KAILUA-KONA — Kaiakeakua Beach came to life Sunday morning as over 80 athletes participated in the Peaman Road Runner Biathlon, a free swim-run event that’s been a staple in Kona for 38 years.
Under clear skies and relatively calm water conditions, participants gathered early to test their fitness over a half-mile ocean swim in Kailua Bay followed by a 3.5-mile run along the scenic Alii Drive shoreline. Event organizer, Sean “Peaman” Pagett, said that it’s always been less about the finish line and more about our community celebrating fitness, fun, family, and friends.
“It’s a free event, for the community by the community, and everybody contributes,” Peaman said. “The motivation for its continued longevity is that it’s fun. I’ve always said as long as it’s fun, I’ll keep putting on Peamans and it’s still fun. We always talk about the four ‘Fs’ — fitness, fun, family and friends. We come together, get some exercise, and connect with those we haven’t seen for a while. Today is our 443rd event and honors a very fast runner I nicknamed, the Road Runner.”
What makes the Peaman Biathlons special is one can do a long or short course, go solo or relay — it’s flexible. Peaman’s goal is to bring people together, keep it fun, and keep it going. And with most of the field under the age of 18, the event has become one of the most consistent youth fitness gatherings on the island — an important outlet for young athletes to stay active, build confidence, and connect with their peers instead of being at home on electronic devices.
“For one, it’s a great way for kids to learn to enjoy exercising, which is super important,” Peaman said. “It’s also a great way for them to meet new people, find discipline, and focus on how to get their things organized before getting into the water to swim then run or walk. Anything to keep them off electronics and outside in the sunshine.”
The top finishers in the long course posted impressive times, which showed that while the event is welcoming to all, the front end of the field is as competitive as ever. In the men’s division, Kealakehe High School cross-country and track and field standout, Archer Ankrum, claimed the overall win with a swift performance in a great time of 37 minutes and 19 seconds. Ankrum was followed closely by Nathan Coates in second place at 37:50. Colin Shields rounded out the podium in third with his time of 41:59.
On the women’s side, it was Anna Thomas who took top honors with her time of 45:12. The next two podium spots went to Lindsay Resetnikov and Heather Johnson with their times of 54:14 and 55:32 respectively.
In the short course Pea Wee division featuring a 200-yard swim and 1-mile run, Haaken Ronning and Anna Kestler, claimed the male and female titles with their times of 13:16 and 14:22.
For many, the best moments weren’t defined by the clock. Whether it was their first time swimming out to the half-mile buoy, or a parent jogging alongside their child, or Buddy the dog competing in the 2-mile run, it’s the memories created that keep participants coming back every month.
The next Peaman Biathlon event is scheduled for Sunday, May 25. For more information or to volunteer, contact Peaman at 938-2296.
