SANDPOINT — Youth was served Saturday during the 16th annual Long Bridge Swim.

Drama was not.

Lickety split 14-year-old Liberty Lake swimmer Bryce Kananowicz left a field of more than 800 swimmers in his wake, winning the 1.76 mile open water swim along the iconic Long Bridge in 33 minutes and 53 seconds, nearly three minutes ahead of the next closest finisher and nearly two minutes faster than last year’s winning time.

As Kananowicz emerged from the water a few football fields ahead of second place 16-year-old swimmer Austin Layman, a spectator asked rhetorically, “Does he have scales on him?” It only seemed that way for Kananowicz, an elite swimmer who finished fifth in the race last year and returned both hungrier and faster.

Even with a lengthy lead midway through the race, Bryce’s father, Ben Kananowicz, was imploring his son to “Reach, reach, come on Bryce,” from directly above him on the bridge. Bryce has been swimming five years, and the rapidly emerging prodigy has set some lofty goals.

“My goal was to get first this year, and I was a little nervous at the start,” said Bryce, who won the recent Steve Omi swim in Coeur d’Alene and was one of youngest qualifiers for the last open water nationals. “I’d like to make the Olympic trials, hopefully be on the Olympic team some day.”

Not to be outdone was fellow 14-year-old and Coeur d’Alene area swim team member Peyton Bowen, who was the first female out of the water at 40 minutes and 30 seconds, good enough for 14th place overall. The bubbly young swimmer beat Annie Warner of Nine Mile Falls, Wash., by 16 seconds, surprising herself in the process.

“I thought it was a long shot,” described Bowen of her chances to win after finishing in the 30s last year. “This is just amazing. Two years ago when I did this for the first time I never thought I’d be the first girl in.”

Perhaps the most excitement, at least at the finish line, occurred when Pullman’s Ed Davis, Hayden’s Gus Koch and Sandpoint’s Chris Mann all hit shore at roughly the same time. Mann stood up and took his goggles off, before realizing that two other swimmers were trying to run past him. The three finished within a second of each other for fourth-sixth, a rare swim finish that came down to a sprint, literally.

As always, the event featured a wealth of great stories. From an 80-year-old nun from Spokane, to an 8-year-old girl from Sandpoint, the ages of the competitors were as varied as their skill levels, which ran the gamut. Also in the water was the courageous Jan Whitcomb, a 35-year-old from Coeur d’Alene who competed despite Multiple Sclerosis limiting her to just the use of her arms.

As many of the earlier finishers were mingling on the beach and eating post-swim ice cream cones and cookies, others were still trickling in at their own leisurely pace. One of them was Sandpoint’s Jim Seyfert, who had no idea what his time was or where he finished, but was happy nonetheless.

“Not bad for an old fart without a wet suit,” quipped a smiling Seyfert. “I’m just glad to be able to do it.”

Also smiling after the race was inventor and longtime race director Eric Ridgway, who proved prescient earlier in the week when he pegged Kananowicz as his “director’s choice” to win the race. Ridgway had high praise for all the volunteers, as well as the staff at Sandpoint High School, which helped make the pre-race proceedings go more smoothly than ever before in the first time at that venue.

Ridgway, who has finished all 16 of the races and whose enthusiasm is part of the event’s allure, was thrilled to see so many strong, young swimmers. He said the highlight of his race was getting passed by a man swimming the backstroke.

“It was fun to see Joe Terhar pass me while backstroking and I couldn’t keep up with him,” Ridgway joked. “I’m hoping people had so much fun that they want to come back.”

Top 20 finishers — 1, Bryce Kananowicz, M, 14, Liberty Lake, Wash., 33:53. 2, Austin Layman, M, 16, Littleton, Colo., 36:40. 3, Donald Moravec, M, 50, Spokane, 37:52. 4, Ed Davis, M, 47, Pullman, 38:29. 5, Gus Koch, M, 15, Hayden, 38:29. 6, Chris Mann, M, 16, Sandpoint, 38:30. 7, Pat McChesney, M, 60, Spokane, 38:41. 8, Tim Burnham, M, 51, Cashmere, Wash., 39:09. 9, Rob Davis, M, 52, Calgary, 39:27. 10, Bryan Buck, M, 48, Irvine, Calif., 39:33. 11, Aaron Fullen, M, 24, Colbert, 39:35. 12, Marcos Donolo, M, 35, Pullman, 39:38. 13, William McLaughlin, M, 27, El Cajon, Calif., 40:11. 14, Peyton Bowen, F, 14, Rathdrum, 40:30. 15, Annie Warner, F, 30, Nine Mile Falls, 40:46. 16, David Lien, M, 41, Sandpoint, 41:09. 17, David Barnes, M, 59, Hayden, 42:11. 18, Mark Comfort, M, 56, Missoula, Mont., 42:14. 19, Brian Aucott, M, 45, Bothel, Wash., 42:22. 20, Joseph Hendry, M, 17, Benton City, Wash., 42:23.