Ironman Hangover and Bieni Johnson 5k Run/Walk

Our postings in the last few weeks have been shameful (and non-existent). We blame it on the craziness of Ironman, trying to recover from the craziness of Ironman, and the trip to the mainland that I took. But now I'm back and ready to catch up. Here's a brief summary of the rest of Ironman, as well as the Beini Johnson 5k Run/Walk. I'll try to post a Peaman recap tomorrow.

On the Thursday before Ironman race day, everyone in town gathered for the Underpants Run! (Well, maybe not everyone, but there certainly were a lot of scantily clad people there.)

The race started near Pacific Vibrations and ran up and down Alii Drive. It was quite a long procession with lots of interesting sights. Men in bras, women in lingerie, Elvis, tons of dogs, and much more. Someone mentioned there was a male thong sighting, but I must have missed that.

It looked like everyone had a great time, maybe we'll have to participate next year!

After a busy couple of days in town, everything quieted down on Friday night as people started their preparations for the big day. Same for us, as I was volunteering at the pier starting at 4 a.m. and Jason was working the store. Although I definitely saw more of the athletes than Jason did, I didn't have a camera with me. But Jason got some good shots of the pros and some locals on the run course.

Chris Lieto

Craig Alexander

Luis De La Torre

Sam Corace

Bree Wee

Kevin Murar

Jim Ragual

Congratulations to all the Ironman finishers!

The weekend after Ironman was the Bieni Johnson 5k Run/Walk at Hawaii Preparatory Academy. This race was on the HPA's cross country course - the same course where the BIIF (Big Island Interscholastic Federation) Cross Country Championships would be held the following week. It was a great chance for runners to get off the roads and try out a real cross country course. And over 200 people did just that! From what I hear, that made for quite a challenging course.

At the end, Jason came in first in a time of 19:55, followed by Jesse Tarnas in 20:24 and Alan Ryan in 20:42. For the ladies, Ruth Vorlund was the winner in 24:28, with Kim Evans (24:26) and Carmen Garson-Shumway (25:59) taking second and third places. Full results are available here.

Just this past Sunday was another Peaman race and a recap should be coming shortly.

Ironman Parade of Nations

Tuesday afternoon was the Ironman Parade of Nations which kicked off the opening of the Ironman expo. The parade went from the pier to Hale Halawai, the site of the expo. As always, the crowds were out to see the festivities.

Competitors from each of the countries that will be represented on Saturday marched in the event with their flag, a mini version of the Olympic parade. There were large contingents from Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

And then there were the countries that were represented by only one athlete, like Thailand and India. But those representatives still came out proudly with their flags.


Each of the main volunteer departments were out with their crews, too. Below is Aid Station director Joe Loschiavo (working as always), with some of his helpers.

The transition area volunteers were also represented, with all of their interesting signage. (Especially the one that warns against public urination...)


Prior to the parade, there was a mini keiki triathlon and then the participants got to march in the parade.


Finally, the parade wrapped up with the US athletes, followed by the local Kona athletes.


The excitement is certainly being felt in town. Of course, I'm sure the nervous energy will start to pick up today and tomorrow, too.

PATH 5k/10k Run

This is the big week that the triathlon world converges on Kona. The exciting week of events was kicked off on Sunday morning with the PATH (People's Advocacy for Trails Hawaii) 5k/10k Run/Walk. This was the 25th year of the event! A lot of the Ironmen and women and their families came out to participate, so the finisher list was very international. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera this day, so we don't have any pictures of the race. But it was held on Alii Drive, starting at Hale Halawai, so you can imagine lots of sun, ocean and Hawaiian foliage.

Over 100 people were entered in each of the 5k and 10k. The 10k course went south from Hale Halawai to about Magic Sands Beach. For the 10k, Chris Legh of Colorado came in first with a time of 33:37. Kjell Schioberg of Idaho was second in 36:20. The first woman finished in third place overall and was former Ironman champion Heather Fuhr with a time of 37:16. In fourth place was Donovan Watts from Canada (37:39), followed by the first Big Island finisher, Alan Ryan, in a time of 37:43. Second and third place for the ladies were Irene Kinnegim from the Netherlands (42:39) and Cynthia Kidwell from Indiana (44:23). The first Big Island finisher for the ladies was Heather Scarbrough who finished in 45:05. Full results from the race are here.

The 5k course ran the same route as the 10k, but turned around at Casa D'Emdeko instead, making for a fairly hilly 5k course. Finishing first overall was Joshua Sonnet of Belgium in a time of 18:30. He was followed by two local runners - Nathan Grocholski (19:10) and Ziggy Bartholomy (19:28). First place for the women was Catherine Lee of Minnesota in 19:44, followed by Chrystel Christenson of Utah in 21:06. I was able to represent for Kona and finished in third place in 21:21. Full race results for the 5k are available here.

