Team Mango Races kicked off the state’s first swim-bike-run of the year with Sunday’s Wintertime Super Sprint Triathlon that started and finished at the Kailua Pier.
Always held on the third Sunday in January, the sixth edition of the event featured a 200-yard swim in Kailua Bay, then a hilly 6-mile bike course on Hualalai Road, followed by a 1.5-mile sprint on Alii Drive.
“The conditions were great, the tide was high, the water was smooth, and the turnout was super,” said event organizer, Carl “Gecko” Koomoa. “In fact, they really caught me off-guard. I only thought that maybe a dozen or so would show and it ended up being like 33 people. Not bad for the first triathlon of the year!”
Koomoa added that it’s always been a low-key event that was created to help foster upcoming junior triathletes, first-timers, and to motivate those who took time off during the winter break to get back into the swing of things.
“The whole motivation behind this course is having a multi-purpose event for everybody,” he said. “I created it for two reasons. One, we just got done with the holidays and everyone is kind of brushing off the cobwebs. And two, it’s really a short course so it’s super friendly for first-timers. But even for our high schoolers, they love it. They can basically just slam the gas pedal down and feel good about jumping into the season with a sprint. It was also nice for the volunteers too. Because it was so short, we were out of there (the Kailua Pier) by 8:30 a.m.”
The competition among the top three overall — Gabriel Low, Malcolm Davis and Josiah Randerson — turned out to be an exciting race as they crossed the finish line within 21 seconds of one another.
“The top three all had a great race,” Koomoa said. “They came out of the water almost all together. But it was (relay swimmer) Aiden Ankrum who led the field through the water, again, and busted out a sub-4 minute swim. The top three (Low, Davis, and Randerson) then rode together before banging out a fast run.”
Low, a 16-year-old junior at Waiakea High School, proved to be the fastest as he claimed his first Team Mango triathlon victory with a fantastic time of 31 minutes and 9 seconds.
Not too far back was Davis, an 18-year-old senior at Hawaii Preparatory Academy, who secured second place in 31:21, with Randerson, a 16-year-old junior at Kealakehe High School, hot on his heels to finish in third at 31:30.
Sam Gibson, 17, and Peaman kept it close with their 4th and 5th placing of 33:49 and 34:59, respectively.
While it’s amazing to see that Peaman can keep up with some of the best junior triathletes in the state, his age of 54 years was also nearly equal to the combined ages of the top three overall finishers — just incredible!
On the women’s side, Club Rehab’s Barbie Nakamura claimed her very first Team Mango victory with her winning time of 43:40. A finned Lori Montgomery finished in second place at 45:31, and Rette Green, who competed in her first triathlon ever, rounded out the women’s podium at 46:43
Team Ankrum, the son and father duo of Aiden (swim) and Adam (bike-run), won the relay division with their time of 36:49.
An honorable mention goes out to 10-year-old Tiffany Ravaglia, who placed 23rd overall, and finished in an impressive time of 51:18.
With both of Ravaglia’s parents, Mark and Sylvia, having multiple Hawaii Ironman World Championship finishes under their belts, and a mother who just completed her fifth consecutive HURT 100-mile Trail Race just two weeks ago, it will be exciting to see what the future holds for young Tiffany.
As for Koomoa, Team Mango Races will continue to represent his passion for the sport and a way to give back to the athletic community that has become his ohana.
“Triathlon has given me so much throughout the years; it totally changed my life around,” he said. “This is my way of giving back and just loving sport. I just want everyone to get the same reaction like what I got out of it. It’s such a great lifestyle.”