Wachtel, Swart win opening event of North Shore Swim Series

By Mike Tymn
Special to the Honolulu Advertiser

Glen Wachtel was a little apologetic after winning the Raging Isle Sprint, a 1-mile swim from Sunset Beach to 'Ehukai Beach Park on the North Shore, yesterday morning.

"I may have had the 'home-court' advantage," Wachtel, 33, said after edging Evan Duffin Barnes, 15, and Pat Foley, 21, for the victory. Wachtel was referring to his employment as a life guard at North Shore beaches, including 'Ehukai Beach Park.

The winning time was 21 minutes, 28.8 seconds. Duffin Barnes, second to Kevin Flanagan last year, clocked 21:33.7, while Foley, a University of Hawai'i swimmer, crossed the finish line on the beach in 21:35.3. Flanagan did not compete.

Finishing fourth overall in 21:37.8, just nine seconds behind Wachtel, Ashley Swart, a 16-year-old Kaiser High senior, won the women's race.

Deirdre Tennant, 29, was second with a 23:18.3. Defending champion Jodi Jackson, 24, took third, another 40 seconds back.

With 344 competitors, the event, the first in the North Shore Swim Series, got underway shortly after 9 a.m. under choppy conditions. Duffin Barnes was the early leader, but about five minutes into the race he was joined by Wachtel, Foley, Brett Phillips, and Peter Hursty.

"Glen really took off on the second half," said Hursty, the state's top-ranked triathlete and coach of both Duffin Barnes and Swart.

After starting slowly, Swart caught up with the men right around the midway point and was content to remain there until overtaking Phillips and Hursty near the end.

"I couldn't see much and didn't really know where I was going," Swart said, when asked why she didn't maintain her momentum and swim right by all of them after catching up.

Year-for-year, Phillips, 43, may have had the best performance of the day. He finished fifth overall in 21:55.8.

The series continues with the North Challenge on July 8, Cholo's 2000 Swim on July 21 and then concludes with the Surf & Sea Cup on August 4.