74-year-old Alton Motobu of Aiea, Hawaii was employed as an Information Technology Analyst by the State of Hawaii – and he uses his analytical skills to very good historical use for the Waikiki Roughwater Swim and the Hawaii Swimming Legacy Project.

An inductee in the Hawai’i Swimming Hall of Fame, he has completed numerous Hawaii channel crossings (including pioneering the 12.1 km crossing of Alalakeiki Channel  in 1992 from Kahoolawe to Maui, and has completed the 3.8 km Waikiki Roughwater Swim a total of 41 times to date between 1980 and 2025 – with no stopping in sight.

Over the years, Motobu compiled a number of interesting statistics on the Waikiki Roughwater Swim on Oahu that served as the inspiration for the Ironman Triathlon swim leg. During the 54 races in its history since 1970, among the individuals included in the statistics below are an Olympic gold medalist and world record holder (Jim Montgomery), Olympians (Ashley Twichell and Max Metzker), several professional marathon swimmers, three World Championship gold medalists (Grant Cleland, Ashley Twichell, and David Lundberg) and a bronze medalist (Karen Burton), many World Championship competitors, an English Channel record holder (Trent Grimsey), a father of an Olympic gold medalist (Chris Moore), and NCAA champions (Kathy Shipman and Jim Montgomery), Pan American Games gold medalists (Alex Kostich, Ashley Twichell, and Jim Montgomery), and an International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inductee (Jim Anderson).

Most Number of First Place Overall Victories

• 5 titles by Ollie Signorini in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
• 4 titles by Paul Stader in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980
• 3 titles by Alex Kostich (1994, 2002, 2006), Brett Phillips (1974, 1975, 1979), Malcolm Allen (1996, 1997, 1999), and Rhys Mainstone (2012, 2013, 2017)
• 2 titles by Joe Lileikis (1981, 1982), Christopher Moore (1987, 1990), John Flanagan (2000, 2001), Noa Sakamoto (2004, 2007), and Trent Grimsey (2008, 2009)

Most Number of First Place Woman Overall Victories

• 8 titles by Kaili Chun in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984
• 4 titles by Nadine Takai Day (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988) and Luane Rowe (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
• 3 titles by Lisa Hazen in 1991, 1993, 1995
• 2 titles by Stacey Gartrell (1996, 1997), Trudee Hutchinson (2001, 2003), Becca Mann (2012, 2014), Ashley Twichell (2018, 2019)

Fastest Men’s Winning Times: course standardized with permanent turn buoys in 1974

1. Jonathan Ezer in 41:09 in 1971
2. Daniel McLellan in 42:13 in 1992
3. Trent Grimsey in 42:20 in 2009
4. Darren Turner in 42:38 in 1993
5. Noa Sakamoto in 43:37 in 2007
6. George O’Brien in 43:40 in 2011
7. Alex Kostich in 43:46 in 2002
8. Rick Heltzel in 43:47 in 1984
9. Sam Chesser in 43:49 in 1972
10. Duke Wieland in 43:54 in 2025

Fastest Women’s Winning Times: course standardized with permanent turn buoys in 1974

1. Ashley Twichell in 45:23 in 2018
2. Lisa Hazen in 45:33 in 1995
3. Suzanne Ryan in 45:50 in 2025
4. Lisa Hazen in 46:00 in 1991
5. Liz Hogan in 46:42 in 1971
6. Kathy Shipman in 46:49 in 1972
7. Nadine Takai Day in 46:55 in 1988
8. Kaili Chun in 46:58 in 1984
9. Dawn Heckman in 47:06 in 2002
10. Luane Rowe in 47:21 in 2009

Longest First Place Overall Finish Times: strongest counter current during swim

1. Grant Cleland in 1:04:25 in 2003
2. Ollie Signorini in 1:03:39 in2019
3. Jim Montgomery in 1:00:29 in 1985
4. Ollie Signorini in 59:48 in 2016
5. Mark FInley in 55:23 in 1970
6. Daniel McLellan in 55:09 in 1992
7. Jeff Stiling in 54:15 in 1986
8. Ollie Signorini in 53:30 in 2022
9. Alex Kostich in 53:08 in 1994
10. John Flanagan in 52:40 in 2001

Most Podium (Top 3) Overall Finishes

1. 9 times by Alex Kostich in 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 2016
2. 7 times by John Flanagan in 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2009
3. 6 times by Ollie Signorini in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
4. 5 times by Paul Stadler (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980), Max Metzker (1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989), Chris Moore (1982, 1987, 1988 1990, 1992), Noa Sakamoto (2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007), Rhys Mainstone (2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018)

