Next up is a 32-mile hilly bike ride, finished off with a 4-mile hot, hilly run.  Registrations are still being accepted today, but you need to be at the Rudy Project store on Alii Drive with your T1 bag by 7 p.m.!

Jingle Bell Beach Run and Couch to 5k Recap

On the Sunday before Christmas, almost 600 runners gathered to run the 9th Annual Jingle Bell Beach Run 5k and 1-mile run.  As it has been in the past, this run was hosted by Rani and Penn Henderson. But they made some big improvements to the race this year, including closing the road for safety, providing the softest t-shirts ever and trucker hats, and adding a Santa Dash keiki run.  Of course those additions did necessitate changing from a free race to a paid one, but runners certainly got a lot of bang for their buck! In addition to all of the new perks, they also had the ever-popular costume contest, great prizes for the winners and tons of lucky number giveaways.

Part of the Couch to 5k Group

The Jingle Bell Beach Run 5k is also the culmination of our Couch to 5k training program.  This year Coach Maggie Leite led Dawn Barnes, Loretta Buasriyottiya, Emily Buasriyottiya, Rene Hanavan, Charo Aparicio Bill, KC Texiera, Claire Texiera and Valerie Strawn to fantastic finishes at the race.  Jim Lichnovsky and Nancy Taylor also completed the program, but were out of town for the actual race - we know they'll be doing one soon, though!  Congratulations to all of them on their accomplishment and especially to Valerie Strawn and KC Texiera who won awards for their consistency (Valerie) and improvement (KC)! 

Valerie Strawn

The winners of the 5k were Tommy Vonach in 16:12 and Bridget Pyke in 17:41, both setting new course records in the process! In the 1-mile run, Eric Miya blazed to a 5:06 win and Skyler Kiser was the first female finisher in 7:36.  Full race results are available on the race website.

Race Winners

After the race, the keiki lined up and ran either a 100 or 200 yard keiki dash, led by race winners and Santa!

But the best part of the event is seeing what costumes people come up with!

This year we saw Mary and Joseph:

The Grinch:

A snowflake:

And the eventual winner, a wrapped Christmas present (yes, they actually ran the race like that - and finished ahead of me!)

Special thanks to Penn and Rani as well as all of the volunteers.  Definitely put this race on your list if you're in town during the Christmas season next year! (More photos of the race are available here.)

Ironman Recap!

Well, Ironman has come and gone and Kona is finally back to normal.  It's amazing how quickly everyone clears out.  It's also amazing how many people pack into Kona for the week of Ironman and how crazy the atmosphere is.  We're lucky enough to be involved in the industry and to see a big sales boost from the event, but that also means we personally get wiped out! So although I took many pictures over the course of the week, I didn't really get a chance to share them until way after the event. And here is my quick rundown of some of the events that went on during that crazy time, with links to results where available!

On the Saturday before the race, there were two swim events on the Kona side.  The ever-popular Kukio Blue Water Swim took place north of town, while Ironman debuted the Ho'ala 2.4 mile swim race on the Ironman course.  Unfortunately we didn't get to participate or attend either event, but you can find the results from the Kukio Blue Water Swim here and the results from the Ho'ala swim here.

The next morning was the annual PATH 5k/10k Run/Walk on Alii Drive.  After helping at registration in the morning, I was able to get a few photos before heading off to work.  Full results from the 5k are available here. 10k results are available here.

Some notable finishers were Luis De La Torre, the first Big Island runner in the 10k:

Bree Wee - first female Big Island finisher:

Rani Tanimoto pushing Cole:

Big Island Running Company employee Maggie McCleery:

Cary Aurand winning an age group award in the 5K:

And Brian Pruitt taking home his age group award as well:

We also managed to snap a couple of photos of the Big Island Ironman athletes before their race:

The next exciting event of the week was the Underpants Run on Thursday morning.  Our special limited edition Run Big undies made quite the appearance!

Along with plenty of other crazy sights!

Finally Saturday morning arrived, nice and clear.  We watched the swim start from behind Kona Inn:

Then it was off to breakfast before catching a little bit of the bike course:

Kristina Sawaya

Cowman

While all the athletes headed out to Hawi, we opened the store for all their supporters back in town. Later in the day, we had the chance to head out to Alii Drive and see some of our local athletes out on the run course:

Mike DeCarli

Sam Brown

Jim Moore

Not a local, but we saw Hines Ward

Jason Heady

Chitwin San Tun with the best photo of the day!

From there we actually had work to do on the run course, so didn't get to see many people cross the finish line.  Although we were able to catch up with some of them on the Queen K, including following some of the last finishers.  But all of our local athletes finished and did great!  Results from the race are available at ironmanlive.com.

It was a fun experience as usual, but we're glad to be getting back to normal!