Sean Pagett - (808) 324-PEAS
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Sean Pagett - (808) 324-PEAS |
I sure am glad I don't celebrate holidays in the traditional way.
I was reminded of this early Thanksgiving morning when I watched a T.V. news report that showed very exhausted and stressed people traveling through snow storms and rain so they could be with their families. None of them seemed to be very happy as they waited in cold, crowded airports for flights that were either late or canceled due to the weather conditions. On the roads, they showed huge accidents on freeways and cars getting stuck in the snow, rain or floods all over the mainland.
It was at this point that I turned off the T.V. and immediately gave thanks that I would be celebrating Thanksgiving right here in Kona with many of my closest friends and family. Instead of sitting around and stuffing ourselves, our family tradition involves the three things that we know the best: swimming, cycling and running.
So off to the pier I went to see who would be joining us for our family and friends gettogether that we call the Pea's Pre-Pig Out Plunge, Pedal and Palu Triathlon.
It's been our tradition for many years to start off Thanksgiving Day with a half-mile swim, 16-mile bike and three-mile run. It's a very casual event with lots of relay teams and first time triathletes. But as with most family outings, everything soon turns into a race.
As the swim got going, Dietrich Lawrence glided his way to the front. Ben-Jamin Widoff was close behind, as were Peaman, Tom "Cat" Sena, Shari Lehmer and Luciana Toscano of Brazil. Lawrence stayed in front throughout the swim and exited the water first in 13:15. Toscano was out next in 13:30 with Lehmer, Sena and Peaman right behind.
Lawrence's relay partner, Ulli Detrich, led all cyclists out on the road, but not too far back was Ben-Jamin and course record holder, Luis De La Torre. Soon Ben-Jamin and De La Tore passed Detrich and were way out front by themselves.
In the ladies race, Toscano was still in front. Loke McMichael was a close second and Kylee Sandusky was third.
At the bike-to-run transition Ben-Jamin had a 35-second lead over De La Torre. Matty Cunningham had moved up to third with Detrich following in fourth.
As the lead men took off running, Toscano entered the transition in seventh overall. She took off running with a two-minute lead on McMichael and nobody else in sight.
Out on the run course, De La Torre was quickly reeling in Ben-Jamin. At the one-mile mark he easily passed him and began to pull away. De La Torre continued to run effortlessly over the final two miles and crossed the finish line first in a new record time of 1:11:38. He knocked more than one minute off his previous mark of 1:12:59 that he set in 1995. But what was most impressive was that he made it look easy. Ben-Jamin followed in second and also went under the old record with his time of 1:12:49.
Third overall went to Toscana. She finished in 1:21:37 and smashed Sandra Reid's course record of 1:25:08. Matty Cunningham followed in fourth at 1:21:40. Fifth went to "The Hammer" Harry Yoshida in 1:23:50.
Following Toscano in the ladies race was Loke McMichael in 1:27:44. Kyle Sandusky hung on for third in 1:39:12. Maile Mettler took fourth at 1:45:03, and Ysabel Thomas rounded out the top five in 1:48:48.
In the finned competition, Doug Goldsmith topped the men's field in 1:28:52 and just missed Pat McCary's course record of 1:28:38. For the ladies, Simmy McMichael led the way in 1:48:39.
The relay division turned out to be a close battle as Dietrich Lawrence and his partner Ulli Detrich tried to stay ahead of Peaman, Len Peddicord and Jon Kunitake. Lawrence had about a 30-second lead over Peaman following the swim. During the ride, Peddicord was closing in but flatted.
By the end of the ride, Detrich had only a 45-second lead and was being chased by Kunitake. Kunitake did close the gap, but at the finish Detrich crossed first in 1:18:03. Their time was good for a new men's relay team record. Kunitake followed closely in second at 1:18:16.
Leilani White (swim-bike) teamed up with Amanda Nicholaisen to win the ladies relay title. Their time of 1:51:17 also was good for a ladies team course record.
In the lightweight category, Peaman (swim) and Lenny "Silver Fox" Kstz (bike-run) continued their undeafeated streak and knocked almost five minutes off their old course record with their time of 1:36:39.
It may not be your typical Thanksgiving Day celebration, but I'll take the warm, sunny skies of Kona over snow any day. Plus, we were done by 10 a.m. and still had the whole day to watch football and eat. Now that's a lot to be thankful for.
