WAIMEA — Kicking off Ironman week on the Big Island, Hawaii Preparatory Academy hosted its annual triathlon for 75 students in grades K-5 on Oct. 2. The event culminated the Lower School’s swim unit.
With three heats divided by grade levels, the morning began with the K-1 students who swam two lengths of Dowsett Pool, biked one lap around a grassy course and ran one lap around the Stanford W. Shutes Track.
“I feel good,” said Kamalaa Petrie, a HPA first grader, at the end of last his leg. “I liked the biking the best.”
At 9:45 a.m., students in grades 2-3 began swimming four lengths of the pool, biking two laps and running two laps around the track. The fourth and fifth graders followed, swimming lengths of the pool, biking three laps and running three times around the track.
Every competitor received a winner’s certificate upon completion along with a high-five from Betsy Tranquili, the Lower School physical education teacher, who organized the event.