An Easter Weekend of Racing

Since I took a large portion of 2013 off of running and racing while I battled plantar fasciitis, it had been awhile since I'd been able to enjoy all of the fun local events as a participant.  I solved that problem last weekend by running two races in the span of 15 hours and then attending a third the next day.  It was great to be back again, but I was very happy to have a rest day after that!

On the afternoon of Good Friday, I drove over to Hilo to participate in the Emily Wedemann Memorial 5-miler.  Emily was a longtime supporter of the Big Island Road Runners and the running community on the east side of the island.  Her sons are also great assets to that community with Joe serving as race director for the new Hilo Triathlon while Bob serves as the race director for the Big Island International Marathon. Emily passed away a few years ago from cancer, so instead of an entry fee, the run collections donations to the American Cancer Society (almost $600!). 

(Photo by Big Island Road Runners)

The run started at Coconut Island, ran a loop around Liliuokalani Gardens, headed up the Suisan Bridge to Bayfront before turning back, running along Banyan Drive and out on Kalanianole Ave towards the port and back.


Tony O'Toole was the first men's finisher with a time of 34:28.  Harrison Bierman (34:40) and Patrick Baker (36:29) took second and third for the men. 

Women's Winner Emily Wallingford (Photo by Big Island Road Runners)

Emily Wallingford took first place for the ladies with a time of 36:55.  I followed in second place in 39:07, with Sarah Bidwell finishing third in 39:10.

Full results from the race are available here. Some additional photos of the race are below:

Happy finisher Jim (Photo by Big Island Road Runners)

Running in slippers (Photo by Big Island Road Runners)

Veronica Wedemann outpacing husband Joe to the finish (Photo by Big Island Road Runners)

Thanks to Big Island Road Runners for hosting this race! After the run was over, I drove back to Kona, grabbed a quick dinner and hopped in bed to be ready for the next race - the 33rd Annual Mac-a-thon 5k/10k in Honaunau.

Jason and I take turns attending this race because it's on a Saturday morning and conflicts with our training groups/store opening, but it's always one we fight over.  Several people I've talked to say this is their favorite race on the island.  The course is challenging (running the road from Honaunau to Kealakekua Bay and back), but the post-race festivities and local vibe are well worth it.

This race is full of perennial competitors - including race starter Teddy Ginn, who at age 81 is still going strong!

After his blessing, the 10k took off on the course.  Kris Keough from Kealakekua used his knowledge of the course to his advantage and beat out Nathanael Mole to take first place.  Big Island Running Company's John Ferdico was unable to hold off the women's winner Stacy Schlocker-Zurich, but held on to third place for the men.  After Stacy, second place went to Anna DeLeon and Nancy Kramer took third. Full results from the 10k are here.

Nancy Kramer

The 5k started 5 minutes after the 10k and went out with a bang - keiki charging ahead.  Of course, that lasted about 200 yards before they were gasping for air. At the front of the race, it was a battle between Tai Scarborough (pushing his son Lihau) and Joe Fairchild, with Joe surging ahead to finish in 18:41 to Tai's 19:03.  Third place overall went to Heather Scarborough in a time of 20:47.  Third place for the men was Carlos Uribe -Bounos in 21:47.  Erin Stephens (21:57) and I (23:02) were the next two finishers taking second and third for the women. Full results from the 5k are here.
 
The post-race festivities are what separate this race from others.  The biggest draw is the huge, delicious macadamia nut pancakes that they serve at the end.  While everyone is enjoying those at large picnic tables, a local band plays Hawaiian tunes.  A silent auction also has prizes from local vendors for people to browse and bid on.  After everyone talks story, it's time for the awards, which are some of the best around.  The top three in each age group receive carved stone medallions, while the overall winners win huge carved stones, sometimes quite a surprise and packing challenge for non-local winners.

Awards (Photo by Diane Quitiquit)

This year several friends won age groups awards, including:

Rick Rubio

Jon Kunitake

Ali Steiner

Lava People

If you missed it this year, definitely put this race on your calendar for next year!

Although this was the end of the weekend racing for me, several people did the Mac-a-thon/Carboman double, participating in Peaman's Carboman 10-mile Mosey, Roadrunner 3.5 mile Romp and Mighty Mouse Scamper on Easter Sunday morning.

Photo by Makena Becker

Although the fields were smaller because of Easter, the times were still fast. Luis De La Torre took first place in the 10-mile distance.  Karlyn Pipes was the first finisher in the 1-mile distance, followed by a close race between Alec Ankrum and Duke Becker:

Photo by Makena Becker

 Alec's dad, Adam, took first place in the 3.5 mile distance.

