With the racing season now in full swing, Lavaman fanatics will have good reason to cherish the upcoming Waikoloa Olympic-distance triathlon.
Lavaman Race Director Gerry Rott sadly announced the cancellation of this year’s Lavaman Keauhou triathlon slated for November. Through the monthly newsletter, The Lava Flash, emailed to participating athletes, Rott listed several factors that contributed to the decision:
“After five years of attempting to come up with a course that is both safe and community friendly, I realize that until future road construction is completed, Kona Country Club is reopened, and improvements and repairs at Keauhou Bay completed, I will be fighting an uphill battle.”
Anyone who has participated, volunteered, or has been a spectator at Lavaman Keauhou over the past five years can appreciate the enormous effort Rott put in to make the event a success. But as with all great races, it came with its challenges as well as a hefty price.
“The biggest challenge for Lavaman Keauhou has always been the bike course,” Rott said. “The major problem with the bike course for this race is that it has to travel through so many intersections as it is a high traffic area unlike Waikoloa where the only major impacts are in the Waikoloa Resort area itself.”
Rott added that the cost of the bike portion of Lavaman Keauhou is more than four times that of Lavaman Waikoloa because of the number of police officers, paid security, additional volunteers, signage, coning, advertising and public announcements regarding road restrictions and closures.
While Lavaman Keauhou’s bike course challenged Rott financially, from an athlete’s point of view, it offered one of the more scenic, unique, hilly and challenging routes on the island.
Last year, nearly 500 participants traveled the 40K bike segment along Alii Drive, through Kailua Village, out on Kuakini Highway, down a wicked fast descent on Kamehameha III Highway and finished on the hilly and quad-busting Mamalahoa bypass road.
It was a course with a reputation for its level of difficulty, and one that truly showcased the diversity of Keauhou — from the pristine waters of quaint Keauhou Bay, to the picturesque vistas from the golf course, to the lush and manicured grounds within the resort — a dream playground for every triathlete.
Yet it was no easy task as Rott and her Lavaman team worked extremely hard to create a spectator friendly course while making certain all safety measures for the swim, bike and run segments were in place.
In addition to managing the tricky logistics of the triathlon, Rott kept the Lavaman tradition going by hosting the popular Lava Kids Aquathon, Keiki Dash and Lavaman Sunset 5K races to make it a fun weekend for the whole family.
Lavaman Keauhou appealed to athletes statewide, as well as to a growing number of out-of-state competitors, providing the Keauhou area with a nice economic boost that will surely be missed.
After all was said and done, the result was a genuine first-class race.
However — fingers crossed — this may not be the ultimate end to Lavaman Keauhou as Rott plans to re-evaluate the situation next year and see what options are available to bring the race back.
“Whatever I do, I want it to be a challenge but fun,” Rott said. “I want it to be inclusive for all levels and I want it to have a community feeling to it, and for the awards party to be a true celebration of what the competitors have accomplished and what the volunteers have contributed to help make it happen.”
What Rott enjoys most with both Lavaman races is to look out from the stage at all of the athletes and volunteers sitting on the lawn or the beach, smiling and feeling pride in what they have just accomplished.
“I will miss that November day this year,” Rott said. “And I will cherish Lavaman Waikoloa on March 30 even more.”
Coming Up
- Sunday: Frozen Pea Productions will hold the Zoomin’ Zak Plunge and Plod Biathlon at Kaiakeakua Beach. The event starts at 8:08 a.m. with the 0.5-mile swim and 3.9-mile run. There is no sign-up; participants sign out when they finish. For more information, call Peaman at 938-2296.
- March 8: BMW Hawaii & Bike Works presents the seventh annual Run For the Hops 10K and 5K races at BMW Hawaii on Loloku Street. The races start at 7:30 a.m. and are a fundraiser for Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii. Entry fees are $30 for adults, $20 for ages 14 and younger until March 7. A $10 late fee is applied to race-day sign-ups. For entry forms, visit pathhawaii.org or contact Joe Loschiavo at joe@pathhawaii.org.