Ho’omau means persistence and perseverance. Everyone that participates in the Oahu Pentathlon demonstrates determination, stamina and tenacity to a great degree, but there’s always a unique story that stands out to inspire us. Kate Bandanza faced some serious challenges early in the day on the paddle and had to change her own expectations. Grinding through the rest of the day, it looked unlikely that she would be able to beat the 24-hour time cap. With a little strategy and a LOT of heart, she made it with 20 minutes to spare!

Malama means to care for and protect. Lori wasn’t just “Hannah’s Mom” — she was a guardian angel for other athletes as well. Having extra eyes on the course is always a huge help to keeping our athletes as safe and attended to as possible and Lori’s care helped increase our response time in areas of need.

Kokua means to help and give aid. We first met Donovan at one our Community Event beach cleanups and he’s been nothing but “all in” since. Having the type of volunteer Team Captains that recruit their own team is an incredible blessing to this event and Donovan went above and beyond to meticulously manage one of our checkpoints and anticipate the needs of running a seamless event.

Hau’oli means joy or captivating happiness. If you ran into team “Megan and Bridget” on this year’s course, they were sure to have a huge smile plastered on their faces… come hell or high water! (And there were some high waters). We loved getting to be drawn in by their contagious energy and catwere inspired by the friendship between Robin and Alina to brave this course together.

Aloha means love and friendship. It’s with great honor that we award this year’s ALOHA recognition to team “Syd’s Spuds.” Kristin, Jonathan, Fukui, Malachi, Lauren Ryan and Leanne signed up as an Adventure Team in honor of their friend Sydney who passed away earlier this year after a long battle with cancer. Their apparent love for her extended far beyond their own experience as they used their journey to fundraise for the ongoing medical costs of the family related to Syd’s treatments and hospitalizations.

Ho’omau means persistence and perseverance. As an ultra-endurance event, there are so many nominees, but there was one that stood out above the rest. Jose Urquidy (@josee_urquidy) had every reason to quit his Solo Trek quest. He got injured during training, his support crew’s vehicle broke down within the first few hours of the day, his phone broke and he got six bicycle tire flats. Nonetheless he never gave up and made it in to the finish line with 22 minutes to spare before the cutoff!

Malama means to care for and protect. When the last team on the swim had to make an unexpected change in the water, they only had one other teammate who could swim, but it wasn’t something that she had trained for. Safety team volunteer and California firefighter Jared Cheselske (@cheezewizzle_1970) didn’t hesitate to get in the water and swim alongside of her for the last few hundred meters and bring the team through the checkpoint. (Pictured left).

Kokua means to help and give aid. It takes nearly 100 volunteers to pull of this event and each placement involves a 1-on-1 conversation to find the best place for someone’s time and talent. So it’s a huge win when we can get a group of people who already know how to work together! A dozen interns from the Respect the Corners program at YWAM Kona (Big Island) covered multiple parts of the course and were a huge help to the success of our 2024 experience! (Full group not pictured).

Hau’oli means joy or captivating happiness. Grace Pettit is electric in every way. From warming up our Athlete Briefing with an event trivia giveaway to passing out snacks, waters and good vibes at the carry course trailhead… no one could argue that Grace isn’t overflowing with immense and genuine joy. She’s also been a significant catalyst to the work of Point One Vision, bringing together her love for community, fitness and experience as a school teacher.

Aloha means love and friendship. Lu and Shantell run an all-women’s gym in Southern Oregon as a space for healing and wholeness. They truly walk the talk in all that they do and the love of their friendship built on “doing hard things” was a true testament to what Aloha is all about. Although they didn’t complete the course by the sunrise cutoff, they continued on together nonetheless and completed their journey in 26 hours and 19 minutes… with a crowd in waiting.

Ho’omau means persistence and perseverance. Robert Medina (@robmdina), demonstrated ultimate resilience when he persisted through multiple setbacks in the race, including a swimming his kayak back to land after his kayak filled with water part way during the paddle section. He went on to give an incredible effort in the final bike section - he never gave up his best effort!

Malama means to care for and protect. The Oahu Pentathlon values that we take care of people and that we take care of this island. Our Malama award goes out to Bryan “Goose” (@gooseybayby), who served as team captain for our water safety crew in protecting and guiding our athletes through one of the most challenging aspects of the course and ensuring that all major problems were solved.

Kokua means to help and give aid. Bryan Bowers (@steelwall23) was available whenever, wherever for all 24 hours of the event and was always ready to be a helping hand to the person that needed it most. He helped us to realize the fullness of the type of person this event needs to operate at 100%, and did so with love and enthusiasm that set a standard of care for everyone else around him!

Hau’oli means joy or captivating happiness. The purpose of the Oahu Pentathlon is to experience the joy of wellbeing that comes from serving others, with others. Curtis Medina (@curtis_medina_ )’s infectious enthusiasm and encouragement was not reserved only for his brother-in-law that he supported through the solo course, but for a number of other athletes, too. No one was cheering louder than this guy.

Aloha means love and friendship. Ola Ke Koa is an inter-island team of service men that represented the @hawaiiarmynationalguard. Their represented teamwork to the truest sense of the word, reminding us that it’s not about the fittest, but about those who will go the furthest for one another. Ola Ke Koa, “the way of the warrior,” truly embodied the qualities that make a community stronger, together.