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!

2014 Run for Hops

Every year at the beginning of March, tons of beer lovers come to town for the Kona Brew Fest.  One of the featured events of the weekend is the Run for Hops 5K/10K, which is a benefit for PATH (People's Advocacy for Trails Hawaii).  Both locals and tourists love this race, in part for the free beer provided by Kona Brewing Company at the end of the run.

This past Saturday opened with rainy, overcast skies as people gathered for the start of the run. Although I'm sure some people opted to sleep in, almost 600 made it out for what could be considered "perfect running weather" in Kona. (Thanks to Makena Becker for taking these photos. More photos are available here.)

The 10K started off first, followed by the 5K a few minutes later. Full results from the races are available at JTL Timing's website.

Approximately 17 minutes later, local athlete Luis De La Torre was the first person to cross the finish line.  Not too much later, the epic race between Brian Pruitt and James Resor (both members of Big Island Running Company's run group) was decided when Brian crossed the finish line 23 seconds ahead of James. Rumor has it that a rematch will go down this Sunday at the Big Island International Half Marathon.

James

The top woman in the 5k was Anita Sen with a time of 22:27, followed by Kerstin Busse in 22:46. Kollette Stith was the third woman finisher with a time of 23:45.

Kerstin

Some other notable finishers in the 5K:

Great race for the kids

Tutu Girls who completed the BIRC training program

A friendly face from Indiana - I played softball with her daughter years ago and randomly saw them in the store!

Costumed runners (at least I think that isn't their normal running gear)

In the 10k, Kevin Gravina from Cambridge, Massachusetts was the first finisher with a time 37:02.  Youth trumped experience for second place with high school athlete Thunder Frost (37:45) outlasting Alan Ryan (37:56).

Alan and Thunder pacing together at the beginning.

Rani Henderson continued her strong start to 2014 with first place for the women in the 10k with a time of 39:41.  Two mainlanders followed in second and third - Kirsten Clarke-Hollinger from Tieton, Washington and Meaghan Munroe from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Rani (without the stroller for this race)

Congratulations to all who participated!  Members of our 5k/10k training group all had great races, with many setting new PRs and winning age group awards.  We'll be recognizing them in our next newsletter.

Also, a huge mahalo to all of the volunteers! I was in charge of race day registration and could not have done it without all of our helpers including Adrienne Pipes, Linda Hallinger, Jane Bockus, Linda Jane Kelley, Dave and Shirley Pratt, Laura Dierenfield and many others who jumped in to lend a hand.  After registration was over, I was also drafted to help tear and sort time cards for the finishers.  I never realized what a hectic job that was.  Thanks to everyone who jumped in to help, especially Gail Ranfranz, Sarah Govier, Ricci Racela, Linda Goeth, Simone White, and probably several others I'm forgetting. We can't put on these races without the terrific volunteers and they are greatly appreciated.

Up this weekend is the 17th Annual Big Island International Marathon in Hilo (also with a half marathon and 5k).  We'll be over there at the expo on Saturday, so stop by and say hi! Also, our Kaloko location will be closed on Saturday, but our Alii Drive location will be open all weekend.

If you're sticking around Kona, the Waverider Tri Club is hosting the 5k Leprechaun-a-thon and Sham-Walk starting at 7:00 a.m. at Magic Sands Beach.  Race day registration is from 6-6:40.

February Recap - Part II

Valentine's Day popped up in the middle of February and with it came a bunch of races. (Part I of February's recap is available here.)

Sweetheart Shuffle 5K and 10K Relay

This event was hosted by, and was a fundraiser for, the Waverider Triathlon Club. These high school kids and their advisor Kristin Drost put on a great fun and different race.  Runners could complete the 5k individually or team up with their sweetheart for 10K relay.  Since I'm finally getting back into  running after that nagging plantar fasciitis, Jason and I decided this would be a fun run to try out. In addition to the fun relay aspect of the event, the race was held on the new mid-level road, which meant nice sidewalks, little to no traffic and a nice downhill finish.

(Photo by Waverider Tri Club)

I started off with the 5k runners and tried to keep pace with Leonard Torricer.  That didn't last very long, but I was happily able to keep him in sight for most of the race.  I was not, however, able to keep the first relay team's runner in sight - she was FAST! So we were second place in the relay when I tagged off to Jason, with John Ferdico and Ali Steiner not too far behind us.

Photo by Waverider Tri Club

Jason's been doing a lot of triathlon training, which means a lot of hours on the bike and not as many on the run.  So we had no idea if he'd be able to make up the over 2 minutes that the lead relay had on me. But as it turns out, he really likes to chase people down and managed to make up that time and more.  We finished the relay with a combined time of 41:29.

