Photo by Griffin Scott
WAIKIKI, Hawaii, September 2. HAVING the Pan Pacs 10K open water race postponed to Saturday in Hawaii worked out well for Becca Mann, as the American phenom was able to compete in the Waikiki Roughwater Swim and win the women’s division.
Mann posted a time of 51 minutes and 22 seconds to finish eighth overall and first among women. The 16-year-old competed in the 2.3-mile race in 2012, finishing in 50:38 as the fastest woman and 10th overall. Finishing three minutes behind Mann to take second among women this year was Kareena Lee with a 51:25.
It was a bit of redemption for Mann, who swam the third-fastest 10K in the Pan Pacific championships two days earlier but could not get a medal due to event rules that limited a country to only two official finishers in the top eight.
The Australians were out in full force in the men’s race, with the top three hailing from Down Under. Simon Huitenga took the men’s title in 45:36, beating fellow Perth resident Rhys Mainstone by five minutes. Mainstone was looking to win the race for a third consecutive year after wins in 2011 and 2012.
Like Mann, Huitenga and Mainstone took part in the Pan Pac 10K race in Maui before heading over to the Waikiki Roughwater Swim. Jarrod Poort, who won the Pan Pacs silver medal, finished 12th in Waikiki. Huitenga was fourth in the Pan Pacs 10K, while Mainstone was sixth.
Also of note was the 25th-place performance by Olympic backstroke champion Aaron Peirsol, who completed the course in 56:19 to finish second in the 30-34 age group.
The competition was hit with the news that Dan Mindich, a teacher at Punahou School in Honolulu, died after he was found unresponsive during the race by lifeguards. Mindich was taken to shore, where CPR was performed. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital. It was one of many water-related deaths in the state of Hawaii over the Labor Day weekend, though Mindich was the only casualty while participating in a sanctioned race. Three others died while swimming recreationally at seceral beaches throughout the state.
Was this really a 50+ hour swim or was it 50+ minutes???
Definitely only 51 minutes long. Thanks for catching it.
You should research the amazing man who unexpectedly died, Daniel Mindich. His friends and family in Hawaii, Stanford, Vermont, and across the USA are heartbroken. Our prayers are with his family.