Posted on: Sunday, August 5, 2001

Swimming
Flanagan, Jackson win finale

By Mike Tymn
Special to The Advertiser

As the four leaders of the women's race in the Surf 'n Sea Cup 1.2-mile ocean swim at Hale'iwa yesterday approached the beach for the sprint to the finish in the sand, they went off course. It appeared that they would surface 40 yards down the beach from the finishing chute, thereby missing a buoy course marker, which would have resulted in their disqualification.

At the last second, Jodi Jackson, a stroke ahead of the others, recognized the mistake, made a hard right turn, went around the buoy, surfaced, and then sprinted to the finish line on the beach for a three-tenths of a second victory over Elizabeth Rose Hanohano-Hong.

Jackson, 24, the defending champion, clocked 24 minutes, 46.9 seconds, while Hanohano-Hong, 13, crossed in 24:47.2. ÊAdriene Mason, 24, was third in 24:48.3, three seconds ahead of June McLain, 39.

"We were kind of in a pack and I just lucked out by seeing the buoy first," said Jackson. "I had to make a real sharp right turn to get around the buoy."

In the men's race, it was no contest as John Flanagan, the national 10K open water champion, won by 1ý minutes over Brett Phillips. Andy Lachman took third, another eight seconds back.

Flanagan, 26, recorded 20:31.5 to 22:01.5 for the 43-year-old Phillips. Lachman, 20, finished in 22:09.5.

"You don't worry about John, he's gone right from the beginning," said Phillips, who battled with Lachman the entire race. "I caught a couple of waves at the end and got (Lachman)."

With 105 entrants, the women's race got under way at 9:15. Jackson, McLain and Pia Chock shared the lead for the first half with Hanohano-Hong and Mason in close tow. "It looks completely flat out there, but that's totally misleading," said Jackson. "There is a surf and it was hard to see the buoys. Coming back we were getting some real surges."

The men's race started an hour later with 138 competitors. Flanagan, just back from the world championships in Japan where he finished fourth in the 10K and 10th in the 5K, immediately took command and pulled away. He said he has backed off his training a little, but plans to pick it up in a week or so in preparation for the Waikiki Roughwater Swim on Labor Day.

The event was the final of the four-race Eyecatcher North Shore Swim Series. Based on cumulative time, Jackson emerged as the series winner for the women, while Phillips won the series for the men. Flanagan, who was unable to compete in all four events, was not eligible for the series title.

The series victory for Phillips climaxed a comeback that began last year. Phillips had been inactive for two decades before deciding it was time to get back in shape. He was a state swimming champion while at Kailua High School, a Big Ten Champion at the University of Wisconsin, as well as a three-time winner of the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (1974, 1975, 1979).