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On Sunday, Maui Preparatory Academy’s Kirkham becomes The Xterra Principal

Ryan Kirkham stands with his son Jonah, 13, on Tuesday. Ryan Kirkham, principal of Maui Preparatory Academy, will be competing in the Xterra World Championship triathlon on Sunday in Kapalua. The Maui News / ROBERT COLLIAS photo

NAPILI — Ryan Kirkham can see Xterra World Championship competitors ride by on training runs from his office.

It took a few years of contemplating it, but the Maui Preparatory Academy principal will be on the starting line with some of the world’s best triathletes — celebrating his 40th birthday, no less — when the event takes place in Kapalua on Sunday.

In January, he entered a lottery for an at-large slot to the off-road triathlon and got word in September that he was in. It is the culmination of a relationship the Kirkham family has built with the event.

“When I got that email, it was, ‘OK, this is real now,’ so definitely time to start putting in some more miles,” Kirkham said Tuesday.

The 39-year-old Kirkham is a former college volleyball player at Trinity Western University in Vancouver, British Columbia — in high school he played volleyball, basketball and football — who has always “had an interest in triathlons.”

Ryan Kirkham bikes along the Xterra course on a practice run Tuesday. The Maui News / ROBERT COLLIAS photo

He moved to Maui in 2005 to teach at MPA. He is now in his fifth year as principal after also serving as athletic director.

“The first year they moved it to Kapalua I would actually see them practice right here on campus,” he said. “As they were taking their practice runs and getting a drink of water, I remember talking with a few of the pros that year. That definitely drew me out to watch the race.

“I remember sitting at those first few races thinking: ‘I don’t know whether or not to be inspired by these athletes or embarrassed to call myself a human being.’ These were specimens and just machines and it was just so engaging to watch.”

It has become a family affair.

“My wife will be there with ‘911’ on speed dial, ready to air-lift me off the course,” Kirkham said.

His parents will also be on hand, as will his childen Jonah, 13, Avery, 10, and Asher, 3.

Jonah Kirkham is too young to meet the minimum age requirement of 15 for Xterra, but he is the best triathlete in the Kirkham family. Jonah has done 11 triathlons, while dad will be in his sixth on Sunday.

“Jonah has really been my inspiration in hopping into this,” Ryan Kirkham said. “It’s fun going out training with him. I don’t think there’s been a training session that I’ve beat him. Every time in the pool he destroys me, every time on a run he kicks my butt, and the couple of times where we’ve raced head-to-head it hasn’t even been close.”

Ryan and Jonah will both compete in Tri-Lanai next month, an event Jonah finished 26th overall in last year. Jonah, an MPA 8th-grader, will be perhaps the loudest voice cheering on his father on Sunday.

“It’s really cool especially since we’ve been watching it for so long,” Jonah Kirkham said. “We’ve kind of just been, like, it’d be so cool if one of us could do it and lo and behold, dad’s doing it. … Hopefully in the next couple years, if I keep my training up, I’ll be able to do it.”

Last year, the Kirkhams hosted Flora Duffy, who went on to win her second straight women’s title here. Earlier this year, she won the International Triathlon Union world title.

“It’s very humbling and it’s an honor at the same time,” Ryan Kirkham said. “I think that’s one of the great things about Xterra is that I will be sharing the starting line with Olympic athletes that just got back from Rio, with men and women who just finished Ironman Kona. … It’s inspiring to be on the starting line and on the course and intimidating at the same time, but they’ll be so far ahead of me that I won’t even see them.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com

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