Although it wasn't quite the way he drafted it, Tim Marr was the first across the finish line in yesterday's 26th annual Tinman Triathlon.

The Mililani resident finished the course in 1 hour, 42 minutes, 48 seconds.

Rachel Ross of Honolulu was the first female finisher with a time of 2:01:25.

The race is comprised of a 750-meter swim off Queen's Beach, followed by a 40-kilometer bike ride from Kapi'olani Park to Hawai'i Kai and back, and a 10-kilometer run around Diamond Head, through Kahala and finishing at Kapi'olani Park.

Marr, 27, was initially given a 10-minute penalty for drafting during the bike phase. Drafting is a technique where a person rides close behind another competitor to take advantage of lesser wind resistance.

"It's ridiculous," Marr said of the penalty. "I was ahead of everybody, how could I have drafted?"

Following a 30-minute dispute, the decision was reversed after it was discovered the penalty was assessed on the wrong person.

"That's life. It was a mistake, it happens," Marr said after the reversal.

He said when violations occur, the typical protocol is to stop the athlete on the spot rather than notifying the athlete after the completion of the race.

"They make you sit there for two minutes," Marr said.

Marr, who turned professional last year, also coaches clinics at BOCA Hawai'i. He credits his coach, Raul Boca Torres, for much of his success.

"He's led me every step of the way," Marr said of Torres, the director of BOCA Hawai'i, a training center for many triathletes.

Marr used the Tinman as a tune-up for this week's Vineman Triathlon in Napa, Calif.

Benjamin Collins finished second in 1:45:59 and Tai Blechta third in 1:46:55. Noa Sakamoto, who won Saturday's Cholo's 2000 swim at Waimea Bay, was the first to finish the swim portion of the race and placed first in the 20-24 age group and fifth overall in 1:49:01.

Ross, 29, drew motivation after a third-place finish last year.

"It's great to win. I definitely wanted to improve," she said. "I didn't expect to win, but I was hoping to. I'm quite surprised."

Ross was third after the swim and trailed by nearly two minutes after the bike-to-run transition before claiming the lead "halfway through the run."

She overtook Marion Summerer, who finished second in 2:05:03, shortly after she spotted her "at the top of Diamond Head."

Ross, admittedly a strong runner, wasn't concerned about being behind after the bike.

"I've done a few marathons," she said with a smile. "The run is definitely my favorite."

She said she never really struggled during the course of the race.

"It was a steady build. I felt pretty comfortable throughout," said Ross, who is planning to enter the Ironman Triathlon in Kailua, Kona in November.

Kristy Peterson finished third in 2:05:35.

NOTES

Will Yamamoto (male, 30-34) and Emily King (female, 15-19) repeated as age group winners.

Dr. Amy Hartstrite, of Kailua, has competed in every Tinman since its inception in 1979.

26TH ANNUAL TINMAN TRIATHLON

AT KAPI'OLANI PARK

MALE

Overall: 1, Tim Marr 1:42:48. 2, Benjamin Collins 1:45:59. 3, Tai Blechta 1:46:55. 4, Michael McMahon 1:48:41. 5, Noa Sakamoto 1:49:01. 15-19: 1, Kalen Darling 1:52:57. 2, Michael Buelsing 2:13:31. 3, Damian Naylor 2:39:49. 20-24: 1, Noa Sakamoto 1:49:01. 2, Adam Havrilak 2:08:18. 3, Stuart Naylor 2:15:07. 25-29: 1, Ryan Hatfield 1:52:11. 2, Jimmy Davis 1:55:04. 3, Kurt Chamber 1:56:45. 30-34: 1, Will Yamamoto 1:54:10. 2, Jesse Peterson 1:55:25. 3, Matty Cunningham 1:57:22. 35-39: 1, Luis De La Torre 1:50:01. 2, Kainalu Picl 1:57:22. 3, Joshua Lind 1:58:39. 40-44: 1, Michael McMahon 1:48:41. 2, Mike Ferreira 1:52:51. 3, Eric Glaus 1:56:08. 45-49: 1, Rod Huddleston 2:04:15. 2, David Griffith 2:04:43. 3, William McMahon 2:07:41. 50-54: 1, Blake Marr 2:05:48. 2, Mark Baker 2:06:21. 3, Nicholas Kaiser 2:08:15. 55-59: 1, Bob Bevacqua 2:19:50. 2, Timothy Conway 2:20:13. 3, Roy Tai 2:22:48. 60-64: 1, Donald Eovino 2:17:37. 2, Phil Gray 2:28:44. 3, Doug Akagi 2:38:24. 65-69: 1, Dan Walker 2:44:00. 70-74: 1, Gilbert Hatter 3:02:36. 2, Russell Carlson 3:05:09. 3, Stanley Tamashiro 3:18:43.

FEMALE

Overall: 1, Rachel Ross, 2:01:25. 2, Marion Summerer 2:05:03. 3, Kristy Peterson 2:05:35. 4, Sandra Ferreira 2:06:44. 5, Emily King 2:11:05. 15-19: 1, Emily King 2:11:05. 2, Deanne Soon 2:22:50. 3, Kirsten Swanson 2:40:25. 20-24: 1, Patricia McAndrew 2:15:04. 2, Jennifer Spindler 2:23:43. 3, Jenny Ong 2:30:03. 25-29: 1, Kathy Tieu 2:19:16. 2, Colleen Tessler 2:21:52. 3, Lena Ching 2:23:28. 30-34: 1, Ellie McManuels 2:15:12. 2, Risako Stegmayer 2:16:30. 3, Maggs Morris 2:23:12. 35-39: 1, Sandra Ferreira 2:06:44. 2, Renee Junod 2:27:10. 3, Lori Nishida 2:32:04. 40-44: 1, Gail Hamada 2:16:43. 2, Wendy Miki 2:17:33. 3, Stefy Matsumura 2:26:50. 45-49: 1, Pamela Kruse 2:15:06. 2, Barbara Heiller 2:19:39. 3, Susan Grove 2:22:17. 50-54: 1, Laurie Foster 2:31:17. 2, Joni Metzler 2:32:17. 3, Candace Strong 2:34:53. 55-59: 1, Peggy Regentine 2:28:24. 2, Linda Kaiser 2:59:29. 3, Carolyn Hall 3:06:11. 60-64: 1, Beverly Bernal-Masuda 2:48:07. 2, Beverly Csordas 2:57:39. 3, Catherine Watson 3:06:21. 65-69: 1, Lyn Brown 3:05:04. 2, Joy Schoenecker 3:11:17. 70-74: 1, Jeanne Davis 3:30.58.

TOP FINISHERS

MEN

1, Tim Marr, 1:42:48

2, Benjamin Collins, 1:45:59

3, Tai Blechta, 1:46:55

WOMEN

1, Rachel Ross, 2:01:25

2, Marion Summerer, 2:05:03

3, Kristy Peterson, 2:05:35