Relay results are below:

Braswell, Melissa 41:29:00 1
Braswell, Jason 41:29:00 1
Pittaway, Elizabeth 00:42:25.34 2
Burnell, Chris 00:42:25.34 2
Ferdico, John 44:50.7 3
Steiner, Ali 44:50.7 3
Hudik, Kelly 47:10.1 4
Lannen, Kevin 47:10.1 4
Garcia, Irene 49:04.5 5
Franco, Jose 49:04.5 5
ziemelis, eric 51:44.7 6
ziemelis, julie 51:44.7 6
Prince, Victoria 00:52:35.45 7
Marroquin,Benito 00:52:35.45 7
Prater, Kevin 01:01:46.64 8
Prater, Becky 01:01:46.64 8
Aparacio-Bill, Charo 01:02:47.96 9
Kunitake, Jon 01:02:47.96 9
Rafol, Kaylee 1:06:48 10
Talentino, Exquiel 1:06:48 10

In the 5k, high school track athlete and Waverider Tri Club member Thunder Frost took first place in a time of 17:38 and Anita Leao won for the ladies with a time of 21:24.

Getting in the Valentine's spirit (photos by Waverider Tri Club)

5k results:

Frost, Thunder 151 17:38.3
Pruitt, Brian 140 18:23.5
Leao ,Anita 146 21:24.0
Torricer, Leonard 109 22:37.6
Matheus, Edward 123 24:30.1
Hinkley, Jessica 122 24:54.1
Mears, Jolene 110 26:08.0
Griley, Kai 101 26:39.2
Griley, Susan 102 27:01.9
Snively, Kanoa 114 27:27.5
Ross, Tristan 136 00:26.5
Hettel-Hori, Olivia 131 28:02.9
Dixon, Virginia 115 28:23.6
Coates, Leigh 124 28:33.5
MacDonald, Ginny 121 29:19.2
tucker, Jim 141 29:29.3
Leao Alex 148 30:19.0
Blaber, Janice 149 30:45.1
Manoi, Hiilawe 119 31:00.6
Benke, Danielle 125 32:12.9
Kersten, Holly 126 32:14.2
Pries, Heather 127 32:15.0
Stansell, Candis 128 32:16.2
Weinhold, Renate 139 32:33.5
Fyrileiv, Lilo 113 34:43.9
Tupe, Matthew 146 35:13.5
Leao, Cameron 145 35:22.0
Vogt, Alan 112 37:31.9
Cosare, Howard 132 38:43.3
Thomas, Skylar 137 38:44.4
Romp-Friesen, Toni 106 39:02.3
Huebner, Honokanai'a 130 44:10.4
Huebner, Andreas 129 44:13.0
Yeates, Sandee 134 44:33.0
Payne, Doug 135 44:34.3
Yoshimura, Lana 107 45:30.0
Cooper, Joni 138 52:07.8
Blaber, Liz 153 52:27.1
Blaber,Richard 152 52:28.2
Reed, Michelee 118 53:28.8
Mero, Joanne 00:53.3
Reed, Sam 00:53.3
Piltz, Kainoa 142 53:30.3
Jones, Donna 120 55:32.1
Kanino, Kiani 150 59:00.0
Ramirez, Anissa 133 00:59.0

Terrific Turtle Trudge, Dragon Dash and Golden Fox Gallop
 
The next morning, runners gathered under rainy and overcast skies to tackle one of the two run-only Peaman races. 

Not your typical Kona weather

These races are measured in inches, with the Terrific Turtle Trudge taking 332,640 inches, the Dragon Dash covering 126,720 inches and Golden Fox Gallop running 63,360 inches. Thanks to Makena Becker who helped take pictures of this event while I was doing the timing. All of the photos are available here. Full results from the race are available here. 

In the Golden Fox Gallop, Elijah Hall (7:10) and Nophia Pintor (7:11) had quite the battle for first and second, with Elijah eeking out the win. 

Almost photo finish

Crowd support!

For the Dragon Dash, Daniel Hauanio blazed through in 15:51, while Lori Montgomery was the first female in 17:21.

Lori striding to the finish

Running on air

Peaman and some lovely ladies

In the Terrific Turtle Trudge, Chris Gregory was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 29:22.  Rani Henderson was first for the ladies in 32:29, while pushing her son Cole in a stroller - impressive!

Chris nearing the finish

Rani and what looks like a sleeping Cole.

Team Mango's Sprint Triathlon

Then yesterday, Team Mango hosted its third and final triathlon for the month of February, the Sprint Triathlon.  Distances for this race were a 1/3 mile swim, 15 mile bike down Alii Drive into the Pit and back and a 2-mile run loop past Huggo's.  JTL Timing was testing out new triathlon timing chips, so results look really official for this race and are available here. 

A new addition - a clock at the race! (Photo by Carl Koomoa)

While I wanted to participate in this race but still don't bike, I recruited one of our employees, Tyler La Salle to complete the bike portion for me.  I started off on the swim, which was short and chaotic with the amount of people in the water. But I made it out ok and tagged off to Tyler.

(Photo by Carl Koomoa)

While waiting to start the run, I was able to observe quite a bit of the race. Thomas Vonach took first place overall with a time of 56:57.  Winona Chen was first for the ladies with a time of 1:06:58.  Andre Barbieri finished with an impressive time of 1:24:29, with several leg prosthesis changes along the way!

