A beautiful day for a Big Hurt

Nearly 200 competitors took on the waters, roads and trails of the Port Angeles area, with more than 90 percent of the athletes finishing in the annual Big Hurt race on Sept. 24.

The Big Hurt, put on by Peninsula Adventure Sports, is a multi-sport endurance team or individual relay. It has a 14-mile mountain biking leg through the hills above Port Angeles, a 2.5-mile kayaking or paddleboard leg through Port Angeles Harbor, a 30-mile bike ride on the roads between Port Angeles and Joyce and a 10K run along the Olympic Peninsula Trail.

Racers this year, some of whom dressed in uniforms and costumes such as the North Kitsap Mountain Vikes from Poulsbo in their Viking helmets, were treated to near-perfect conditions Saturday with clear skies and cool temperatures.

The race usually has a fairly high dropout rate because it is so difficult, but only one Ironman athlete, one Masters athlete and one team dropped out. In past years, as many as 20 percent of the competitors were not able to finish due to injury or exhaustion.

The North Kitsap-based team of Mountain Vikes, complete with Viking helmets, waits for their mountain biker to arrive at the Big Hurt exchange zone. (Pierre LaBossiere/Peninsula Daily News)

The overall winner and the ironman individual winner for the second year in a row was Michael Finley in 3 hours, 38 minutes, 40 seconds, beating his time from last year by about five minutes. His finish was about four minutes off the all-time record set by Troy Treaccar in 2019.

Finley was given a pretty good run for his money through the first two legs by Ian Mackie. Mackie finished the mountain biking leg in first place at 1:00:39 as Finley was four minutes behind at 1:04:20.

After the paddleboat/kayak leg, the two competitors were nearly even as Finley had a solid finish of 28:45 (the second-best kayak leg on the day) and Mackie finished in 32:44.

In the road cycling and run legs, Finley crushed it, however. He won the cycling leg by 15 full minutes over Mackie in a time of 1:23:24. He won the 10K in 42:11, a minute and a half over the second-place runner Sam Peckham.

Mackie finished second overall at 4:02:41, while Slater Fletcher was third at 4:07.56. Fletcher had the best kayaking/paddleboard leg of the day at 26:04.

In the women’s ironman, Shelley Chestler won with a time of 4:46:20. Claire Martin was second at 5:24:17 and Madeline McClean third at 5:32:13.

Ian Mackie pulls into the exchange zone on the Port Angeles waterfront after completing the mountain biking leg at Saturday’s Big Hurt. (Pierre LaBossiee/Peninsula Daily News)

Steve Smith won the male masters category in 4:21.43, good for fifth overall. Chris Grieve was second at 4:51:45 and Ross Gilbert was third at 5:00:57. The women’s master winner was Sara Jackson with a time of 6:27:00.

In the team category, the winner was Pacific Marten Sheen in a time of 4:04.20. Gone to Plaid came in second at 4:13:03 and Get Real Get Better was third at 4:19:55.

The tandem team winner was Mustache Energy at 3:56:09. Camel T2B was second at 4:12:51 and Team Berry was third at 4:21:33.

The high school team winner was Smells Like Teen Spirit in a time of 4:58:12 and the Masters team winner was Old Fart Racing with a time of 4:26:57.

In the team races, Pacific Marten Sheen had the top time in the mountain bike (1:07:38), Get Real Get Better had the top paddleboard/kayak time (28:45), Gone to Plaid the best road cycling time (1:32:45) and Get Real Get Better the top run time (39:36).

A total of 27 ironman competitors finished. Four ironman women completed the course. Eleven ironman masters finished and one ironman master woman finished.

Fifteen tandem teams completed the course, 19 teams finished, four masters teams finished and one high school team.

Big Hurt 2022 — Saturday, Sept. 24

Top 10 finishers

Ironman — 1. Michael Finley, 3:38:40; 2. Ian Mackie, 4:02:41; 3. Slater Fletcher, 4:07:56; 4. Sam Peckham, 4:14:01; 5. Rob Briggs, 4:35:47; 6. Corey McBride, 4:43:45; 7. Ryan Akiyama, 4:46:09; 8. Michael Wauters, 4:48:49; 9. LT Clay, 4:57:48; 10. Devon Derby, 5:00:19.

Ironman female — 1. Shelley Chestler, 4:46:20; 2. Claire Martin, 5:24:17; 3. Madeline McClean, 5:32:13; 4. Nina Sarmiento, 6:38:43.

Ironman Masters — 1. Steve Smith, 4:21:43; 2. Chris Grieve; 4:51:45; 3. Robb Gilbert, 5:00:57; 4. Tom Wahl, 5:04:47; 5. Steve Shaw, 5:10:25; 6. Ken Bronson, 5:17:41; 7. Jeff Evans, 5:37:54; 8. Trevor Ivory, 5:44:15; 9. Scott Abrams, 5:49:06; 10. Steven Thompson, 5:52:41.

Tandem — 1. Mustache Energy, 3:56:09; 2. Camel T2B, 4:12:51; 3. Team Berry, 4:21:33; 4. Morgan Wrath, 4:36:51; 5. Chronicles of Gnarnia, 4:45:46; 6. Dude Where’s Our Kids?, 4:45:55; 7. Team Rocket, 4:51:45; 8. Blister Sisters, 4:53:38; 9. Grin and Bear It, 4:53:58; 10. Old Man and the Athlete, 4:59:12.

Team — 1. Pacific Marten Sheen, 4:04:20; 2. Gone to Plaid, 4:13:03; 3. Get Real Get Better, 4:19:55; 4. Thunderscat, 4:22:32; 5. Chris Morgan, 4:31:22; 6. Working on That, 4:36:36; 7. Subalpine Trees Racing Team, 4:36:46; 8. Fletcher Babes, 4:48:10; 9. No Time To Die, 5:04:26; 10. The French Garlic, 5:05:54.

Team Masters — 1. Old Fart Racing, 4:26:57; 2. Masters of Disaster, 4:43:45; 3. Wait, What?, 4:59:37; 4. Masterplan Is To Finish!, 5:18:00.