Next Tuesday, April 5 will mark the return of Big Island Running Company's training programs for the Kona Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K! Starting at 5 p.m., we will hold an introductory meeting to discuss the training programs and will follow that up with our first run at 6 p.m.
These training programs are free, but we'd like for everyone to fill out a registration form prior to the first meeting so we can tailor each individual's training plan. Registration forms are now available on our website.
Runs will be held starting from Big Island Running Company on Tuesday and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 6:30 a.m., but may be completed individually as well. We will also offer several informational talks on stretching, injury prevention, and nutrition throughout the course of the programs. And of course, we will be having a post-race party following the races for all program participants!
For more information, call 808-327-9333 or email melissa@bigislandrunningcompany.com.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Big Island International Marathon Weekend 2011
This past weekend, Hilo hosted one of the two marathons held on the Big Island each year. The Big Island International Marathon is in its 14th year and is put on by Wayne "Big Dog" Joseph. In addition to the marathon distance run, there is also a half marathon and 5k. Just like last year, Jason and his sister Erica were planning on running the marathon, while I was running the half. But that's nothing compared to the four individuals below, who have completed each of the 14 marathons and are still going strong!
DJ Blinn, David Hamnes, Marie Kuramoto, and Cowman (Photo courtesy of Marie Kuramoto)Last year, we had a booth at the expo and were excited to set up there again this year. So for us, the planning started early last week (post-tsunami) as we tried to figure out what to take over to the expo. Last year's logistics were a little bit of a nightmare with the amount of shoes we tried to carry over, but we learned from that experience and were a lot smarter this year. We still took over about 8 models of shoes, but the packing was greatly improved, making the loading/unloading a much smoother process. We also had some fantastic helpers in Erica and her husband, Ryan. Unfortunately for them (and Jason), Jason caught the flu early last week and managed to pass it along to both of them. Not a real great trip to Hawaii when you get sick and still get put to work! But huge mahalos to both of them for all of their help!
After closing the store early on Friday afternoon, we headed over to Hilo in time to catch the carbo-loading dinner at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. Although we had a table full of sick people, we really enjoyed the dinner and the hula entertainment. We also got to see several Hilo friends including Marie (the Queen) Kuramoto, DJ Blinn, Sharron Faff, and Israel Gonzales (even though we did not recognize him AT ALL without all his curly hair)! Many generous businesses donated door prizes to the event, and we were lucky to win zip line coupons, coffee, and one of Marie's famous yarn leis.
Saturday morning we had a little chance to sleep in, since the pouring rain in Hilo didn't make anyone want to go for a run. After breakfast, we started setting up the expo. It seemed like everyone was really excited to get their packet, because there was a huge crush of people right at noon when the doors opened. After a pretty intense first hour, things slowed down to a manageable level and we were able to have a very successful expo. This year we even had time to chat with some friends and customers who made the trip over from Kona. Thanks to everyone who supported our booth! We were amazed by the number of people who purchased "Run Big" shirts and then wore them in the race the next day!
On race morning, we were up nice and early and ready to head to the starting line in Pepeekeo. Jason and Erica were both feeling a little better that morning and decided to start the race to see how they felt. I had a little congestion, but was still ready to tackle the half marathon. My big concern for race day was how much rain we were going to have. As many people have heard, Hilo is a pretty rainy town. Last year we got lucky with just small showers that started after I had already finished the race. Combining that with the downpours we saw on Saturday, I just knew we were doomed for a wet race. But I actually shouldn't have been so worried - the weather was perfect (even better than last year)! It was cool and overcast, but there was no rain at all.
*To be honest, in over a year of racing in Hilo, I have never been to a race where it has rained, although I think Jason caught one rainy race. The weather over there has been perfect every time, which I think is one of Hilo's best kept secrets.
I chatted with some friends at the start line before it was time to take off. The half marathon and marathon start about 10 miles north of Hilo in Pepeekeo and follow the Old Highway/Scenic Road into town. Another thing that I forgot about this race was how much downhill is in the half marathon. I remembered the first 8 hilly miles, but honestly, there wasn't nearly as much uphill as I remembered from last year. And lots of great downhills! The scenery was also as beautiful as I remembered. I would highly recommend this half marathon to anyone who wants to run in Hawaii. (But make sure to get your registrations in early, because it will sell out!)
