Although it has been three months since Bill Pagett passed quietly at his home, none seemed to notice as his presence was certainly felt during Sunday’s Papa Pea Birthday Biathlon and Celebration of Summer event commemorating the life of a man affectionately known as “Papa Pea.”
Many spoke of the renowned endurance athlete in present tense, still feeling his vibes and spiritual presence, while others shared storied tales of a multisport enthusiast who lived life to the fullest — swimming, biking and running on daily basis, rain or shine.
Yet everyone — including his sons Sean “Peaman” Pagett and Darwin Pagett — would agree he had a passion for life and sports like no other.
“There are a gazillion and one great memories that I have of my dad,” Peaman said. “But if you knew my dad, everything was about sports. So all my favorite memories of him would include IRONMAN or these Peaman races. IRONMAN was hard and grueling. So he looked happy during the day and happy to finish but it was a challenge as a son to watch your dad struggle to make it.”
Darwin agreed that his fondest memories were of his father competing in triathlons.
“I remember he was competing in IRONMAN one year and although he didn’t finish, it was great to see his passion, love and commitment to health,” he said. “It really struck our whole family. All of my four kids are athletes and that really came from the example of what Papa Pea set.”
As for the monthly Peaman biathlon events, Peaman smiled and reminisced how good it always was to see his dad celebrate the day and be there with all of his friends.
“Just to see how much everybody loved him, that was such a great thing,” Peaman said. “He had a bigger smile than you ever saw and it was on a Peaman Sunday. Getting to hang out with his friends, and getting to exercise and move was the highlight of his day and his life. So all of the Peaman races that he came to were my greatest memories of him.”
“As for Peaman events,” Darwin recalled, “He was usually the last guy to show up and his swim was a little out of the ordinary, but he still would compete and he was always there. And he was the same way as our father. He was always there for me and Sean so that was always a good memory.”
Bill “Papa Pea” Pagett passed away on March 14, 2015 – just three months shy of what would have been his 80th birthday on June 6. For years, June’s Peaman biathlon event honored Papa Pea’s birthday and the start of the warm summer season, and Sunday’s event did not disappoint.
Spectacular blue waters of Kailua Bay and sunny skies shined brightly upon a field gathered at the shoreline of Kaiakeakua Beach. What typically is a competitive swim-run sprint event turned out to be a day celebrating great memories and fabled tales.
Doug Henbest, a Peaman regular who routinely helps to coordinate the event from start to finish, recalled that some of his favorite memories of Papa Pea were of their many talks about life and the passion he exuded toward standing up for what he believed in.
“I won’t forget the Sunday that the Kona Police were about to arrest Papa Pea,” Henbest said with a smile. “I was out putting the turn-around sign on the course when I got a call that Papa Pea was ready to do a sit-down protest at the Pier to fight the cops and DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources).
“There happened to be a cruise ship on that day and of course some misunderstandings, but it all worked out and we were able to have the event. It was great because the police and DLNR actually became part of our team in helping us set up where they felt was appropriate, and later, they actually won prizes from our drawings. But it was Papa Pea’s passion to make a statement on that day and I love him for that.”
Papa Pea’s ashes were arranged at the top of the Pier’s cement stairs for anyone who wanted to physically carry him with them during the race.
In the overall individual long course of ½ mile swim and 2-mile run, Luis De La Torre added a second Peaman victory to his 2015 resume, finishing in a speedy time of 25 minutes and 26 seconds. Second and third overall went to Cody Ranfranz (26:02) and Rama Barrett (26:40).
Anita Leao powered her way to the front to finish as the women’s leader in 28:50, with Winona Chen (29:25) and Sarah Sermons (29:48) in second and third, respectively.
In the short-course Pea Wee event of a 200-yard swim and 1-mile run, Raka Barrett led wire-to-wire to finish well ahead of the field in 10:02. Archer Ankrum (12:08) and Nathan Weir (23:02) rounded out the men’s top three.
Katherine Sewell won the female short course in 16:30, with Audrey Weir (23:04) and Emma Sewell (24:08) picking up the next two spots.
Papa Pea, who was nicely tucked in the pocket of Peaman’s surf shorts, completed his final Peaman Biathlon event by finishing the Pea Wee course in 45:09.
“It was a beautiful day, it couldn’t have been better,” Peaman said. “It was just a great day to celebrate pop’s life and the events he loved so much. The smiles I saw on everyone’s faces were extra big today as we remembered him and celebrated on what would have been his 80th birthday. To see the kids out there, the visitors, and to be able to do the walk with my older brother was just an honor. Everyone who came running by us gave us an extra special greeting today. So it was a beautiful day and a perfect way to celebrate father’s day, summer, and of course, Papa Pea’s 80th birthday.”