Several of our running group members and customers won age group awards in both the 5k and 10k, including Monica Price, Lisa Bryant, Ellis Andrews, Cliff Acheson, Korey Pulluaim, Scott Wiitala, Rob Van Geen, Marissa Bryant-Manago, and Jon Kunitake. The awards provided by PATH were great Hawaiian umeki bowls, used by Hawaiians for eating poi and other local food.

The event was also accompanied by a silent auction which included jewelry, massages, an entry to Lavaman Waikoloa, and other gift certificates, all to raise money for PATH. PATH is a great local organization that tries to make the roads and community safe for bikers, runners and pedestrians. If you haven't checked them out, go to pathhawaii.org and see all the great things they do!

Today is the Ironman parade and the start of the expo, so we'll try to get some more updates posted throughout the week.

PATH 5k/10k This Sunday!

Things are getting crowded here in Kona, with the Ironman World Championships less than two weeks away! Many athletes from around the country and around the world have been arriving to attempt to get acclimated to Kona's hot October temperatures.

As part of the race week festivities, PATH (People's Advocacy for Trails Hawaii) is hosting their 25th Annual 5K/10K Run/Walk this Sunday, October 3. The race starts at 7:30 a.m. at Hale Halawai and goes south along Alii Drive. Awards will be given for the top 2 finishers overall and the top 2 finishers in 5-year age groups. Following the race, there is also a free keiki dash at Hale Halawai. Bring the whole family, since strollers and pets are welcome!

In addition to the race, there is also a Silent Auction with lots of great prizes, including hotel stays, massages, gift baskets, restaurant certificates and more!

The registration fee is $35 for adults and $20 for children 14 & under and includes a t-shirt. Registration forms are available on PATH's website. (A $5 late fee applies to registrations after Friday, October 1.) You can register at PATH's offices at 74-5606 Pawai Place, Bay 5, or at Big Island Running Company, Bike Works or the Ironman Info Booth on the pier. T-shirts and race numbers can be picked up on Saturday, Oct. 2 from 7-10 a.m. at the Ironman Info Booth on the pier. Race-day registration and packet pick-up will start at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3 at Hale Halawai.

Jason helps out at last year's PATH 5k/10k

Come be a part of the Ironman festivities and support all the work that PATH does to make our island bike and pedestrian friendly!

Peaman's Kickoff Klassic Biathlon

This past Sunday there were two great events on the Big Island - Peaman's Kickoff Klassic Biathlon and the Big Island Road Runners' Annual Hilo Bay 5k/10k in Hilo. So Jason and I split up the races, with Jason heading to Hilo, while I stayed here for the Peaman event. Luckily, my mom was in town and was able to serve as photographer, so we do have pictures of the Peaman event, including more here. Thanks, Mom!

This week's Peaman event celebrated the start of football season, so everyone was encouraged to sport their favorite team's colors. I pulled out the orange shorts in support of da Bears. The biathlon distances were a 3/4 mile swim followed by a 3.9 mile run. This was definitely the longest distance so far. There was another 3/4 mile swim, but it was followed by a 3.1 mile run. There has also been a 3.9 mile run, but it came after a 1/2 mile swim. Putting the long distances together made for a tough course!

After Peaman gave instructions, everyone gathered in the water for the kickoff (seriously, a football was punted into the water to signal the start).



Pretty soon after that, the keiki started their race, too.

The water definitely wasn't as choppy as last time, so it wasn't too hard to get into a good rhythm. Unfortunately, my goggles didn't want to cooperate today, so I had to stop three times to adjust them! Needless to say, my time on the swim was not the greatest. And I think all that stopping threw me off because I completely forgot to split my watch when I came out of the water, so I have no idea how long the swim took me. Of course, I also forgot to stop my watch at the end of the run, too, so I had to wait until the results came out in the paper to find out what my time was!

While I was out messing with my goggles, plenty was going on at the pier. The first keiki came out of the water.

And the start of the keiki dash began...

and ended.

Then the really fast crowd for the full swim started coming out of the water.

As usual, Luis De La Torre was the men's champion in the full Pea distance event, coming in at 42:43. Dale Fediuk was second in 47:27 and Tai Scarbrough was third in 49:50. For the ladies, Lisa Vernier was first in 55:12; Sharlene Gee was second in 56:22; and Alisa Predergrast was third in 58:00. (I finished in 1:01:26 after a pretty good run).


For the relay pairs, Leahi Camacho teamed with Jeremy Moore for the victory in 45:04. Sonny Hapsgood's two relays were second and third, with Ziggy Bartholomy in at 46:54 and Zack Wigzell at 50:47.

In the peawee distances, Kanaipono Eckhart and Audrey Nixon were the winners for the boys and girls with times of 14:02 and 18:12, respectively. Second places were Dylan Schmarr (18:59) and Lauren Jones (19:02), and third places were Alana Kola (19:19) and Alicia Hicks (19:30).