Our unusual family celebration continued with part two on Sunday morning. The grand finale of our holiday weekend was a 1.3-mile ocean swim that we call the Post Pig Out Plunge. The PPP is always a great way to work off some of that extra pumpkin pie.
Sunday's 11th annual version of the PPP was great as usual. A total of 80 swimmers turned out to test themselves in the calm waters of Kailua Bay.
Last year's winner, Tom Sandford, was the first swimmer to test the waters out front as he took an early lead along with Steve McElrath and Steve Bobko-Hillenaar. Peaman and Tom "Cat" Sena headed up the chase pack for the first quarter-mile. At that point, they gave way to 13-year-old Abbey Cornell of Aptos, Calif., and Aleja Rivera from Hilo.
At the halfway buoy, Sanford was out front with McElrath close behind. Bobko-Hillenaar was still in third a short way back. Cornell, who swims for the Cabrillo Threshers Swim Team back home, had dropped Rivera and was still leading the ladies race in fourth overall. Rivera followed in fifth. She was about 10 yards ahead of Peaman, Tom "Cat" and their pack that included Jim Budde, Tom Hagen and Loke McMichael.
As Sanford and McElrath approached the finish, Sanford kicked it into another gear and pulled away from McElrath. He crossed the finish first in 28:19, winning his second consecutive PPP title.
McElrath took second at 28:46. Bobko-Hillenaar was third in 29:18. Cornell powered in fourth overall and first for the ladies with a time of 29:40. Rivera hung on for fifth overall and second female in 30:41.
Peaman followed two seconds later taking sixth in 30:43. Tom hagen took seventh at 30:47. Sena placed eighth in 30:49. Budde was ninth in 30:52, and Loke McMichael closed out the top 10 overall with her third-place ladies time of 30:53.
Wrapping up the ladies top five was Cornell's Cabrllo Thresher teammate Melinda Ryan at 32:39. She is also 13 and calls Aptos, Calif., her home. Kylee Sandusky finished one second behind her at 32:40, placing 16th overall and fifth for the ladies.
In the finned division, Antonita Sena won her fourth PPP finned title in 32:41. She was followed by Len Peddicord, who won his second men's PPP title with his time of 32:43. Toni Blair finished second for the ladies and third overall in 34:38. Nancy Libadisos took third for the ladies in 34:58. For the men, Michael Traub finished second in 38:57, and Abbott Galaher closed out the top three with his time of 42:30.
Well, what can I say? Pre-Pig Outs, Post Pig Outs, friends,
family, food, football and Rainbow Basketball team beating Indiana. I sure do have a lot
to be thankful for.
Dad's Day Stroke and Stride Biathlon - June 15, 1997 |
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"Sunday's final honor of the day went to John Westergaard and Family. They will be the proud owners of the Perpetual Pea until September 14. The Pea was passed on to them for being such an inspirational family." West Hawaii Today
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What is a Pea anyway? And why is it that almost every time we have a holiday these same Peas celebrate by swimming, running or doing some other odd combination of sports? Well, I don't really have an answer for you other than because it's fun.
The Peaman philosophy is very simple: Keep things casual and fun. The Peaman Biathlon series is as close to a self-serve event as you can find. On Sunday the occasion was Fathers Day and the event was the Peaman Dad's Day Stroke and Stride Biathlon.
The Dad's Day Peaman started off with a .75-mile swim in Kailua Bay. With all the summertime ocean swims going on, the front pack at every event seems to be constantly growing. On Sunday, the front group was a solid one with a mono-finned Theresa Villa, Tom Sanford, Paul Schindler, Sacha Manju and Steve McElrath.
Villa was way out front all by herself as she smoothly mono-finned her way through the water. Meanwhile, the others battled it out in their small pack. Villa reached the beach in 16 minutes and nine seconds, and sent her relay partner, Jon Kunitake, on his way with a big lead. Tom Sanford was next out and was the leading individual with his time of 17:48. Schindler and Manju were both out in 17:52. McElrath followed in 17:55.
In the ladies' race, Jen Salmon held the individual lead as she exited the water in sixth overall with her time of 18:07. Page Kunst was next at 18:20.
While Sanford began his run, Bill Hall, Jerry Bess and Luis De La Torre all finished the swim and began their pursuit.