Last year, I finished this race in 1:46:01 (and those 1-2 seconds really bothered me for a year!). This year, my goal was to beat that time. As I came past the finish line for the first time, I knew that if I kept up my pace I would be able to do that. I got a little boost from seeing Jason, Erica and Ryan all cheering for me. (The flu took a lot more out of Jason and Erica than they thought, so both decided not to finish the race and risk getting sicker.) As I made the turn back to the finish line for the last time, I saw that I had a chance to get under 1:44. So I made a last big push, and I think this picture says it all:
Unfortunately, the picture is not official, because my official time in the results is 1:44:00. Oh, well. Next year.Here are some other pictures of half marathon finishers:
Stewart Miyashiro
Lory Hunter
Maggie Leite
Scott WiitalaSomehow we missed getting a picture of Peter Ballerini (and probably several others), but congratulations to all half marathon finishers! In the men's overall race, Scott Mitchell of London, England was first in 1:17:34, followed by the Big Island's Alan Ryan in 1:23:38, and Justin Pang of Keaau in 1:25:48. Here they are accepting their awards:
In the women's race, last year's winner Tammy Bautista of Honolulu took first in 1:35:49. Amy Masuyama of Hilo was second in 1:39:32 and (huge surprise) I ended up in third with my 1:44:00. That really took away the sting of that extra second!
In the marathon, Justin Gillette was able to make good on his stated goal of winning and breaking the course record with a time of 2:34:39. Last year's winner Billy Barnett was second with a great time of 2:39:57 and Yoichi Tada of Japan was third in 2:52:56. For the ladies, Traci Falbo of Charlestown, Indiana was first in 3:14:54. Robyn Debenedet of Hilo was second in 3:23:37, and Yoko Yamazawa of Japan was third in 3:26:53.
Congratulations to all of the marathon finishers, especially our Kona friends Chitwin (first marathon), Kevin (first marathon), Jolene, Cowman, Chris, and Joe and our Hilo friends, Marie, DJ, David, Steve, Sally, Lee and Richard, and Linden!
Ladies' marathon winner Traci Falbo
Chitwin San Tun
Sally Marrack
In the women's race, last year's winner Tammy Bautista of Honolulu took first in 1:35:49. Amy Masuyama of Hilo was second in 1:39:32 and (huge surprise) I ended up in third with my 1:44:00. That really took away the sting of that extra second!
In the marathon, Justin Gillette was able to make good on his stated goal of winning and breaking the course record with a time of 2:34:39. Last year's winner Billy Barnett was second with a great time of 2:39:57 and Yoichi Tada of Japan was third in 2:52:56. For the ladies, Traci Falbo of Charlestown, Indiana was first in 3:14:54. Robyn Debenedet of Hilo was second in 3:23:37, and Yoko Yamazawa of Japan was third in 3:26:53.Congratulations to all of the marathon finishers, especially our Kona friends Chitwin (first marathon), Kevin (first marathon), Jolene, Cowman, Chris, and Joe and our Hilo friends, Marie, DJ, David, Steve, Sally, Lee and Richard, and Linden!
Ladies' marathon winner Traci Falbo
Chitwin San Tun
Sally Marrack
Overall in the 5k, Chris Gregory of Hilo won in a time of 19:08; Daniel Biehl of Fort Wayne, Indiana was second in 19:48; and Brian Yannutz of Hilo was close behind in third in 19:51. For the ladies, Kelsie Kobayashi of Hilo was first in 21:44; Mandy Cafmeyer of E. Wenatchee, Washington was second in 22:59; and Amanda Wolfe of Marion, Indiana was third in 23:36.Congratulations to all of the finishers! Full results from all the races are here.