Full results for the races are here. Also, I'd like to make a special shout out to some first time Peaman participants - Peter Ballerini (first time doing the swim), Scott Wiitala, and Jeremy Moore and his kids! Congratulations and we hope to see you out there again.

After the race, there was the typical abundance of prizes for participants, assisted by several keiki, including Lauren and Evan Jones.


The Perpetual Pea was also passed along to the Big Island Honda Crew for all their help with Peaman's toy box!

And the day wouldn't be complete without some fun costumes and a swimming dog:


Over in Hilo, the Kona runners also had success, with Ray Whitford winning the 5k overall and Jason winning the 10k. I've also heard that Lisa Bryant finished first in her age group over there. Congrats to all of them! Once we get results to that race, I'll make sure to post them.

Next weekend is a weekend off of racing on the Big Island. Good luck to everyone running the Maui Marathon (or half marathon, 5k or Front Street Mile) this weekend! I'll be over there (not running), but will try to make it out to cheer.

Run for Hope 2010

It's Labor Day weekend in Kona, and we got it kicked off right with a 5k/10k race out at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. Jason was actually at this race last year and kept raving about what a great event it was - especially the post-race breakfast. So I was pretty excited for this one. The race benefited cancer research on the Big Island, so it was for a great cause, too. In fact, at the post-race awards, they mentioned that, as of last year's race, they had raised over $1 million in the past 13 years for the event.

The race offered both a 5k and a 10k run, plus a 5k walk. Jason was planning on running the 10k, but I decided to go for the 5k. After the pre-race blessing and stretching, we headed out through the resort complex for about a mile before hitting the golf course. The remainder of the 5k was run on the golf course and cart paths before heading back to the finish line area. The 10k continued past the finish line for more golf course running, including a portion that ran right along the ocean.

Running on a golf course was a lot of fun, but you forget how many ups and downs there are on a golf course. There were definitely no flat portions. And the sun was pretty hot in some places, especially when you were running on a fairway with no shade. I was pretty happy when I hit the turn to finish the 5k.

A group of cross country runners from Parker School were there and took home several of the top 10 spots in the 5k. Jake Shiraki won the 5k with a time of 19:21. Zafir Abou-Zamzam (in the under 14 age group!) was second in 19:30, while his dad(?) Ahmed Abou-Zamzam finished next in 20:12. I was able to finish in 12th overall, coming in first for the women at 22:37. Second place went to Darcy May in 23:37, and third was Kara Tsuzaki in 24:01.

The 10k was a close battle between Justin Butler and Jason. Justin led much of the race (even after getting led off course briefly by the lead golf cart), but Jason held on and managed to pass him with about 1 mile to go. Jason finished in 36:45, with Justin just behind him at 36:56. Third place went to Jason Thorp with a time of 40:53. Fourth place overall was the women's 10k winner, Mirion Schultz in 43:00. In second place for the ladies was Karolina Wanke in 45:17, while third place was Alexandra Sarrimanolis in 48:20.

Full results for both races are posted here. Some pictures from the day are below, but more can also be found here.

A Parker School cross country runner sprinting to the finish.

Sharon Diedrichs finishing strong.

Duke Becker leading dad Danny to the finish.

Makena Becker followed shortly after.

Justin Butler makes the final turn.

More kids enjoying the run.

Almost there!

Women's 10k winner, Mirion Schultz

Dawn Henry

A happy group of runners.

Marissa Bryant-Manago

Following the race, there was a great post-race breakfast with fruit, yogurt, pastries, scrambled eggs and sausage links. It was delicious! There were also a nice post-race awards ceremony, with several friends winning age group awards in their respective races.

Ziggy Bartholomy

Jon Kunitake

Norm Jones

Gerd Weber

Lisa Bryant

Jason and I walked away with a massage and a gift certificate for dinner at the Four Seasons (along with the always popular Kunitake Farms coffee). They also drew for several prizes, with Danny Becker winning a massage at the Four Seasons (which I'm pretty sure he gave to his wife). Finally, they awarded two nights at any Four Seasons in Hawaii, plus airfare, to the participant who raised the most money for the event. The winner raised over $1500!

Congratulations to all participants! Good luck to everyone running the Kauai Marathon and Half Marathon tomorrow! Up next on the Big Island is a Peaman race in Kona next Sunday morning at 8 a.m., as well as the Hilo Bayfront 5k/10k at Coconut Island on Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. Have a great Labor Day weekend.

Running on Faith Results

Trifreaks has posted the results of the Running on Faith 5k/10k on their website - trifreaks.com.

One note when looking at the results - they don't have names associated with the numbers or any differentiation between 5k or 10k times. We have a list of names/numbers that is fairly complete for people who picked up their packet before 6 p.m. on race day. If you forgot your number, send an email to melissa@bigislandrunningcompany.com and we'll see if we can look it up for you.

Thanks everyone for a great turnout!