Photo by Makena Becker

Since it was Easter morning, there were a lot of families out being active together:

Photo by Makena Becker

Photo by Makena Becker

Photo by Makena Becker

 And of course Peaman was out there in his seasonally appropriate attire:

Photo by Makena Becker

Full results from the races are available here. Congratulations to everyone who participate in one (or more) of the races and events going on this past weekend. 

Tomorrow morning is the Captain Cook Challenge hosted by Team Mango.  The race starts with a 1-mile swim across Kealakekua Bay, followed by a 2-mile run/hike from the Captain Cook Monument to Napoopoo Road.  Next up is a 32-mile hilly bike ride, finished off with a 4-mile hot, hilly run.  Registrations are still being accepted today, but you need to be at the Rudy Project store on Alii Drive with your T1 bag by 7 p.m.!

Big Island International Marathon 2014

2014 was a year of changes for the Big Island International Marathon, as well as some weather-related challenges!  The weekend kicked off on Saturday morning with the Health and Fitness Expo at the Hilo Hawaiian Moku Ola Ballroom.  The big topic of conversation was what the weather would be like for the race.  With wind warnings and rain projected, everyone was stocking up on hats and Bodyglide.  Too bad we don't sell Run Big ponchos, because those might have sold out!

Photo by Marie Kuramoto

Later that evening after the vendors packed up from the expo, the ballroom was converted to the pre-race Carbo-Load dinner. In addition to the pasta selection, attendees were treated to a great hula show and random prize drawings.  Some of the prizes were Bioastin swag bags courtesy of emcee Eddie O and Big Island Running Company gear. 

At the dinner, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Michael Georgi, a Big Island International Marathon VIP.  He's won the race several times and finished this year's marathon in 3:32:13, winning the 60-64 age group and coming in 14th overall.  It was great listening to the stories of all the different races he's done. And he achieved his goal of setting the new course record for the 60-64 age group.

Me and Michael Georgi (Photo by Marie Kuramoto)

As we left the Carbo-Load dinner, we could hear the wind whistling off the ocean.  Runners staying at the Hilo Hawaiian might have lost some sleep listening to it rattle the windows all night long.  When it was time for the races to start, the wind was still blowing at Bayfront, but the rain had subsided for a time.  This year, race director Bob Wedemann adjusted the courses so that all runners started from Bayfront instead of shuttling people out to a start in Pepeeko.  The course ran north on the highway before venturing off onto the Old Scenic Road, with separate turnarounds for the half and full marathon.  There was also a staggered start as the marathon runners started at 6 a.m. while the half marathoners started at 6:15. 

When we showed up at the start line, we could kind of see that the tents used for post-race refreshments and massage had become a twisted mess, but the rain didn't start in full force until just after the gun went off for the half marathon. The rain was cold and stingy and made many runners (including myself) have second thoughts about continuing on the course. But luckily the rain subsided after the first mile or so and the run turned into quite a pleasant run.  We were already completely soaked, so any of the off and on sprinkles the rest of the race felt refreshing.  There were also several rainbows that made for beautiful backdrops on the course.

The first half of the race was a little challenging as you had to climb a slight hill out of Hilo and then run up and down through the gulches north of town.  But the scenery was incredible, as were the hearty spectators who came out to cheer people on (and offer donuts to the runners)! Once we reached the turnaround point, it was mostly downhill back to Bayfront before a short loop on Banyan Drive.  For me, it was great to be back running a race again after last year's battle with plantar fasciitis.  It wasn't my fastest half in 1:51:54, but I had a lot of fun running parts of the race with Sarah Nicola, Don Kirby, and Chitwin San Tun. Jason sat this race out and served as race photographer - more photos of the race are available here.

Men's top three overall

In the half marathon, Chris Gregory took first place overall with a time of 1:17:48, followed by Kelley Mckay in 1:20:20 and BIRC group member Brian Pruitt in 1:23:28.  The fourth finisher overall was the first woman, Kathleen O'Neil from Honolulu who finished in 1:24:01.  Abby Santurbane finished in second place for the ladies in a time of 1:30:27 and Chiho Morita was third in 1:33:49.  Full results from the half marathon are available here.

Brian, James and Ben

Big Island Running Company group members represented well with several top finishes in the half marathon.  James Resor, Don Kirby and Jon Kunitake all finished first in their age groups.  Ben Halpern and Sarah Nicola finished in second place in their age groups and John Ferdico took third in his age group.