Mahalo to Big Dog for a fantastic race and a special mahalo to all of the volunteers who made it happen! We'll definitely be back next year!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tsunami 2011, Run for Hops and Spring Fling Biathlon
I've been meaning to put a post up about the events of the past weekend, but haven't been able to get to it until now. It was a very eventful weekend, to say the least. As Jason and I were heading to bed on Thursday night, we heard the emergency warning system on our neighbor's tv. We assumed that it was some sort of flash flood warning or something and didn't think too much about it. As Jason turned on his iPod, though, he heard that the warning was actually for a tsunami. (Thanks, mom and dad for the iPod with a radio!) So we scrambled to run down to the store and grab some of the important items, such as our computer and some files. Having been through the drill once before, we were much more efficient this time.
Then it was back home to wait it out. Luckily we live at a high enough elevation where we barely even heard the tsunami sirens. Jason slept through the night while I watched the news coverage and dozed off and on. Based on the coverage from Oahu, it seemed like nothing much happened in Hawaii. But then I got a call from my mom who had seen pictures of the tsunami destroying Alii Drive. By that point it was about 7 a.m., so we drove down to see what had happened and to get a little run in. Apparently the big waves to hit Kona were occurring around that time, but we didn't really see anything. They had the roads blocked off and wouldn't let anyone down on to Alii Drive, including to our store. But from what we could tell, our store looked safe.
After heading home for a short nap, we returned to the store around 1 p.m. to find no damage at all. We were very lucky and were able to open up that afternoon. However, we took some walks down to the end of Alii Drive by the pier to see where the real destruction was. The damage was a lot worse than I expected. Here are some photos of the damage on Friday afternoon:
Plates and other debris in front of Bubba Gump's. They were open later that weekend.
This is the view we usually get for the finish of the Peaman races, but the sidewalk and seawall were torn up.
A huge tire on the beach that probably used to be attached to the pier.
Cracked asphalt on the pier where the Peaman transition areas are usually set up.
A huge piece of asphalt that was ripped off the pier, largely intact.
The King Kamehameha Beach Hotel luau stage, with an outrigger on it.
A broken canoe.
Amazingly, many of the damaged shops began to open over the weekend and the road repairs are well underway. Today they were repaving the sidewalk and a ripped up portion of Alii Drive. The pier is under review and hopefully it will be able to accommodate the cruise ship passengers next week. It is amazing how the town is pulling together to get everything cleaned up. We hope everyone affected is able to come back better than before.
On Saturday morning, the Run for Hops went on as scheduled. These 5k and 10k races benefit PATH, People's Advocacy for Trails - Hawaii and are always popular events. This year, they attracted almost 400 runners. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get any photos as I was working the registration table and then directing runners on the course.
Full results from the races are available here. Matthew Giesfeldt from Madison, Wisconsin won the 10k with a time of 35:02, followed by locals Sam Corace (36:49) and Alan Ryan (37:30). The ladies' 10k winner was Jean-Marie DuPont of Canby, Oregon with a time of 42:30. Shannon Donley from Anchorage, Alaska finished second in a time of 42:53 and Kailua-Kona resident Maggie Grenier came in third with a time of 43:44.
In the 5k, Jason came in first in a time of 16:30, followed by Karl Moats in 17:22 and Cody Bergfalk in 17:59. Bree Wee won the ladies 5k and came in one second ahead of Cody in a time of 17:58. Rani Tanimoto was second in 18:24, and Brooke Myers took third in a time of 20:32.
Later in the day, the Brewer's Fest was held at the Kona Brewery after relocating from the King Kamehameha Beach Hotel's luau grounds due to the tsunami. From what I hear, it was an excellent venue and everyone worked hard on short notice to keep the event top-notch.
On Sunday morning, Kealakehe High School senior Geoff Whitener hosted a swim/run event, the Spring Time Biathlon at the Kailua Pier for his senior project. There was a little uncertainty as to how the event would go off with the water still a little stirred up from the tsunami. But plenty of people braved the ocean and completed the 1/3 mile swim. Even more people completed the 2 mile run, even though Alii Drive was still ripped up. Full results are here.
