Cotter, Tennant win Tinman Triathlon

By Baxter Cepeda
Advertiser Staff Writer

James Cotter of Kona and Deirdre Tennant of Honolulu were all smiles yesterday despite sporting painful-looking road rashes on their upper left thighs.

James Cotter and Deirdre Tennant yesterday won the elite divisions of the Tinman Triathlon.

Both were hurt after crashing as they turned left off a slick Kalaniana'ole Highway during the bike portion of the race.

"It was like a slick ice patch," Tennant said.

Rain and 10- to 20-mph head winds hampered the bike ride, the second phase, and eliminated any chance of records falling in the 23rd annual race.

"After I wiped out I figured I would just take it easy," said Tennant, who was first among the women after the starting swim and was not challenged the rest of the way.

"Try to make it back safely," Tennant said of her mid-race strategy. She finished in 1 hour, 51 minutes, 57 seconds. The women's record of 1:50:53 was set by Debbie Hornsby in 1993.

Runner-up Katherine Nichols, 37, of Honolulu finished in 1:59:00, and Jenna Yancey, 29, of Honolulu placed third in 2:01:15.

"She's untouchable," Nichols said of Tennant.

"She's humble to the core and works her butt off," Yancey said of Tennant. "She's a true champion."

The men's race was closer.

Cotter, who was second after the swim to training partner Chad Seymour of Honolulu, had to work harder on the bike after his fall just to keep up.

"Chad pushed the pace (on the bike) coming home," Cotter said.

Seymour, 21, was in the race through the bike portion but was not able to keep up on the run.

"James took off (on the run), but I held on for second and I'm happy with that," Seymour said.

Cotter finished in 1 hour, 42 minutes, 9 seconds.

"I was gunning for the record," he said of the 1:40:00 time set by Peter Hursty in 2001. "But when I realized I didn't hit it (on the run), I just went into cruise mode."

Seymour finished in 1:45:51, followed by Scott Miller, 26, of Honolulu in 1:48:12.

The race started at 5:45 a.m. at Ala Moana Park with an 800-meter swim. The 40-kilometer bike phase and the 10-kilometer run both went around Diamond Head and ended at Kapi'olani Park.

To reduce congestion, organizers split the 900 competitors into four groups, which started 10 minutes apart.

Most of the top finishers said they use the Tinman every year as part of their training for top triathlons around the world, including the prestigious Kona Ironman, which is in October.

"This is my favorite race in Hawai'i," Miller said, "because it is Olympic distance and it is a great course."

The only difference between the Tinman and Olympic distance triathlons is the length of the swim. The Olympic distance swim is about twice as long.

A few of the top finishers, including Tennant, said they would prefer a longer swim.

"It really becomes a bikers' race," said Tennant.

But Tennant said that was nitpicking. She added that the organizers and volunteers do a great job of making the race suitable for first timers, as well as world-class athletes.

"I love the race," Tennant said. "It really is a people's race."

• Results in For the Record.