With the Isuzu Ironman 70.3 World Championships just two weeks away, several elite triathletes took to Sunday’s Peaman Biathlon as a final tune-up for the triathlon being held at South Africa’s Nelson Mandela Bay on September 1-2.
More than 6,000 athletes from around the world are expected to compete in the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run — an event where athletes gain entry by qualification only.
Nico Lightbody was among the crowd who gathered at Kaiakeakua Beach for Sunday’s Brown Bear Bash and Sunny Sprint.
The short 1/3-mile swim and 3.1-mile run honored Derek “Brown Bear” Haspe and the memory of his wife Sunny, who bravely faced cancer with a bright smile, an optimistic outlook and a courageous spirit until she passed away.
“I’ve been doing my last little build session here for the 70.3 Worlds in South Africa,” said Lightbody, a Vancouver triathlete who spent 15 days in Kona to train for the half-ironman distance. “And it’s been amazing, I just love Hawaii. Just being able to swim in the bay — the clear water is nothing like we have in Canada. I also came down here for the heat and humidity, just to help increase my training adaptations to the heat and put a lot more stress on my body than I could back in Canada.”
Sporting only Aviator sunglasses and speedos against his lean physique, many predicted Lightbody to be among the top contenders for the biathlon win that included local athletes David Wild, Josiah Randerson and Levi Childers.
And, they were right.
From the start of the arm-thrashing 1/3-mile swim, Lightbody propelled himself to the front, leaving a chase pack that included some of our island’s top swimmers like Aiden Ankrum and Duke Becker in his wake.
“He was at least a body length ahead of Aiden and me at the end of the swim,” Becker said. “Yeah, he had a pretty good lead heading into the run.”
Once out on Alii Drive, the rising heat and humidity didn’t seem to affect Lightbody as he blazed over the 3.1-mile run course “like nobody’s business.”
“I saw (relay runner Alec Ankrum and Wild) at the turnaround on the run and I thought that as long as I keep my pace up, or a little faster, then I’d be able to hold them off,” he said.
The 26-year-old Canadian Navy engineer — who specializes in combat, radar, and sonar systems — sprinted through the finish line, winning in a stellar time of 24 minutes and 13 seconds.
“This was so much fun,” Lightbody said. “Just the sense of community and everyone going out there to have fun made the race that much more enjoyable. It’s not as competitive or serious which was nice because that’s not what you are always looking for all the time.”
Lightbody said that this is his second year competing in triathlons.
“I started off as a competitive swimmer through high school, then I kind of stopped in college, but now I’ve picked it up again,” he said. “I figured that I am a decent runner so I started getting into triathlons last year.
“My cycling also has been improving a lot lately. At first it was my least favorite but now it’s becoming one of my favorite things to do as it’s the one that is progressing the fastest.”
Second to cross the finish line was Wild in a time of 25:49, followed by Randerson in third at 28:07.
On the women’s side, a finned Lori Montgomery held off a hard-closing Brooke Kinsler for the win, finishing in 38:49 and 39:01 respectively. Patricia Kassis rounded out the women’s top three with her time of 40:49.
And once again the Ankrum brothers, Aiden (swim) and Alec (run), won the Split Peas relay division with their combined time of 25:31. Nathan Weir claimed the 3.1-mile run only division in 22:26, with Mandy Minor topping the 1/3-mile swim in 11:47.
The LavaKids PeaWee race featuring a 200-yard swim and 1-mile run witnessed the largest PeaWee turnout of the year with 30 participants.
Elisa Childers and Kyle Randerson earned top honors in the overall female and male divisions with their times of 12:35 and 13:01 respectively. Layla Gagnon and Goose Gagnon took the relay division in 15:49, while Miss Hanna White, a 5th grader at Kahakai Elementary, won the 1-mile sprint in 8:46.
For Lightbody, Sunday’s Peaman Biathlon win and recent second overall finish at Ironman 70.3 Canada held on July 29th, only confirmed that his training under Canadian coach and former professional triathlete, Mike Neill, is heading in the right direction toward his ultimate goal.
“I’m hoping to qualify for the Ironman World Championships here in 2019. I signed up for next year’s Honu 70.3 so that’s going to hopefully be my entry into the World Championships.”