Chris Prater finished first in the full event with a time of 24:26. Nicholas Stelfox came in second in 25:39 and Lori Montgomery finished third in 25:58. I decided not to swim that day, but instead did a relay with one of the fast, young swimmers on the island, Marissa Bryant-Manago. Although our results didn't make the paper, we were the first relay to finish in a time of 22:19. Congratulations to Geoff for putting on a great event, especially with all the uncertainty surrounding it after the events of Friday.
Overall, it was a full, fun weekend of activities that made me realize how lucky we are to live here. Of course, our thoughts were and continue to be with those in Japan and those still trying to clean up here. This weekend to head to Hilo for the Big Island International Marathon, as well as the expo on Saturday afternoon. They are accepting donations for Japan relief efforts at the expo and Big Island Running Company will donate a portion of its sales from the expo to that fund. We hope to see many of you out there!
Then it was back home to wait it out. Luckily we live at a high enough elevation where we barely even heard the tsunami sirens. Jason slept through the night while I watched the news coverage and dozed off and on. Based on the coverage from Oahu, it seemed like nothing much happened in Hawaii. But then I got a call from my mom who had seen pictures of the tsunami destroying Alii Drive. By that point it was about 7 a.m., so we drove down to see what had happened and to get a little run in. Apparently the big waves to hit Kona were occurring around that time, but we didn't really see anything. They had the roads blocked off and wouldn't let anyone down on to Alii Drive, including to our store. But from what we could tell, our store looked safe.
After heading home for a short nap, we returned to the store around 1 p.m. to find no damage at all. We were very lucky and were able to open up that afternoon. However, we took some walks down to the end of Alii Drive by the pier to see where the real destruction was. The damage was a lot worse than I expected. Here are some photos of the damage on Friday afternoon:
Plates and other debris in front of Bubba Gump's. They were open later that weekend.
This is the view we usually get for the finish of the Peaman races, but the sidewalk and seawall were torn up.
A huge tire on the beach that probably used to be attached to the pier.
Cracked asphalt on the pier where the Peaman transition areas are usually set up.
A huge piece of asphalt that was ripped off the pier, largely intact. 
The King Kamehameha Beach Hotel luau stage, with an outrigger on it.
A broken canoe.Amazingly, many of the damaged shops began to open over the weekend and the road repairs are well underway. Today they were repaving the sidewalk and a ripped up portion of Alii Drive. The pier is under review and hopefully it will be able to accommodate the cruise ship passengers next week. It is amazing how the town is pulling together to get everything cleaned up. We hope everyone affected is able to come back better than before.
On Saturday morning, the Run for Hops went on as scheduled. These 5k and 10k races benefit PATH, People's Advocacy for Trails - Hawaii and are always popular events. This year, they attracted almost 400 runners. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get any photos as I was working the registration table and then directing runners on the course.
Full results from the races are available here. Matthew Giesfeldt from Madison, Wisconsin won the 10k with a time of 35:02, followed by locals Sam Corace (36:49) and Alan Ryan (37:30). The ladies' 10k winner was Jean-Marie DuPont of Canby, Oregon with a time of 42:30. Shannon Donley from Anchorage, Alaska finished second in a time of 42:53 and Kailua-Kona resident Maggie Grenier came in third with a time of 43:44.
In the 5k, Jason came in first in a time of 16:30, followed by Karl Moats in 17:22 and Cody Bergfalk in 17:59. Bree Wee won the ladies 5k and came in one second ahead of Cody in a time of 17:58. Rani Tanimoto was second in 18:24, and Brooke Myers took third in a time of 20:32.
Later in the day, the Brewer's Fest was held at the Kona Brewery after relocating from the King Kamehameha Beach Hotel's luau grounds due to the tsunami. From what I hear, it was an excellent venue and everyone worked hard on short notice to keep the event top-notch.
On Sunday morning, Kealakehe High School senior Geoff Whitener hosted a swim/run event, the Spring Time Biathlon at the Kailua Pier for his senior project. There was a little uncertainty as to how the event would go off with the water still a little stirred up from the tsunami. But plenty of people braved the ocean and completed the 1/3 mile swim. Even more people completed the 2 mile run, even though Alii Drive was still ripped up. Full results are here.
