5 p.m. Update: Kaiden Lieto, 21, of Kona was the first Kona athlete to cross the finish line at the VinFast Ironman World Championship Saturday afternoon.
Lieto clocked in at 9:58:12. According to the Ironman Athlete Tracker app, the 21-year-old placed 41st out of 59 for the 18-24 age group. His swim was 52:17, his bike time was 5:45:04 and his 26.2-mile run clocked in at 4:07:24.
All local athletes finished the bike course and are tackling the marathon. Updates on when they cross the finish line will be provided as it becomes available.
1 p.m. update: Kaiden Lieto, 21, of Kona, is the first of the Big Island athletes to finish the 112-mile bike course in today’s VinFast Ironman World Championship.
He is now 4 miles into the 26.2-mile marathon that will take triathletes back out onto Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway, through the Hawai‘i Ocean Science Technology Park by Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport and back down Ali‘i Drive, where men will cross the finish line by Kailua Bay.
Lieto is estimated to finish at 3:45 p.m. with a 9-hour and 6-minute race time.
Lieto is fifth for the 18-24 age group. He finished the swim in 52:17 and the bike in 5 hours and 45 minutes.
Original post: All 16 of the men from Hawai‘i Island who are competing in the 2024 VinFast Ironman World Championship have completed the 2.4-mile swim in Kailua Bay and now are on the bike course headed to Hawī on Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway.
The local triathletes share the field today with 2,400 other amateur men from 85 countries.
The race started with pros entering the water at 6:25 a.m., followed by the different age groups.
Kaiden Lieto, 21, was the first Big Island athlete out of the water after a 52-minute swim. As of 9:30 a.m., he’s completed approximately 54 miles of the 112-mile bike course.
Lieto, with bib number 182, is competing in the iconic race months after undergoing surgery for a venous malformation in his brain.
Earlier this week, Lieto said he was going into Saturday with the goal of pushing through to the finish line.
He said he is strongest on the bike and swim but feels like he’s on an even playing field for all the Ironman events. His worry earlier this week was that his body wouldn’t function the way he wanted it to on race day.
“I think my day on Saturday, I’ll finish in 9 hours or 15 hours, depending on how my body is on the day,” he said.
At the pace he’s going, Lieto is on track to finish in just over 8 hours.
Michael Kemp, 30, of Kona, has completed 20 miles of the bike course and is estimated to finish the race in just under 11 hours.
With bib number 1110, Kemp is among 40 athletes who are part of Team Ironman Foundation’s fundraising team, which is dedicated to raising funds to support the communities where an Ironman event is occurring.
Laurentiu Grigore, 46, of Waikōloa, is 15 miles into the bike. Earlier this week, he said he had a goal of finishing the triathlon in under 11 hours. As of 9:30 a.m., he’s on track to finish in just under 10 hours.
With bib number 1754, this is Grigore’s third Ironman World Championship. He’s crossed the finish line in Kona in 2017 and 2022.
Leading up to today, the 46-year-old said he’s sacrificed lots of sleep during his six months of training.
Gary Wong of Kona, is 10 miles into the bike course. Donning bib number 1560, the 49-year-old is estimated to finish the race in 11 hours.
Jose Graca, competing in age group 50-54, is 25 miles into the bike course. He is estimated to finish the race at this point in just over 8 hours. His bib number is 2314.
Anthony Kotas, competing in age group 55-59, has pedaled 11 miles of the bike course. With bib number 2587, he estimated to finish the triathlon in just under 11 hours.
Timothy Connelly, competing in age group 55-59, has completed 15 miles on the bike. With bib number 2549, he’s estimated to finish the triathlon in more than 10 hours.
Andrew Loeb, competing in age group 75-79, has completed 15 miles of the bike course. With bib number 918, he’s estimated to finish in 13 hours.
Ron Kalich, competing in age group 55-59, has completed 5 miles on the bike course. With bib number 2429, he estimated to finish the full race in 15 hours.
Steffen Brocks, competing in age group 55-59, has completed 14 miles of the bike. With bib number 2540, he’s estimated to finish the full race in more than 10 hours.
Keish Doi, competing in the 55-59 age group, has completed 18 miles of the bike course. With bib number 2430, he’s estimated to finish the full race in just under 10 hours.
Lloyd Gillespie, competing in the 45-49 age group, has completed 28 miles on the bike. With a bib number of 1852, he estimated to finish the triathlon in under 10 hours.
Ian Hersey, competing in age group 60-64, has completed 25 miles so far on the bike. With bib number 652, he is estimated to finish the triathlon in more than 10 hours.
Daniel Hill, competing in age group 50-54, has completed 10 miles of the bike course. With bib number 2040, he is estimated to finish the full course in just under 10 hours.
Alexander Hsia, competing in the 60-64 age group, has completed 18 miles on the bike course. With bib number 742, he is estimated to finish the full race in more than 11 hours.
Track the athletes on the Ironman Athlete Tracker app.
