Adult Sports

The Lavaman Triathlon, held Sunday at the Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii, would seem to make a lot of sense for Alaskans.

Some outdoor enthusiasts are satisfied with a traditional swim, bike, run style triathlon. Not Homerites.

More than 1,200 anglers descended on Homer’s harbor on Saturday to try their luck in the 2018 Winter King Salmon Tournament.

For the better part of this past Saturday, 32 gluttons for punishment embarked on the Homer Epic through the Kenai Peninsula’s Caribou Hills.

“Are you kidding me?” puffed a skier as he pushed his way through the thick, soft snow at the McNeil Canyon Ski Area before the start of Saturday’s Kachemak Bay Nordic Ski Marathon.

Skiers from all over the state descended on the Lookout Mountain Trails outside Homer over the weekend for the third and fourth installments of the Besh Cup Series.

The bigger the better, right? When it comes to bike tires, plenty of people in Homer would have to agree.

Rough seas didn’t keep anglers from braving Kachemak Bay for a chance to win the 2017 Homer Elks Lodge #2127 Winter King Salmon Derby. Ed Scribner caught the top king with a 24.60-pound beauty fishing on the F/V Sea Wolf. Ron Johnson took second with a 22.20-pound king on the F/V Oly John and Patrick Hankins was third with a 20.40-pound king on the F/V Sound Escape. Bethany Casey had a 20.30-pound king on the F/V Misty, winning first place for the lady angler division.

One did it using a handcycle after breaking his back seven years ago. Others competed after coaching at — or even running in — the Region III meet just outside of Palmer the day before.

A lucky Idaho resident is walking away with this year’s Jackpot Halibut Derby top prize.

Running in her first marathon ever — and her first run more than 18 miles — 2017 Homer High School graduate Lauren Kuhns exceeded the expectations of any rookie distance runner. Not only did she finish Sunday’s Anchorage Runfest Humpy Marathon straight through without stopping, she won it. In the women’s event, Kuhns finished with a time of 3 hours, 17 minutes and 37 seconds, almost 14 minutes ahead of second-place winner Hannah Booher.

‘Putting guru’ Stockton gives golf clinic

Five senior golfers from Homer played in the Senior State Amateur Golf Tournament at Anchorage Golf Course last weekend. Super Senior John Glidden placed 11th, Champion flight René Alverez tied for 15th, first flight players Charles Rehder, Charles Ruppenthal and John Gibson placed seventh,11th and 17th respectively. The next tournament is the State Amateur at Moose Run golf course in August. Homer’s Chris Morin is one of the top golfers in the state and hopes to place well.

Highland games set for Saturday

1. Eight-year-old Gigi Leonetti and 11-year-old Brooke Shafer race each other to the finish line of the Spit Run 10K.

In the Homer Epic held last Saturday, bicyclist Josh Chelf won the 100 km event with a time of 6 hours, 21 minutes and 30 seconds. Jill Simek was the top woman finisher and second-place overall, finshing just 6 seconds behind Chelf with a time of 6:21:36, also biking. Thirty contestants raced in 50k and 100k events on skis or bikes starting from McNeil Canyon Elementary School.

Community Recreation Schedule

Ninilchik Timberwolves in first

Staff report

Diva’s Women’s Hockey hosted the 9th Annual Jamboree Tournament last weekend. More than 90 players traveled from Kenai, Anchorage, Palmer and the Valley. This tournament, sponsored by Beluga Lake Lodge, is a major fundraiser for Homer Women’s Hockey.