Posted on: Sunday, August 10, 2003
UH's Boehm, Clewett capture Surf & Sea
By Baxter Cepeda
Advertiser Staff Writer
Kurt Boehm and Katie Clewett won the 2.4-mile Surf & Sea North Shore Challenge from Ehukai Beach Park to Waimea Bay yesterday, and Adam Apprill and Nicole Hagi were crowned overall champions of the four-event North Shore Swim Series.
Boehm, 21, finished in 42 minutes and 40 seconds, followed by Apprill, 21, in 42:59.
Clewett, 19, was the first woman finisher in 47:43. Hagi, 14, was second in 47:49.
The series winners had to swim in all four races. Boehm and Clewett were ineligible for the overall title because they both missed the first race, the Raging Isle Sprint from Sunset Beach to Ehukai on June 28.
Apprill and Hagi won the series, in 1:50:06 and 2:04:47 respectively, using the fastest combined time in two events.
"I was lucky that Noah (Sakamoto) wasn't here — that kid is something else," said Apprill, who attends the University of Minnesota and is visiting his sister for the summer.
Sakamoto, a Punahou senior who won the first three North Shore races, was at the USA Swimming National Championships in College Park, Md., yesterday.
Hagi, who will be a ninth grader at Kapolei High, said winning the series added to her confidence.
She said that she enjoyed yesterday's race course because of the "nice views" and the 15 mph winds and the currents were at the swimmers' back.
Boehm, who will be a senior at the University of Hawai'i, said he could not enjoy the sights because he lost his cap and goggles.
"I just sprinted home," he said. "I'm very relieved that it's over — 45 minutes of pain."
Boehm said he started further out in the water and swam a straight line — rather than following the shoreline — before turning into Waimea Bay.
He added that ocean swims give him much-needed variety.
"They are good practice and good fun," said Boehm, a member of the UH swim team.
Clewett, who will be a freshman at UH, said she was just trying to have fun, but it was also "good distance training."
Part of the fun for Clewett was seeing "a huge school of fish."
She was probably talking about 5,000 halalu bait that fishermen had lining the Waimea shoreline.
Pat Foley, 23, was 16 seconds behind Apprill for the series title, while finishing fourth yesterday in 43:49.
Brett Phillips, 45, was fifth yesterday in 45:12 and third for the series in 1:57:17.
"I usually die then get a second wind — but I felt good the whole race," said Phillips, who trains with Kailua Masters Swim Club.
"I think it's amazing," Boehm said of Phillips, "I can't see myself doing that at that age."
Honolulu's Evan Duffin-Barnes, 17, finished third yesterday in 43:40.5.
Waipahu's Samantha Moran, 17, was second woman overall in the series in 2:06:50. She finished third yesterday in 48:47.
Kailua's Maria Krawciw, 15, finished the series third in 2:08:43.