For the ladies, Salmon had a big lead but behind her was Sandra Reid and Kylee Sandusky.
The Dad's Day run course was an out and back four miler on Alii Drive. (You will note I said "miles" not that other foreign unit of measure.) Anyway, getting back to the roads, the usual flip-flop had occurred. The runners had taken over with Jerry Bess leading the individual men's race and Sandra Reid out front for the ladies.
Chasing Bess was Matty Cunningham, Dard Aller, Che Pilago and Dusty Roads. Unfortunately, only Aller was able to close the gap at all and that was by only three seconds. Bess crossed the finish line in 43:49. It was almost three minutes until second place Matty Cunningham hit the tape in 46:38.
Third overall went to Sandra Reid. Her time of 47:04 was a new woman's record. The previous mark was 47:55 that was set by Theresa Villa in 1995. Fourth overall went to Dard Aller with a time of 47:14. Che Pilago hung on for fifth in 47:44. Dusty Roads wrapped up the men's top five by placing sixth overall in 48:22.
Following Reid in the women's race was the early leader, Jen Salmon She placed second in 53:46. Third went to Kylee Sandusky at 55:14. One of our original Peas, Mahealani Isbell, took fourth in 57:11. Closing out the top five was Michelle Burgess in a time of 1:02:01.
In case you were wondering what happened to Sacha Manju after the swim, he was actually the first person to cross the finish in an in-line-skate-aided time of 39:01.
The Split Pea Relay race was a close one as Paul Schindler's partner Frederick Sjostrom and Manju's relay runner Pueo Kefffer both left The Pier at the same time. Sjostrom was able to build up a small lead and cross the line first in 41:56. Keffer was next placing his team second in 42:54.
The father and son team of Tom and Ren Sanford wrapped up third in 46:31.
Following the Sandford's in Sunday's special Dad's Division was the father-daughter duo of Harry Wright and Eryn Elliot-Eckert at 56:23. Next in was the father-son team of Michael and Jamer Traub. They topped the finned family division with their time of 1:11:02.
Sunday's Pea Wea course was made up of a 200-yard swim and a one mile run. Amanda Domingo continued her domination with a winning time of 16:08. Second went to Shaun Anderson at 17:53. Third and fourth went to Kaylyn Kilkuskie and Amanda Hamilton as they moseyed across the line in 28:55.
The Pea's may have a unique way of celebrating but I'll tell ya, it sure is great to see so many families participating and teaming up together.
Sunday's final honor of the day went to John Westergaard and Family. They will be the proud owners of the Perpetual Pea until September 14. The Pea was passed on to them for being such an inspirational family to us all.
Also on Sunday was one of our state's most competitive 6.2-mile races. The sixth annual Honolulu Hard Rock Cafe Rock 'n' Roll Run got going bright and early on Father's Day with 1,500 runners. Oahu's Brian Salter blitzed the field and the course with a winning time of 31:48.
On the ladies' side the race was much closer, but the outcome was the same as it has been since May 25 - Heather Matz-Jorris wins. Since winning the Keauhou-Kona Triathlon on the 25thJorris has won something each weekend. On June 1 it was the North Shore Sprint Triathlon. Next it was the Kukini Four Miler on June 7 and on Sunday Jorris won the Hard Rock Run in a time of 37:12. Sylvia Fisher was next with a second place time of 37:22.
The Big Island father and daughter duo of Wayne "Big Dog" Joseph and Jackie Joseph celebrated Dad's |Day with a couple of third place finishes. Wayne took his bronze in the very competitive 45 - 49 age group with a time of 39:31. Jackie got her medal in the 10 - 14 division with her time of 57:58.
Coming up this Saturday is the Summer Solstice Fun Run. The
Solstice Run is being put on by Huggo's Restaurant and Team Mango. You've got three
distances to choose from; one, 3.1 or 10 miles. Start time will be 4:30 p.m. on Saturday
in the Huggo's parking lot. Call Carl at 324-7252 for more information.
The third annual Craig Leepfrog Kona Beachman 10-mile Mosey and first Two Mile Silver Fox Trot. I'm not sure, but there's a good chance that this could be the longest title of a running race in the world. I've always wanted to get into the Guinness Book of World Records and who knows, this just may be the ticket.
Well, world record or not, Sunday morning turned out to be one that was filled with trotting, moseying and a lot of running. Almost 90 runners showed up bright and early for the start of this year's 10-Mile Mosey and Two-Mile Silver Fox Trot.