Sarah Nicola

 

The Kirby brothers

Maggie Leite

Jon Kunitake

We are usually able to stick around for a bit to watch the marathon finishers come in, but the rain and wind this year didn't make that possible.  The race officials decided to hold the awards ceremony in the bottom of the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, so we missed seeing a lot of the marathoners finish. 
Harumitsu Yoshinaga was the first marathon finisher in a time of 2:51:11.  Second place went to Will Mroz of Philadelphia, PA in a time of 3:02:02 and third place was Todd Reynolds of Fort Worth, Texas in 3:04:06. Annette Leistad was the first female finisher in 3:27:34, followed by Yoko Yamazawa in 3:27:49.  Kona's own Brooke Myers was the third female in 3:29:09. Full results from the marathon are available here.

While the rest of us were out on the race course, the event also hosted a 5k.  In that event, Dayson Sato was first in 20:50. David Pinyerd (21:19) and Florian Nussberger (21:35) followed in second and third place.  Jordan Concannon took first place for the ladies in 22:13, while Keri Fujiwara (23:33) and Melissa Wilson (23:41) completed the top three. Full results from the race are available here.

Congratulations to all of the participants and mahalo to all of the volunteers who braved the weather to make it a first-class event!  Also, mahalo to race directors Bob and Joe Wedemann for all their hard work putting this event on!

Guest Post - Hilo to Volcano Relay 50K Recap

This post was written by our employee John Ferdico about his race last weekend at the Hilo to Volcano Relay. Full results from the race are available on the Big Island Road Runners' website.

Preoccupied by his Honu training, this year Jason chose not to assemble a relay team for the Hilo To Volcano 50K relay, put on by the Big Island Road Runners last Saturday.  In his place, I decided to jump in and throw together a Big Island Running Company team.

Compared to Jason's past squads we looked...well...older.  Joining me was Orestes "Chico" Barrios, and Ellis Andrews, for a combined team age of 175 or thereabouts.  No matter, we joined the fray in the Men's Masters Division, and piled in the truck at 4:00AM Saturday morning for a ride over the Saddle.

With the constitution of a warrior, Ellis volunteered for the second leg, which Jason warned us had the worst hill climbs. Chico-- legendary for his blazing starts-- was the obvious choice to kick off the race, which left me the anchor slot.  I was a little worried about stiffening up for the crucial finishing leg, but I figured everyone in the Masters Division would be subject to the same treachery of old, old hamstrings.

We arrived to send off the solo 50K runners with a cheer of enthusiasm, respect, and a little incredulity, at least on my part. Volcano seemed like a long way away.

Soon after, Chico and the rest of the relay starters were off.  Due to a week of the flu, Chico lacked a little of his reckless enthusiasm, but as we passed him in the truck on the way to the first relay point, he was running right along with a speedy youngster named Carmen Garson-Shumway. 

Carmen Garson-Shumway

At the handoff  was a bit of a traffic jam, as the relay runners had not yet separated much.  Among us were several Big Island race regulars, including Chris Gregory and Heather and Tai Scarbrough.  We knew we wouldn't be seeing  much of them after long, and focused more on the teams that ran less like cheetahs with their fur on fire.

Ellis was off next, just behind Carmen's teammate Noe Waller.  Ellis lived up to his world-class reputation, coming into the second relay point right next to Noe.

And so I was off, step for step with Noe's teammate Mehana Sabado-Halpern.  We were still in the flats outside of Hilo when I glanced at my watch; Mehana was dragging me along at a 6:50 pace.  I was sure this would kill me, but my teammates ran in right next to hers. No way I wasn't doing the same.  So, an alarmingly short time later, I finished my first 2-mile stint and tagged off to Chico.

Chico ran another solid leg, giving up just a few seconds to Carmen. Ellis rushed out with a mind to show Noe who was  boss.  And he did show her, in that second leg, when the long, unrelenting climb to Volcano began.

Noe was boss.  She was the CEO of that hill.  She cruised in a minute ahead of Ellis, barely breathing hard.  As Eliis tagged off to me, I turned to find Mehana with an intent to reclaim the dignity of my vanquished teammate. She was way, way  up the hill. At least I think that was her. Whoever it was, she was pretty far away.

And so I settled into the first climb of this long race, crestfallen that our unspoken dream of three old men running 31.1 miles, step for step with three accomplished runners in their primes, was not to be. In the end, team Off On A Run would finish just north of 20 minutes ahead of the Big Island Running Company.

