Damazo, Bocksnick win Maui Marathon

Staff Writer

LAHAINA — Eight years ago, Jason Damazo and his wife, Lindsey, visited Maui for their honeymoon.

Fast forward to Sunday, and the 34-yearold Seattle native and his wife were again celebrating on the Valley Isle, sharing a warm embrace after he was the first to cross the finish line in front of the Kaanapali Beach Hotel to win the Maui Marathon.

Damazo finished in a time of 2 hours, 52 minutes, 2 seconds, 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Sage Sarchet of Wailuku.

James Newby of Squamish, B.C., finished third in 2:57:21.

Damazo credited Sarchet for pushing him throughout the 26.2-mile trek from Hookele Street in Kahului to Kaanapali.

“He almost ran with me every step of the way,” Damazo said. “I definitely wouldn’t have been able to make that time without a companion for most of the route.”

Damazo said Sarchet broke away from him around the 20-mile mark of the race, but he was able to keep him in sight before he was able to catch up and take the lead in the final stretch of the race.

Hannah Bocksnick of Honolulu won the women’s race in 3:25:47. Her time was good for 10th overall. It was only the 27-year-old’s second marathon ever.

“I literally had no idea where I was, in terms of placing,” Bocksnick said. “I just kept picking people to follow and going about my pace.”

Bocksnick ran her first marathon, the Honolulu Marathon, in 2016, and she opted to do the Valley Isle race this year over competing in Honolulu again.

“What I like about this race is that it’s A to B,” Bocksnick said. “That made it easier for me, there’s no loops or turnarounds and it’s way prettier. I had to stop to take a picture, it was a moment I was all by myself — the sun was coming up and I was like ‘Ahhh.’ ”

Jaime Dawes of Rio Rancho, N.M., finished second in 3:35:53 and Anne Skeen of Kelseyville, Calif., was third in 3:40:04.

Lahaina resident Kristin Fowle was the first women’s finisher from Maui, crossing in 3:58:06 to take 10th place.

Overall, race co-director Jim Lynch was happy with the results and how smoothly the day turned out.

“What’s cool about this year was Sage, who took second place and he’s a local guy,” Lynch said. “We had a lot of vacationers on hand and it just showed they’re coming out doing family vacations and they don’t feel the pressure of a fancy fast race.”

The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos LEFT PHOTO: Seattle’s Jason Damazo sprints to the finish line to win the Maui Marathon on Sunday. Damazo finished the 26.2-mile race from Kahului to Kaanapali in a time of 2 hours, 52 minutes, 2 seconds. RIGHT PHOTO: Maui Marathon women’s winner Hannah Bocksnick of Honolulu exits the pali tunnel in second place before making her move to take the top spot in 3:25:47.

The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos CLOCKWISE FROM TOP PHOTO: Runners make their way through Launiupoko on Sunday. ◆ Overall marathon winner Jason Damazo gets a hug from wife Lindsey after crossing the finish line in Kaanapali. ◆ Chris Samis of Vancouver, B.C., crosses the marathon’s halfway point on his way to finishing first in the wheelchair division. ◆ Hannah Bocksnick nears the finish line on her way to winning the marathon women’s division. ◆ Calleghn Chief, 8, of Tucson, Ariz., makes his way to the half-marathon finish line.