Most Podium (Top 3) Women’s Overall Finishes

1. 9 times by Kaili Chun in 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984
2. 8 times by Nadine Takai Day in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2007
3. 6 times by Luane Rowe in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
4. 4 times by Lisa Hazen (1991, 1992, 1993, 1995) and Becca Mann (2012, 2014, 2018, 2019)

Fastest Woman Finisher in Overall Results in Place closest to 1st overall (male) finisher

1. 3rd place overall finisher by Ashley Twichell in 2019, Nancy Ivy in 1973, Kaili Chun in 1976
2. 5th place overall finisher by Kathy Shipman in 1972, Julia Francisco in 1975, Kaili Chun in 1979 and 1980, Nadine Takai Day in 1988

Fastest Woman Finisher in Overall Results in Time closest to 1st overall (male) finisher

1. 18 seconds behind 1st overall finisher by Lisa Hazen in 1995
2. 24 seconds behind 1st overall finisher by Stacey Gartrell in 1997
3. 25 seconds behind 1st overall finisher by Kathleen Hohwald in 2024
4. 30 seconds behind 1st overall finisher by Ashley Twichell in 2018
5. 37 seconds behind 1st overall finisher by Ashley Twichell in 2019
6. 48 seconds behind 1st overall finisher by Karen Burton in 1992

Closest Margin of Victory for First Place Overall

1. George O’Brien over Codie Grimsey in 2011 in an identical time of 43:40
2. Brett Phillips (48:02) over Tore Blichfeldt (48:03) and Paul Stadler (48:04) in 1979
3. Rick Heltzel (43:47) over Max Metzger (43:48) in 1984
4. Bobby Patten (45:42) over David Lundberg (45:43) in 1991
5. Ned Wieland (51:13) over Duke Wieland (51:14) in 2024

Youngest First Place Overall Finisher

• Age 15 by Jonathan Ezer in 1971 and Les (Wulk) Barkley in 1973

Youngest First Place Woman Finisher

1. Age 11 by Kathy Shipman in 1972
2. Age 14 by Nalani Guyer in 1974 and Julia Francisco in 1975 and Kaili Chun in 1976

Oldest First Place Overall Finisher

• Age 36 by Alex Kostich in 2006

Oldest First Place Woman Finisher

• Age 38 by Marjorie Phillips in 1970

Most Podium (Top 3) Age Group Finishes by Men

1. 30 times by Rick Heltzel (15x 1st + 11x 2nd + 4x 3rd, but his 2 overall Top 3 finishes are not included
2. 23 times by Ernie Keskovitz (20x 1st + 1x 2nd + 2x 3rd)
3. 21 times by Mo Mathews (14x 1st + 6x 2nd + 1x 3rd)
4. 19 times by Alex Kostich (16x 1st + 2x 2nd + 1x 3rd), but his 9 overall Top 3 finishes are not included
5. 17 times by Fred Trask (8x 1st + 5x 2nd + 4x 3rd)
6. 14 times by Jim Welch (8x 1st + 6x 2nd)

Most Podium (Top 3) Age Group Finishes by Women

1. 42 times by Betty Ann Barnett (30x 1st + 2x 2nd + 1x 3rd)
2. 23 times by Diane Stowell (22s 1st + 1x 2nd)
3. 17 times by Sui-Lan Ellsworth (3x 1st + 10x 2nd + 4x 3rd)
4. 15 times by Miki Yoshida David (7x 1st + 4x 2nd + 4x 3rd)
5. 14 times by Gail Grabowsky (5x 1st + 8x 2nd + 1x 3rd)
6. 12 times by Kristin Counter (2x 1st + 7x 2nd + 3x 3rd)

Oldest Finishers

1. 89 years old by Lori Auhll in 2025
2. 88 years and 10 months old by Alton Slater in 2025
3. 88 years old by Gerald O’Regan in 1988
4. 87 years old by Gene Grounds in 2023
5. 84 years old by Jim Cotton in 2017 and H. William Burgess in 2012
6. 79 years old by Betty Ann Barnett in 2025
7. 78 years old by Ruth Manfredi in 2002

Youngest Male Finishers

• 7 years old by Timothy Marr in 1986, Chris Bartels in 1974, Donald Chong in 1972, David Brahman in 2016, Bodi Showe in 2024

Youngest Female Finishers

• 7 years old by Elise Baker in 1999, Anela Peneku in 1978, Terese D’Orazio in 1973, Robin Utu in 1972