It was for the best. Without another team to chase, Chico, Ellis, and I settled into a comfortable uphill pace for the next few legs. The weather was nearly perfect: blue skies and ideal temperatures. Somewhere in our middle legs we had the pleasant surprise of catching up to fellow Kona runner, Brooke Myers. Brooke was running the 50K solo, and midway through she looked strong. I was secretly hoping she would catch Off On A Run.

As Ellis was finishing up his fourth leg, Chico and I checked the race clock and saw that maybe-- just maybe-- if everything went perfectly-- we had an outside chance of wrapping up in under four hours.  I tagged off determined to log a few 7-minute miles.

14 minutes later I crested a massive hill, certain the relay point was just ahead.  There was only another massive hill. And after that one was a long flat span ending with a group of cars parked in the distance. Okay, at least I would save a little face and come charging in.

I turned on the jets and soon checked my pace. The GPS told me I was screaming along at a 9:20 mile. Something was definitely not going my way. When I finally tagged and sent Chico off,  Ellis proudly exclaimed," Man, you were really tearing up that hill!"

What hill?  I turned around and looked back . Sure enough, that "flat" looked pretty hilly. That's the funny thing about the Hilo to Volcano course;  After so much uphill running,  some of it starts to look pretty flat. By comparison.

Ellis and I jumped into the truck and headed to the next relay point. By now we were climbing so much that the clutch greeted us with a nasty burning smell each time we started her up.  We waited for Chico, Ellis anxious to check off his final leg.

And we waited. Chico shuffled  in at last, shoulders slumping. The flu he'd  been suffering had finally caught up to him. In all, he  put together a gutsy run, and Ellis and I were really proud of him.

Ellis made the turn into Volcano and soon tagged off to me for the anchor leg.  At 2.4 miles, this leg was longer than my previous ones,  but was a truly flat stretch.  After my last effort, I was eager to make up a little time, and I had something  left in the tank, thanks to all the M&Ms I had been eating in the truck.

 

Ellis and Chico met me at the finish line, where we crossed in 4:19 flat, good enough for the win in the Men's Masters Division.  Carmen, Noe, and Mehana won the Women's Open Division. Nice job!  By the end of the race, we had become big fans of Off On A Run. Heather and Tai Scarbrough's team managed to beat Chris Gregory's by just a few minutes.  And Brooke Myers joined us  in bringing a little Big Island racing pride home to Kona. She finished in 5:44:42, good enough to be first in the Women's Open Division, and the second overall woman to finish the race.

The Big Island Road Runners put on quite an enjoyable race, with a highlight being the delicious, homemade soups served to the finishers.  Thanks to BIRR and congratulations to everyone who ran the race.

Thanksgiving Weekend Wrap-Up

There was so much going on over the Thanksgiving weekend that it was hard to keep track of it all. We've tried to compile the highlights and results here for you. We are so thankful for all the great opportunities we have on this island to be active and that so many people came out and took advantage of them!

9th Annual Wobble Gobble

We really enjoy the chance to offer this run on Walua Trail on Thanksgiving morning. This year over 280 people showed up to run either the 6.4 mile, 3.5 mile or 1 mile distance. But the most impressive thing is that they also brought with them 373 pounds of canned goods for the Hawaii Island Food Basket - over 200 pounds more than last year!

Results from the race are available here and more photos are available here.  Here are a couple of our favorites, though:

Hats courtesy of Debbie Braswell

Modeling the winners' hats

Keiki enjoying the run

In the 6.4 mile run, Garrett Prinslow took 1st place in 38:28.  For the ladies it was Rani Henderson taking first place (while pushing her son Cole in a stroller) in 44:18. In the 3.5 mile distance, Brooke Myers once again ran away from the field, finishing first overall for the second year in a row with a time of 23:26 and breaking her own course record in the process. Christopher "Atlas" Smith was second overall and the first male in 24:37.  Finally, for the 1-milers, Lawrence Barrett came in with a screaming time of 5:59 and Kristina Hamilton finished in 8:07 to win for the ladies.

The Wobble Gobble would not be possible without the help of our volunteers, who we are extremely appreciative of: Rich, Jolene and Ryan Mears provided the post-race refreshments; Larry and Laura Kniffin served as traffic control and aid station support; Kyra and Richard Bronson set up an aid station in front of their house; Jolene and Jacob Head and family also set up an aid station in front of their Keauhou Veterinary Clinic; Cary Aurand helped with signouts; Ali Steiner, Kimberly Madsen and John Ferdico assisted with course set-up; Chico helped pass out popsicle sticks and take pictures; Jennifer Stike's sons helped pass out medals to the keiki; and Leonard Torricer provided ice and pre and post-race support. Thanks again to all who came out and participated or volunteered!

