In the biggest Big Hurt ever, a local favorite won the Ironman again and a veterinarian from Montana won the women’s Ironman on Sept. 23.

Troy Treaccar, owner of Sound Bikes and Kayaks, a previous winner, took first with a dominating time of 3 hours, 41 minutes, 11 seconds. He won by 18 minutes.

Treaccar won the race in 2019 and still holds the all-time record for the race at 3:34:22. He now holds the best and third-best times overall for the race.

Winning the mountain bike leg was Joey Gish at 1:01:22 with Treaccar one second behind. Treaccar had the best kayaking time at 26:28 and the best cycling time at 1:39:06. He finished off with the top 10k run at 43:52.

The 2022 and 2021 champion, Michael Finley, did not race this year.

Jennifer Higgins of Bozeman, Mont., took first among the women with a time of 4:26:36, winning by nearly 52 minutes. Higgins had the top mountain bike leg (1:14:46), the top kayaking/paddling time (33:07), the best cycling leg (1:45:55) and the best run (52:48).

This was the biggest Big Hurt ever, with 59 Ironman competitors, 22 tandem teams, 37 full teams of three to four people, two high school teams and seven masters teams. Several competitors came from out of state and Canada.

A total of 53 Ironman competitors, including all the masters racers, finished. Only one tandem team was unable to finish and 33 out of 37 full teams finished. Every masters team finished.

The Big Hurt, put on by Peninsula Adventure Sports, includes a 15-mile mountain bike leg that started in the hills above Port Angeles, a 2½-mile kayak/paddleboard leg through Port Angeles Harbor, a 30-mile bike ride west of the city and back, and finally a 10K run along the Olympic Discovery Trail east of Port Angeles and back. The entire race is about 53¾ miles long.

The Iron Division (age 50-plus) master winner was Robin Sarner in a very solid time of 4:31:16.

The top tandem team was Improbability Drive with a time of 3:49:51, while the top full team was Oompa Loompa with a time of 3:56:35. The top masters team was Old Fart Racing with a time of 4:04:33. The top high school team was Roughrider Company with a time of 4:55:05.

Improbability Drive from Bellingham had the best tandem mountain bike time (1:00:56) and the best paddle time (26:36). Nolan^Squared, which finished fourth, had an outstanding road cycling time of 1:21:43, winning that leg and also had the top time in the 10K run at 36:41.

The full team race was a back-and-forth affair with different teams taking the lead after each stage.

Oompa Loompa actually got off to a slow start, as Haley Insurance Agency was tops in the mountain bike leg at 1:01:29. Whidbey Warriors was top in the paddle at 27:16 and Flyin’ Fidgets was tops in the road cycling stage at 1:32:33. Still Kickn had the top 10K run at 38:35. Oompa Loompa didn’t win any of the stages but was the most consistent team in edging Haley Insurance Agency by about 1:20 at the end.

On Sept. 24 was the Little Hurt for youngsters, this year held at the campus of Peninsula College as the Lincoln Park BMX was hosting the state BMX finals.

For full results, people can go online to tinyurl.com/BigHurt2023.

Little Hurt, big deal on campus

A total of 43 youngsters came out to a new venue at the Peninsula College campus for the third Little Hurt competition on Sept. 24.

In the Little Hurt, kids from the first through the eighth grades competed in varying distances on a bike ride around the campus, rowing on rowing machines contributed by the Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association, then went on a one-mile to two-mile run around the campus. The event is done in conjunction with the Big Hurt, a multi-discipline endurance race which took place on the Olympic Peninsula the day prior.

“The new venue at Peninsula College was great and we hope to work with Peninsula College to have it there again next year. It is such a beautiful campus,” race director Lorrie Mittmann said.

The event was held at the Lincoln Park BMX Park in past years but moved to the Peninsula College campus because Lincoln Park was hosting a state BMX championship.

Full results can be found at tinyurl.com/LittleHurt2023.

Photo by Keith Thorpe/Olympic Peninsula News Group Ironman Troy Treaccar of Port Angeles finishes first in the Sept. 23 Big Hurt.

Photo by Keith Thorpe/Olympic Peninsula News Group / Calvin Colander of Bellingham-based Team Improbability Drive heads for the handoff after finishing the mountain bike leg of the Big Hurt in Port Angeles on Sept. 23.