WAIKOLOA — Time flies when you’re having fun. Just ask Lavaman Triathlon founder and race director Gerry Rott.
Her Olympic Distance (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run) triathlon is celebrating its 20th anniversary this weekend, welcoming a field of 1,800-plus athletes to Waikoloa Beach Resort.
“I feel like I have aged faster than the race,” Rott said with a laugh. “We have come a long way. It’s huge for everyone involved.”
Rott has guided Lavaman over two decades, building it from a small local race with 83 participants into an event that attracts a range of athletes — both newbie and elite — from around the globe. Not to mention the reputation the race has built as having the, “Best Party in Triathlon,” waiting at the finish line.
“Turning it into something like this — it was never on the radar,” Rott said. “This was just supposed to be a fun, local event. It turned out it was too much fun and couldn’t be contained to that.”
Rott said no one has competed in all of the Lavaman Waikoloa races. However, a few volunteers have stuck around through all the years to help transform the race into what it is today.
One of those volunteers is massage extraordinaire Juliet Nacino. On Friday at the Lavaman Expo, Nacino was manning her familiar massage table, where she has helped countless athletes through the years get loose before the race, and relax after.
But Lavaman No. 20 will be a new experience for Nacino, who is getting in on the race day action for the first time. She will ride the bike portion on a relay team, with Chandler Nacino taking on the swim and Alexis Molina the run.
“I’ve been talking about doing it for a while,” Nacino said. “And I wanted to do it with my family.”
Her motivation, however, is more than just earning her first medal as a participant at Lavaman. Nacino and her team will be racing to raise funds for the family of Richard Topenio, who died tragically in an accident earlier this year while riding his bike on Queen Kaahumanu Highway.
Nacino did not know Topenio personally, but after reading about him and the wife and two young daughters he left behind, she felt that she had to find a way to help.
“He was living the American Dream. Reading about it really made an impact on me,” Nacino said. “I wanted to find a way to do something, so I connected the dots. We were racing so I figured we could put some more work into it.”
For more information on how to donate, email julietnacino@yahoo.com.
More than a race
Through the years, Lavaman participants have been able to not only produce their own great stories, but also capitalize on the chance to make a difference through the race, just as Nacino has done.
One of the biggest generators has been Team in Training, an endurance sports training program that raises money in an effort to combat blood cancers.
In the 16 years the group has participated in Lavaman, it has raised a total of $19.79 million on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Last year, 280 participants combined to bring in $1.255 million to combat the diseases.
Being a part of an event that can give back, Nacino said, has been a major cause to stick around.
“If we can make even a little bit of a difference, it’s worth it,” she added.
The race staying true to its local roots has also kept it on an upward trend. Most of the aid stations are manned by local groups and charities, which in turn get a donation back from Lavaman. Additionally, the LavaKids Family Fun Runs — a monthly free event held in Kona — continues to expand, helping aid Big Island families to live an active, healthy lifestyle.
“It helps make a community,” Rott said. “That’s what it is all about.”
A look at the field
Under occupation on the race list, Bree Wee no longer lists professional triathlete. Instead, that spot is now filled with first grade teacher.
But despite Hawaii’s most decorated female professional triathlete now being retired, there’s little doubt she is the favorite in the field at her hometown event where she recorded her first win.
Wee has won Lavaman Waikoloa six times, and has three other titles at the now defunct Lavaman Keauhou race. Becoming a double-digit winner will all but cement her as the, “Queen of Lavaman.”
Her competition will be Carrie McCoy — who splits time between the Waimea and Ohio — and Carly Killam, of Oahu.
In the men’s elite field, Kealakekua’s David Wild will hold it down for the Big Island, racing against Arizona’s Chris Gregory and Alaska’s Daniel Folmar.
Not counting relays, the state of Hawaii has 397 athletes entered the main field. California just edges the Aloha State, with 398 participating in the full-distance, and Alaska — the Last Frontier — has a surprising 240 triathletes entered. Washington and Oregon are also states well-represented.
Outside of the US, Canada has the most athletes entered with 49 participants. Great Britain, Japan, Korea are among the other countries represented.
With a finish, Dieter Heycke is guaranteed to win his age group. The Honolulu resident will be racing solo in his male 80-84 division, the oldest and wisest age group in the field.