Chris Prater finished first in the full event with a time of 24:26. Nicholas Stelfox came in second in 25:39 and Lori Montgomery finished third in 25:58. I decided not to swim that day, but instead did a relay with one of the fast, young swimmers on the island, Marissa Bryant-Manago. Although our results didn't make the paper, we were the first relay to finish in a time of 22:19. Congratulations to Geoff for putting on a great event, especially with all the uncertainty surrounding it after the events of Friday.
Overall, it was a full, fun weekend of activities that made me realize how lucky we are to live here. Of course, our thoughts were and continue to be with those in Japan and those still trying to clean up here. This weekend to head to Hilo for the Big Island International Marathon, as well as the expo on Saturday afternoon. They are accepting donations for Japan relief efforts at the expo and Big Island Running Company will donate a portion of its sales from the expo to that fund. We hope to see many of you out there!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Zoomin' Zak Plunge & Plod Biathlon 2011
Last Sunday, it was back to the swim/run Peaman events for the Zoomin' Zak Plunge and Plod Biathlon. Originally scheduled to be a 1/2 mile swim and 3.9 mile run, the swim course ended up being shortened a little bit (great news for poor swimmers like me!). Since the kayaks weren't there to tow the turnaround buoy out, the buoy ended up as far as out as Doug Henbest could swim it before the start of the race, which was about 1/3 mile.
The shorter swim created a little more traffic, but the ocean was relatively calm, so it wasn't too bad. My big problem for the day was being able to see. The water was pretty murky, and then my goggles kept fogging and filling up, so I couldn't see to sight anything. I just tried to stay behind the bubbles and splashes in front of me. That went horribly wrong at one point when I realized I was about even with the turnaround buoy, but about 50 yards west of it - all by myself. I had to do a 90 degree turn and head straight for the buoy before turning around. I wanted to kick myself for turning what should have been a short, easy swim into a real challenge.
Up in the front of the race, things were very interesting. Professional triathletes Matty Reed and Chris Lieto were battling it out for the win. After coming out of the water around the same time, Matty took off and put some time on Chris. Coming out of the water next were high school swimmers Madison Hauanio and Leahi Camacho. Leahi tagged off to her relay partner Jason for the run. Chris was never able to catch Matty, and Jason was never able to catch Chris, but the competition made for a good race for all of them. Matty won in a time of 26:50; Chris came in at 27:34; and Jason and Leahi's relay finished in 29:46. Sam Corace finished in third place overall in a time of 31:52, pretty impressive considering he and his fiance welcomed a new baby this week! Congrats to them!
On the ladies' side, Rani Tanimoto came in first in 33:10, followed by Shannon Donley in 34:34, and Jeni Winegarner in 37:44. (I followed my long swim up with a pretty strong run to finish in 41:25.) The Peawee race was a close one with Silas Wiley taking first in 12:50, followed by Kekoa Kolman in 12:55. Third place went to Ragan Leslie in 13:11. Full results from the races are here.
Since both Jason and I participated in the race, we could only get pictures after we finished. Here are some we managed to snap:
Becky Prater and her coach/husband.
Stacey Newman and Maggie
Joe Loschiavo and Laura Dierenfield
Peaman
Super sisters Bobbi and Robin
Mark Curry and a scared-looking Brandon - slow down, Dad!
The shorter swim created a little more traffic, but the ocean was relatively calm, so it wasn't too bad. My big problem for the day was being able to see. The water was pretty murky, and then my goggles kept fogging and filling up, so I couldn't see to sight anything. I just tried to stay behind the bubbles and splashes in front of me. That went horribly wrong at one point when I realized I was about even with the turnaround buoy, but about 50 yards west of it - all by myself. I had to do a 90 degree turn and head straight for the buoy before turning around. I wanted to kick myself for turning what should have been a short, easy swim into a real challenge.
