The Hapuna Rough Water swim has been known as a young swimmers game for some time now.
Nobody told Daniel Kniseley.
Kniseley — a 54-year-old retired lifeguard who moved to the Big Island from Florida late last year — rocketed to the front of the pack and won a short footrace on the beach to finish in 21 minutes and 13 seconds, good for first overall honors at the 38th edition of the swim on Saturday.
Madeline Foo, just a few steps behind Kniseley, stopped the clock at 21:14, finishing as the first female and second overall. Ky Foo — the 2011 champ — rounded out the overall top three, pushing past the finish line in 21:16.
Nolan Grossman (21:19) was the third male and Maile Lawson (21:32) and Tori Oshiro (21:34) followed Madeline Foo as the second and third females out of the water, respectively.
Kniseley proved winning the Cinco de Mayo Splash in May was no fluke, and now has the first two races of the Triple Crown of open water swimming to his name. But when asked about how he felt after the win Saturday, Kniseley had a comical response.
“Old,” he said with a grin.
Kniseley then got a bit more serious when accounting his day in the water.
“You’re only as tired as you make yourself. We worked hard in practice and I felt good today,” Kniseley said. “I always just go out there and see how it goes. It’s fun. The kids are very good motivators.”
Kniseley might be a new resident to the Big Island but isn’t new to it. He has been visiting for decades, and said his son learned to walk on the sands of Hapuna in 1997. Now, as a full-timer, he trains with Steve Borowski’s Kona Aquatics club, and has made an impression on the Hall of Fame Waterman.
“He trains with our masters team and is not afraid to work hard,” Borowski said. “Great work ethic.”
Kniseley competed in lifeguard saving competitions — which are meant to showcase rescue skills and encourage lifeguard training — during his time in Florida. Those events provided an element of competition, but Kniseley said he enjoyed doing them because they helped him improve at his job.
Competing in the Triple Crown was coach Steve’s idea.
“I wasn’t even going to do it this year, but coach Steve really thought I should,” Kniseley said. “Honestly, I’m more interested in helping with the water patrol. I’ve done enough races, and that’s what feels natural.”
Triple Crown
To be eligible for the Triple Crown, athletes have to participate in all three races — the Cinco de Mayo Splash, Hapuna Rough Water, and the King’s Swim. The male and female with the lowest cumulative times win the Triple Crown.
Kniseley can pull off an American Pharoah-esque feat if he wins the King’s Swim, but all he has to do to take home the crown is stay close to Nolan Grossman, who is within striking distance just 44 seconds behind.
Daniel Manzo— the reigning Triple Crown winner — is currently 59 seconds behind in cumulative time in third place.
On the female side, Tori Oshiro leads the way, moving to a cumulative time of 44:26 through two races. She holds a sizeable lead over Hannah Tomlinson (46:00) and Ku’uleionalani Patterson (46:02).
The Kona Aquatics hosted King’s Swim will close out the action on July 4 at Kailua Pier at 8 a.m.