For Ben Finestone, every day is a happy day. Yet what gets the 17-year old Kealakehe High School junior a little fired up and feeling a bit more competitive than usual is attending the monthly Peaman Biathlon events.
And that means a lot as Finestone was born with Down syndrome — a condition in which a person is born with an extra chromosome.
According to the National Down Syndrome Society, a few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm — although each person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees, or not at all.
Last year, Finestone became a local celebrity in his own right after becoming the first Special Olympics athlete to complete the Triple Crown Open Water Swim Series — the grueling gauntlet of the Cinco de Mayo Splash (1-mile), Hapuna Rough Water (1-mile) and King’s Swim (1.2-mile).
“That was huge,” said his Special Olympics swim coach Christine O’Gorman-Embernate of Finestone completing the Triple Crown. “And especially because Ben persevered through very rough conditions at Hapuna. I mean, people were dropping out left and right. I actually gave him a nickname. I call him the ‘Piece of Cake Finestone’ because he makes everything look like a piece of cake.”
On Sunday, Finestone indeed made it look like a “piece of cake” as he finished the ½-mile swim and 1-mile run in a time of 44 minutes and 20 seconds. While he wasn’t the first to finish, he certainly was far from being the last. And in doing so, accomplished a new PR time for the swim.
But it was the wide smile spread across his face after crossing the finish line that said it all. No matter what, he was a winner.
When asked what he enjoys most about participating at the monthly swim-runs, Finestone was quick to respond.
“I like the toys. And swimming. And running.”
His mom, Margaret, said he has been participating at Peaman events since moving here from Oregon four years ago.
“We moved here in 2016,” she said. “My husband found this event on the events calendar and we thought how fun it would be to come out and swim. We started out doing the short swim and run (LavaKids Pea Wee course), and then worked our way up to the longer distance.
“Peaman events was really our first introduction to open water swimming which was so cool because we had no idea how he would take to it. Before moving here, he would swim but it would always be in the pool. So we were so proud of him that he could get into the open water and just go for it.”
Sunday’s event featured a ½-mile swim and 3.9-mile run and named in honor of Zak Harvey — Zoomin’ Zak Plunge and Plod Biathlon. Harvey was also born with Down syndrome and passed away a few years ago at the age of 28.
“My favorite memory of Zak would be, on any day he would tell you exactly how he felt,” said event organizer, Peaman. “If he saw you he might just say, ‘I love you,’ and that might be all he wanted to say and give you a hug.
“He would come down early to help set up and stayed all the way till the end. We relayed a lot because he was also a great runner as well. He was special because he always had a childlike existence on earth – always a happy and loving person, and he was a very determined athlete. He reminded us to always be yourself and just to be honest with people by telling them how you feel.”
Kailua-Kona’s David Wild powered through the long course division in a sizzling time of 37:58. Levi Childers was next in 39:17, with Peter Buehlow in third at 41:31.
I finished first in the women’s division in a time of 42:37, with Mady Parker and Anna Thomas taking second and third with their times of 46:18 and 48:01 respectively.
Kealakehe cross country standout, Alec Ankrum, easily won the 3.9-mile run division in 24:45, Colin Cornforth claimed the ½-mile swim race in 15:12, and the Ankrum brothers, Alec and Aiden, topped the Split Pea relay division in 39:24.
In the LavaKids Pea Wee division featuring a 200-yard swim and 1-mile run, Shaysen Gaspar (12:12) and Eileen Platter (14:02) easily defended the male and female titles. Jenna Catanzaro won the 1-mile run in a great time of 8:18, while Shaysen and his younger brother, Shayne, claimed the Split Pea Wee relay division with their time of 13:32.
At the end of the morning, Finestone was honored with the prestigious Perpetual Pea Award, an honor bestowed on individuals or families that represents love, family, friendships and the spirit of aloha for the Big Island community.
“It feels good!” Finestone said with a smile. Finestone is also team captain for Special Olympics and on the Kealakehe High School swim team.
“We are super proud of Ben,” said his mother, Margaret. “Swimming especially has been super cool for us as parents to see his accomplishments. He loves it and gets out there and does it.”
Every year, March 21 is designated World Down Syndrome Day, and as Finestone received his Perpetual Pea award, Margaret explained to the crowd the significance of the date.
“Individuals who have Down syndrome have three copies of a chromosome on their 21st chromosome, so they have an extra copy,” she said. “That’s why March 21, or 3/21, is World Down Syndrome Day. It’s a day we love to celebrate because we love celebrating Ben.”
O’Gorman-Embernate couldn’t be happier seeing her athlete succeed.
“I want people to know that Ben is a completely awesome athlete. We started him at these Peaman events and then worked him up to doing and completing the Triple Crown last year. That was the Cinco swim, then Hapuna, and then ended with the Kings Swim.
“He’s an inspiration for everyone because everyone can do these Peaman events. Don’t let anyone or anything discourage you. Anyone can do this and Ben is a perfect example of that.”