Up in the front of the race, things were very interesting. Professional triathletes Matty Reed and Chris Lieto were battling it out for the win. After coming out of the water around the same time, Matty took off and put some time on Chris. Coming out of the water next were high school swimmers Madison Hauanio and Leahi Camacho. Leahi tagged off to her relay partner Jason for the run. Chris was never able to catch Matty, and Jason was never able to catch Chris, but the competition made for a good race for all of them. Matty won in a time of 26:50; Chris came in at 27:34; and Jason and Leahi's relay finished in 29:46. Sam Corace finished in third place overall in a time of 31:52, pretty impressive considering he and his fiance welcomed a new baby this week! Congrats to them!
On the ladies' side, Rani Tanimoto came in first in 33:10, followed by Shannon Donley in 34:34, and Jeni Winegarner in 37:44. (I followed my long swim up with a pretty strong run to finish in 41:25.) The Peawee race was a close one with Silas Wiley taking first in 12:50, followed by Kekoa Kolman in 12:55. Third place went to Ragan Leslie in 13:11. Full results from the races are here.
Since both Jason and I participated in the race, we could only get pictures after we finished. Here are some we managed to snap:
Becky Prater and her coach/husband. 
Stacey Newman and Maggie 
Joe Loschiavo and Laura Dierenfield
Peaman
Super sisters Bobbi and Robin
Mark Curry and a scared-looking Brandon - slow down, Dad!This week we have events on both Saturday and Sunday in Kona. First up on Saturday is the 4th annual Run for Hops at the Kona Brewing Company. These 5k/10k races presented by Bike Works benefit PATH and start at 7:30 a.m. These races are always popular for the post-race beer selection, which is a prelude to the Kona Brewers Festival occurring later that day. There's still time to sign up, so get those registrations in!
On Sunday, Kealakehe High School senior Geoff Whitener is hosting a free swim/run biathlon as part of his senior project. The event will be a 1/3 mile swim and a 2-mile run starting at the pier at 8:00 a.m. We hope everyone comes out to support a great local teen!
On Sunday, Kealakehe High School senior Geoff Whitener is hosting a free swim/run biathlon as part of his senior project. The event will be a 1/3 mile swim and a 2-mile run starting at the pier at 8:00 a.m. We hope everyone comes out to support a great local teen!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Waikaumalo 7-Mile Challenge
Last Sunday there were two great races on the Big Island. In Kona, Team Mango hosted their last triathlon of February with a sprint triathlon. Meanwhile, the Big Island Road Runners hosted the Waikaumalo 7-Mile Challenge in Ninole. Since I still don't bike and the Waikaumalo run is similar to the start of the Hilo Marathon/Half Marathon, I decided to make the drive over early Sunday morning. (Jason stayed behind to get his long run in.)
The drive wasn't too bad, except for some really foggy portions going through Waimea. But I made it over faster than I thought and had plenty of time to check in and warm up. The run started in Waikaumalo Park and went 3.5 miles south on Old Mamalahoa Highway. The first 2 miles were a winding up and down through several gulches. (There was also a 4-mile distance that turned around at this point.) After the first 2 miles, the hills flattened out some as we ran past some meadows and ranchland to the turnaround before heading back the way we came.
Special thanks to the Big Island Road Runners and photographer Dano Banks for allowing us to post some of their photos here. More photos are also available here.
Getting course instructions
The start
As I mentioned above, the course started off hilly, with an uphill to start, so it was pretty hard to go out too fast. I was trying to focus on going slower at the start, so I'd have energy left for the end. Unfortunately, I might have underestimated the effect those hills were going to have on me. As someone who tries to avoid hills in every possible way, I certainly was not in good hill-running shape. I tried to take advantage of the downhills, but those uphills seemed so long! Needless to say, my pace ended up being not quite what I was hoping for. Now I see why they called it a "Challenge"!
Overall, the scenery was amazing and the weather was perfect. You never know if it'll be pouring rain over on the Hilo side or not, but it was a fairly cool, dry day. At the end of the day, it's nice to run courses that you're not used to. And now I have three weeks to get a little more prepared for the hills of the Hilo Half Marathon.
Big Island Road Runners
Happy runners post-race
Finish Line Timekeeper and Race Organizer Alan Ryan
Nick Muragin won the men's masters award in a time of 47:38. Robyn DeBenedet was the women's overall winner in 52:56, while Lory Hunter took the master's ladies title in 55:56. Full results from the races are located at the bottom of the post.