Most Finishes All-Time

1. 42 finishes by 79-year-old Betty Ann Barnett between 1972 and 2025
2. 41 finishes by 74-year-old Alton Motobu between 1980 and 2025
3. 40 finishes by 70-year-old Kenneth Miyaki between 1979 and 2025
4. 39 finishes by 62-year-old Joe Lileikis between 1981 and 2025
5. 37 finishes by 65-year-old Ray Nakamoto between 1976 and 2014
6. 36 finishes by 69-year-old Phyllis Quinn between 1982 and 2025 and 81-year-old Bruce Clark between 1975 and 2023
7. 35 finishes by 68-year-old Rick Heltzel between 1984 and 2025 and 62-year-old Todd Presley between 1987 and 2025
8. 31 finishes by 69-year-old Jill Buss between 1988 and 2025
9. 30 finishes by 65-year-old Diane Corn between 1985 and 2023, 67-year-old Patrick Dixon between 1985 and 2016, 71-year-old Carl Kawauchi between 1981 and 2014, 67-year-old John Cater between 1970 and 1999
10. 29 finishes by 81-year-old Uli Klinke between 1976 and 2025, 70-year-old Valisa Saunders between 1981 and 2025, 60-year-old Lynn Jolly between 1992 and 2025, 55-year-old Alex Kostich between 1993 and 2025, 41-year-old Kristin Counter between 1993 and 2025
11. 28 finishes by 64-year-old Russell Iwamura between 1983 and 2025 and 65-year-old Thomas Wheeler between 1992 and 2023
12. 27 finishes by 80-year-old Jim Budde between 1971 and 2025, 69-year-old Tim Johns between 1992 and 2025, 64-year-old Laurie Foster between 1980 and 2019
13. 26 finishes by 68-year-old Jim Anderson between 1971 and 2002
14. 25 finishes by 69-year-old Roger Komori between 1996 and 2025
15. 24 finishes by 71-year-old Bob Roper between 1974 and 2010, 57-year-old Gary Morita between 1982 and 2006, 61-year-old Solomon Loo between 1975 and 1998
16. 23 finishes by 77-year-old Ernie Leskovitz between 1991 and 2014, 72-year-old Diane Stowell between 1981 and 2006

Endurance Award for Longest Swims (before 4-hour time limit established in 1986)

1. 59-year-old Robert Lee in 4 hours 21 minutes 23 seconds in 1981
2. 34-year-old Paul Brown in 4 hours 18 minutes 22 seconds in 1985
3. 59-year-old Mildred Zabriske in 4 hours 14 minutes 51 seconds in 1981
4. 59-year-old Dorothy Harding in 4 hours 14 minutes 50 seconds in 1981
5. 39-year-old Dan Dunlap in 4 hours 13 minutes 29 seconds in 1981
6. 44-year-old Annabelle Takahashi in 4 hours 5 minutes 11 seconds in 1981

Top 10 Most Consecutive Finishes (does not include cancelled races in 2005, 2015, 2020, 2021)

1. 36 times by Alton Motobu between 1986 and 2025
2. 35 times by Todd Presley between 1987 and 2025
3. 34 times by Joe Lileikis between 1991 and 2025
4. 30 times by Patrick Dixon between 1985 and 2016, John Cater between 1970 and 1999
5. 29 times by Kristin Counter between 1993 and 2025, Alex Kostich between 1993 and 2025
6. 28 times by Thomas Wheeler between 1992 and 2023, Kenneth Miyaki between 1979 and 2007
7. 27 times by Ray Nakamoto between 1976 and 2002

Fin Division (since 2011) Fastest 1st Place Finish Time

1. 41:32 by Robert Tullman in 2018
2. 55:20 by Katie Lyons in 2023
3. 55:29 by Lynn Asaoka in 2011
4. 59:44 Steve Brent in 2014
5. 60:09 by Joan Schriger in 2013
6. 60:18 by Scott Greenwood in 2012

Fin Division (since 2011) Most 1st Place Finishes

1. 3 times by Steve Brent in 2013, 2014, 2016
2. 2 times by Katie Lyons in 2022, 2023

Fin Division (since 2011) Most Finishes

1. 9 times by Kelly Quin between 2012 and 2025
2. 7 times by Teena Michael between 2011 and 2018

Top 10 Most Finishes All-Time

1. 42 times by Betty Ann Barnett
2. 41 times by Alton Motobu and Kenneth Miyaki
3. 39 times by Joe Lileikis
4. 37 times by Ray Nakamoto
5. 36 times by Bruce Clark and Phyllis Quinn
6. 35 times by Rick Heltzel and Todd Presley
7. 32 times by Diane Corn

Photo on left shows World Championship gold medalist Chip Peterson. Photo on right shows long-time Waikiki Roughwater Swim event organizer Kaia Hedland with Jim Greene.

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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