6th Annual (Tri)ptophan Turkey Day Triathlon

For the 6th year in a row, Kym and Kris Kiser and their daughters hosted a triathlon on Thanksgiving morning down at the Kailua Pier. 100 people made it out there to race a 1/3 mile swim, 16 mile bike and 2 mile run. Coming in first was Tommy Vonach with a time of 58:26 and Jeni Winegarner was the women's champ in 1:04:48.

Tommy Vonach Photo courtesy of Kiser Motorcycles

Jeni Winegarner Photo courtesy of Kiser Motorcycles

Full results from the race are available here. Thanks to the Kisers for taking the time out of their Thanksgiving Day to host this race!

Post Pigout Peamania

If either of those events weren't enough to work off your turkey, Peaman hosted the Post Pigout Peamania at the Kailua Pier on Sunday morning.  This race was aptly named, as there was definitely mania!  Peaticipants swam 1/4 mile and then ran a 2-mile loop before coming back and doing it all over again. Of course, as with any Peaman race, there were many variations - a shorter Peawee course which could be completed once or twice, relays, swimmers that didn't run and runners that didn't swim!

For some reason, the results didn't appear in the online version of West Hawaii Today, but a picture of the paper results are below (pull out your magnifying glasses)!

Tommy Vonach outran Luis De La Torre on the last run loop to take first place overall in 37:23.  Rani Henderson was first for the ladies in 44:26.  Jim McCleery and his wife, Big Island Running Company employee Maggie, took first place in the full course relay in 46:17, while Becky and David Aegler took first place in the Peawee relay with a time of 29:14.  The Peawee results encompass people who did anything less than the full distance, so includes people who did one loop of the long course or two loops of the short course or anything else.

Ultraman

The Peaman race was missing some of its best volunteers on Sunday - Dene Sturm and Doug Henbest.  That's because Dene was off conquering the longest endurance event on the island and Doug was part of her crew.  The Ultraman World Championships started on Friday morning with a 6.2 mile swim from Kailua Pier to Keauhou Bay.  Immediately after finishing that swim, participants hopped on their bikes for the 90 mile climb to Volcano.  After spending the night in Volcano, on Saturday they rode from Volcano all the way to Hawi (approximately 170 miles).  One more night's sleep and then it was time for the run from Hawi into Kona on Sunday - a double marathon or 52.4 miles.

Dene Sturm and crew at the finish. Photo by Christine DeCarli

In addition to Dene (who finished with a total time of 33:34:34), other local athletes to complete the race this year were Jason Nixon in 32:18:00 and Laurie Beers in 34:15:33.  Congratulations to them and all the other Ultraman finishers. Full results from the race are available here.

Sunrise Athletics 5k

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in a 5k in Hilo. Since I haven't been running lately, I haven't been over to Hilo in months. But yesterday was special, since it was the Sunrise Athletics 5k and 2.5K Keiki Run.  Sunrise Athletics is a youth track and field club on the east side of the Big Island.  They coach kids from ages 8 and under up through high school and help them get involved in the sport. 

As they get older, the kids have the opportunity to participate in some great events off-island, including the Foot Locker Western Regionals.  That event takes place on December 7-8 in California and the funds from yesterday's race will help defray some of those costs. You can read more information about them on their website.

Sunrise Athletics Members who will be racing at the Foot Locker Western Regionals

So with all the kids in attendance, yesterday's race was a lot of fun.  It was held at Waikaea High School and ran on their cross country course.  Everyone started at the same time, but some of the kids only did one loop of the course for the 2.5K Keiki Run, while the 5K made two loops. Running with kids and watching them try to pace is really a lot of fun.  Most of them are pretty competitive, too. Don't try to pass them or they'll outsprint you for 100 yards, including at the end of the race!

Results haven't been posted yet, but they should show up on the Sunrise Athletics website soon. In the meantime, here are some photos from the event (after the actual 5K run).

Kids participating in the sack race.

Awards

Sunrise Athletics members listening to race emcee Eddie O

The top 3 females in the 5k

The top 3 males in the 5k

Not surprisingly, the top three men and women were all local high school runners. Ian McQuate took first place overall and Carmen Garson-Shumway was first for the ladies. We wish them the best of luck representing the Big Island in California in a couple of weeks!

Up this weekend is Lavaman Keauhou, starting with the Lavaman Sunset 5k on Friday evening, the expo on Saturday, and the Olympic-distance triathlon on Sunday.  Good luck to everyone competing this weekend!