After the awards, it was time for the lucky number drawings. There were tons of giveaways from Starbucks gift cards to McDonald's coupons to coffee. Marie Kuramoto (below) even won a Big Island Running Company gift certificate!
And then I won some coffee donated by Marie!
Mahalo to all of the volunteers who helped put on this fun event! Below is a picture of some of the aid station volunteers with Alan Ryan. I will definitely be back for this run next year - a little more prepared for the hills!
The drive wasn't too bad, except for some really foggy portions going through Waimea. But I made it over faster than I thought and had plenty of time to check in and warm up. The run started in Waikaumalo Park and went 3.5 miles south on Old Mamalahoa Highway. The first 2 miles were a winding up and down through several gulches. (There was also a 4-mile distance that turned around at this point.) After the first 2 miles, the hills flattened out some as we ran past some meadows and ranchland to the turnaround before heading back the way we came.
Special thanks to the Big Island Road Runners and photographer Dano Banks for allowing us to post some of their photos here. More photos are also available here.
Getting course instructionsThe startAs I mentioned above, the course started off hilly, with an uphill to start, so it was pretty hard to go out too fast. I was trying to focus on going slower at the start, so I'd have energy left for the end. Unfortunately, I might have underestimated the effect those hills were going to have on me. As someone who tries to avoid hills in every possible way, I certainly was not in good hill-running shape. I tried to take advantage of the downhills, but those uphills seemed so long! Needless to say, my pace ended up being not quite what I was hoping for. Now I see why they called it a "Challenge"!
Overall, the scenery was amazing and the weather was perfect. You never know if it'll be pouring rain over on the Hilo side or not, but it was a fairly cool, dry day. At the end of the day, it's nice to run courses that you're not used to. And now I have three weeks to get a little more prepared for the hills of the Hilo Half Marathon.
Big Island Road RunnersHappy runners post-raceFinish Line Timekeeper and Race Organizer Alan RyanThe post-race spread was impressive for the size of the race. Plenty of fresh fruit, drinks and homemade baked goods. The banana bread I tried was amazing! Thanks to everyone who contributed to that! There were also awards for the top overall male and female and top masters male and female. Billy Barnett (below) won the men's race in a time of 40:39.
Nick Muragin won the men's masters award in a time of 47:38. Robyn DeBenedet was the women's overall winner in 52:56, while Lory Hunter took the master's ladies title in 55:56. Full results from the races are located at the bottom of the post.After the awards, it was time for the lucky number drawings. There were tons of giveaways from Starbucks gift cards to McDonald's coupons to coffee. Marie Kuramoto (below) even won a Big Island Running Company gift certificate!
And then I won some coffee donated by Marie!Mahalo to all of the volunteers who helped put on this fun event! Below is a picture of some of the aid station volunteers with Alan Ryan. I will definitely be back for this run next year - a little more prepared for the hills! Waikaumalo 7 Mile Challenge