The 10-Miler serves as a good time trial before next month's Keauhou-Kona Triathlon, while the two mile distance is the perfect test of pure speed or just a great way to get some excercise and have fun.
Both runs started near Kona beach at 7:30 a.m. The weather was perfect with some high clouds that helped keep the temperatures down and the sun from frying everyone. More than 60 runners were out to cover the 10-mile course.
Two time champion Karl "Happy Cat" Honma was on hand to defend his crown and it wasn't long before he was out front in his usual position. Last year's runner up Chad Shimakura, Wayne "Big Dog" Joseph and Harry "The Hammer" Yoshida all stayed close over the first few miles. In the ladies race Sandra Reid had the early lead, with Autumn Johnson and Lorrie Trimble close behind.
For Honma, it was business as usual. He was out front by himself with nobody there to help push him along. Back in the pack John Pink began to stir things up and was steadily picking off runners one by one.
On the ladies' side, Johnson also decided to make things exciting as she moved out to a solid lead. Reid remained in second and Trimble was still in third.
During the final few miles, Honma pushed on by himself and coasted to his third Mosey title with a time of 1:01:22. Honma is the only winner that The Mosey has ever had, and his winning time of 57 minutes, 5 seconds last year remains the overall course record.
Meanwhile, back on the road, John Pink and Chad Shimakura were in a head-to-head battle for second place. With about 100 yards to go Pink threw in a surge and got a slight lead. Shimakura answered back but at the finish it was Pink taking second in 1:03:19 and Shimakura getting third with his time of 1:03:23. Pink's time set a new 25-29 age group record, while Shimakura's was good for a new 20-24 mark. Shimakura also still holds the 15-19 division record of 1:04:48 that he set in 1996.
Wayne Joseph stayed close and took fourth in 1:03:39. His time also gave him the master's title. Following in fifth was Harry Yoshida at 1:05:44.
In the women's competition, Johnson was out front and extending her lead. She was also well under course record pace. As she approached the finish it was clear that the previous record of 1:13:20 would go down. Johnson crossed the line in 1:07:21 giving herr the win and a new course record.
Next in was Sandra Reid at 1:14:13. Reid's time also gave her a new 40-44 division record. Lorrie Trimble followed taking third in 1:16:21. Her time also set a new age group record this time in the 45-49 division.
Fourth went to one of our original Peas, Heidi Smith, at 1:23:43. K.T. Canin wrapped up the top five with her time of 1:25:33.
Long before any of the 10 milers had finished, the Silver Fox Trotters thoroughly dominated the inaugural running of the Two-Mile Silver Fox Trot. The Trotters were led by Michael McMichael who took an early lead and easily finished first in a time of 12:39.
Following in second was the Trotter' team captain, the "Silver Fox" himself, Lenny Katz. He crossed the line with a time of 14:04. Timothy Bonnette worked his way up through the field to take third in 14:50.
Just seconds later, another member of thee Fox Trotters, Mouse Kelly, finished with her time of 14:55. James Traub was next in taking fifth overall in 15:52. He was just ahead of his father, Michael "Bones" Traub, who crossed the line in 16:39.
Following Kelley in the ladies rece was Michelle Lydic-Bednarski, who placed seventh overall in 16:43. Third went to 11-year old Kory Case at 17:05. Shawn Wistrom was next taking fourth in 17:07.
Simi McMichael wrapped up fifth in 17:19. McMichael and her daughter, Loke, are also both members of the Silver Fox Trotters. Simi's time have her the 40-44 age group title, while Loke's time of 17:27 gave her the 15-19 crown.
Peaman wrapped up the Fox Trotters victorious day by winning the 30-34 division in 29:36, which wasn't too hard since I was the only one in my division.
After everyone had finished, overall winners and age group winners were awarded very unique handmade medals that were crafted out of recycled bottle and jar lids. In the past I could have been accused of being cheap, but today I feel proud to be an environmentalist. As a matter of fact I like my gold medal so much I'm thinking of having it bronzed. Overall winners were also treated to bags of Kunitake Farms Cooffee, generously donated by Jon Kunitake who unfortunately was away on a trip.
Coming up this Saturday, the Big Island Interscholastic
Federation track and field season continues over at Hilo High School. All schools will be
on hand with field events at 9 a.m. and the running starting up at 10 a.m.