February 27, 2011 @ 7:30 am
Waikaumalo Park, Ninole, Hawaii
February 27, 2011 @ 7:30 am
Waikaumalo Park, Ninole, Hawaii
| 7 | Mile Run |
|
|
| Pace |
| Plc | Name | Division |
| Time | (min/mi) |
| 1 | Billy Barnett | <<<>>> |
| 40:39 | 5:48 |
| 2 | Keoni Ucker | Open |
| 43:01 | 6:09 |
| 3 | Chris Mosch | Open |
| 44:03 | 6:18 |
| 4 | Justin Pang | Open |
| 45:08 | 6:27 |
| 5 | Isaiah Sato | Open |
| 45:54 | 6:33 |
| 6 | Paul Mauser | Open |
| 46:33 | 6:39 |
| 7 | Nick Hagemann | Open |
| 47:11 | 6:44 |
| 8 | Nick Muragin | ++ Master ++ |
| 47:38 | 6:48 |
| 9 | Lyman Perry | Master |
| 48:12 | 6:53 |
| 10 | Keith Marrack | Master |
| 49:24 | 7:03 |
| 11 | Steve Pavao | Master |
| 52:46 | 7:32 |
| 12 | Robyn DeBenedet | <<<>>> | F | 52:56 | 7:34 |
| 13 | James Imai | Open |
| 53:08 | 7:35 |
| 14 | Derek Dominguez | Open |
| 53:10 | 7:36 |
| 15 | Kirsta Andrew | Open | F | 53:35 | 7:39 |
| 16 | DJ Blinn | Master |
| 54:56 | 7:51 |
| 17 | Lory Hunter | ++ Master ++ | F | 55:56 | 7:59 |
| 18 | Rob Van Geen | Master |
| 57:21 | 8:12 |
| 19 | Ray Ibarra | Master |
| 57:26 | 8:12 |
| 20 | Maka'ala Cruz | Open |
| 58:21 | 8:20 |
| 21 | Melissa Braswell | Open | F | 59:14 | 8:28 |
| 22 | Nina Hagemann | Open | F | 1:00:18 | 8:37 |
| 23 | Barbie Nakamura | Master | F | 1:01:24 | 8:46 |
| 24 | Emily Kingery | Open | F | 1:02:16 | 8:54 |
| 25 | Harris Kaneshiro | Master |
| 1:02:30 | 8:56 |
| 26 | Donna Wong-Yuen | Master | F | 1:04:00 | 9:09 |
| 27 | Charlie Bostwick | Master |
| 1:06:24 | 9:29 |
| 28 | Andrea Hess | Master | F | 1:07:15 | 9:36 |
| 29 | Marti Banks | Master | F | 1:07:38 | 9:40 |
| 30 | David Hammes | Master |
| 1:07:41 | 9:40 |
| 31 | Kim Furumo | Master | F | 1:08:48 | 9:50 |
| 32 | Lindsay Englund | Open | F | 1:09:02 | 9:52 |
| 33 | Tiffany Lindsey | Open | F | 1:09:24 | 9:55 |
| 34 | Richard Grothmann | Master |
| 1:09:48 | 9:58 |
| 35 | Daria Cunningham | Master | F | 1:11:15 | 10:11 |
| 36 | Morgen Bahurinsky | Master | F | 1:14:51 | 10:42 |
| 37 | Betty Ben | Master | F | 1:15:46 | 10:49 |
| 38 | Kimi Jackson | Master | F | 1:15:47 | 10:50 |
| 39 | Lee Collins | Master | F | 1:19:56 | 11:25 |
| 40 | Bob Scales | Open |
| 1:21:15 | 11:36 |
| 41 | Rick Otani | Master |
| 1:26:03 | 12:18 |
| 42 | Claire Shigeoka | Master | F | 1:34:06 | 13:27 |
| 43 | Marie Kuramoto | Master | F | 1:34:06 | 13:27 |
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| 4 | Mile Run |
|
|
| Pace |
| Plc | Name | Division |
| Time | (min/mi) |
| 1 | Stephen Hunter | Open |
| 28:30 | 7:07 |
| 2 | Carmen Garson-Shumway | Open | F | 30:27 | 7:37 |
| 3 | Timon Skinner | Open |
| 34:00 | 8:30 |
| 4 | Aleksandra Beloborodova | Open | F | 37:08 | 9:17 |
| 5 | Dawn Patterson | Open | F | 37:28 | 9:22 |
| 6 | Leslie Terada | Open |
| 38:03 | 9:31 |
| 7 | Bobby Nakamura | Master |
| 40:00 | 10:00 |
| 8 | Keleala DeCosta | Open | F | 40:51 | 10:13 |
| 9 | Cherie Berg | Open | F | 41:09 | 10:17 |
| 10 | Norman Skinner | Master |
| 44:30 | 11:07 |
| 11 | Dixie Newman | Open | F | 48:48 | 12:12 |
| 12 | Richard Alderson | Master |
| 49:24 | 12:21 |
| 13 | Rihei Grothmann | Open |
| 52:43 | 13:11 |
| 14 | Jordan Hirae | Open |
| 52:43 | 13:11 |
| 15 | Sharon Ibarra | Master | F | 1:01:15 | 15:19 |
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