I often hear about the "power of positive thinking." Some experts say that by using the power of the mind, we can cure everything and change the world. I believe that anything is possible, especially when it comes to improving your athletic ability by training your mind as well as your body.
Whenever I hear someone mention the subject of positive thinking, I'm always reminded of a very stormy morning at Kailua-Pier. It was the morning of a Peaman Biathlon and the wind was howling, the rain was driving and the ocean looked like "Victory at Sea."
I was trying to decide whether or not to cancel the event when Dietrich Lawrence said, "Hey, look, I see some blue sky over there." Sure enough there was small patch of blue way off in the distance. Lawrence and I figured that it would clear up and the biathlon was saved.
Unfortunately, just minutes later, the winds picked up even stronger and the sky opened up, pelting us with another torrential downpour. Being complete Peamaniacs, we held the event anyway and had a blast.
No, we weren't able to change the weather, but thanks to Lawrence's reminder, we were able to change our outlook and realize that there's no such thing as "bad weather" - just many different kinds of good weather.
It's this kind of positive and enthusiastic outlook that makes Lawrence the perfect person to lead the Big Island Masters Swimming Association. Lawrence is in his second year of putting on monthly masters' meets around the island. The meets so far have been great. They are all completely free and open to swimmers of all abilities.
On Saturday, the masters swim season kicked off with a meet over in Hilo at Sparky Caimito Swim Stadium. It was a small meet, but that, of course, didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm. Just ask Kat Clark, Christine Nary and Debra Bumatay. These ladies swam to a total of 13 county and two state records.
Bumatay set three new freestyle records in the 25-29 division. Clark broke five county and one state record in the 45-49 division. Her new state and county record came in the 100 butterfly with a time of one minute, 41.80 seconds.
Nary duplicated Clark and also broke five county and one state 45-49 division record. Nary not only set new records, their times demolished the old ones. For example, Nary's time of 40.20 for the 50-meter butterfly knocked a full 17 seconds off the previous mark of 57.02. Nary's accomplishments shouldn't be too surprising when you consider the fact that back in 1983, she won the national title in the 50 free at the National Masters Long Course meet.
Joining these three dynamos on the victory stand were: Hilo's Aleja Rivera, who cleaned up the women's 19-24 division with five victories; and, Kona's Ruth Manfredi, who continued her complete domination of the 70-74 age group with a total of five wins.
On the men's side, Ron Walske established a new Hawaii county record in the 50-meter backstroke for the 60-64 age group. Local favorites Pete Okamoto continued to rule the 80-84 division by winning five events.
In the men's 30-34 bracket, Kona's Lawrence and Hilo's Jim Mellon battled it out in numerous events. By day's end Lawrence had captured seven firsts while Mellon took three.
Big Island Masters Swimming encourages all swimmers to come and participate. The meets are fun, motivating and best of all, free. The next meet will be at Kohala Pool on May 10. What a perfect day to do some swimming speed work for the Keauhou Kona Triathlon coming up on May 25.
Coming up this weekend is a full schedule of events. On Saturday, it's more Big Island Interscholastic track and field. Meet No. 3 of the season will be an all-schools event at Hawaii Preparatory Academy. Start time for the field events is 9 a.m., while the running begins at 10. Come out and cheer on the Big Island's future stars.
On Sunday, over at Ala Moana Beach Park, Kona's Theresa Villa will take on the state's best fin swimmers in the annual Fin Swim. Start time is 8 a.m. Call (808) 395-5198 for information.
Also, on Sunday morning, will be the annual Captain Cook Challenge Triathlon. Start time is 8 a.m. at Kealakekua Bay. The course is a tough one both physically and logistically, so arrive early and give yourself plenty of time to set up and learn the course.
Distances for the Challenge include a one-mile swim, 2.5-mile uphill trail run, 56-mile bike ride and a 7.2-mile run. Both relays and individuals are welcome. Call George at 325-7180 for more information.
One final note on upcoming events: On April 20, the Third Annual Craig Leepfrog Kona Beachman 10-mile Mosey is proud to announce the addition of the First Two-Mile Silver Fox Trot. Both runs will start next to the Pier and will go down Alii Drive and back. Start time is 7:30 a.m. Call 329-PEAS for information or to volunteer. Be a Pea.
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