(Photo by Carl Koomoa)

The Big Island Running Company team finished in 1:19:01 and had a great time! Thanks to Carl and all of the Team Mango volunteers for all their help in putting on these fun events!

(Photo by Christine DeCarli)

Up this weekend is another Peaman event, Zoomin' Zak's Plunge and Plod Biathlon (1/2 mile swim and 3.9 mile run).  The event starts at 8:08 on Sunday, March 2 at the Kailua Pier. 

February's Recap - Part 1

Well, that New Year's Resolution of posting more frequently on the blog really went out the window... Since it's been a month since we posted anything, I'm going to try to do some brief recaps of the races that have happened since then, but I'm going to split it up into two posts (Part II is available here).

Peaman's Splish-Splash and Super Bowl Shuffle Biathlon

January's Peaman event was appropriately Super Bowl themed, with a 1/2 mile swim and 3.1 mile run.  Karlyn Pipes swam and ran away with the race, taking the overall title in 35:53. Tony Frost was the first male finisher in 36:47.  Full results from the race are available here. 

Super Bowl Sunday Races

Although Peaman's race was a Super Bowl theme, it was held the week before the actual Big Game.  On Super Bowl Sunday, Team Mango hosted their Springtime Triathlon and Jeff and Dana Strang hosted their annual Super Bowl Sunday Half Marathon and Pickup Runs.

Chris Gregory took the overall win in the 1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike and 6 mile run of the Springtime Tri with a time of 1:28:57. Big Island Running Company's representative John Ferdico finished in 2:04:23. Full results are available at Team Mango's website.

Meanwhile, I took part in the Strang runs.  The half marathon distance run starts from Kua Bay and runs into town to Yoga Hale.  I did this run last year and it's a great way to run a different route - and they have water along the way! Since I'm not quite up to 13 mile distances yet this year, I opted for the 8 mile run from Kaiminani Drive into town.  Thanks to some great running partners (Chitwin, Ali and Jenny), it was a fun morning, with a faster than anticipated time (1:10).  Thanks to Jeff and Dana for hosting this fun run each year! Results are below:

½ marathon
1:32:00 Bree Wee
1:45:00 Lance Mirchell
1:52:25 Kevin Lannen
1:53:30 Stephen Cosgrove
1:57:00 Scott Jewsbury
1:57:05 Kerstin Busse
2:01:12 Susan Smith Nixon
2:02:00 Jeff Strang
2:12:30 Vegard Fyrileiu
2:31:00 Floyd Rhoades
2:33:00 Betsy Solis
2:34:00 Johno Perea
2:37:00 John Kaiwi
2:47:00 Pete Ballerini
2:55:00 Patty Ferrington on a route of her own

8 miles
1:06:00 Kevin Graham
1:06:00 Rebekah Lussiaa
1:06:00 George Collins
1:10:00 Melissa Braswell
1:10:00 Chitwin Santun
1:11:00 Ali Steiner
1:12:00 Cassidy Landes
1:12:30 Katie Rice
1:13:30 Jenny Payne
1:14:00 Karen Harris
1:17:00 Grete Brantenborg
1:22:00 Esther Lehmann
1:22:00 Terry Field

6.2 miles
:51:00 Chris White
:51:00 Kevin Geiger
:51:00 Charles Hailey
:57:30 Shea Cochran
1:06:00 Jim Tucker
1:10:00 Melissa John
1:12:00 Pay Sackniess
1:12:30 John Mothershead
1:12:30 Leanne Lowden
1:15:00 Ryan Nuckols
1:17:00 Todd Weinmann

4mi (from Across the Ocean)
1:25:00 Stevie Strang
1:25:00 Cindy Schafer
1:25:00 Doris the Dog

Team Mango's Monster and Mini-Monster Triathlons

The following weekend was Team Mango's Monster and Mini-Monster Triathlons.  These have become a really popular event for people who want to train at longer distances. The Mini-Monster covers a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run.  The Monster doubles those distances (covering the same amount of miles on much of the same course as the Ironman triathlon).  And as is typical, there were all kinds of relays, crazy distances and course records.  Full results are available here. 

This year, Sylvia Ravaglia captured the overall Monster distance title with a time of 12:02:10, setting a new course record and women's course record.  Cycle Station's John Howerton took second and first male in 12:21:30. First place in the Mini-Monster went to Cory McCord, racing for Dr. Monica Scheel Dermatology.  Ellyn Brown of Anchorage, Alaska was the first female Mini-Monster finisher.  

I was able to capture some shots of the athletes at the aid station behind Target on the run course, so here are some of those shots.

Shirley Pratt motoring by the aid station.

Linda Hallinger hard at work keeping the athletes hydrated.

Smiling face.

Picture of determination

Thanks to Team Mango and all the volunteers who work so hard to make these training events possible. 

Part II will have updates from last weekend's Valentine's Day races and yesterday's Team Mango triathlon.

Peaman's 50th Birthday Bonanza!

The December Peaman event is always a special one because it falls on or around Peaman's birthday.  And this year was a biggie, as Peaman turned 50! In the weeks leading up the race, the community started a Facebook event where people added photos and messages about how Peaman and his races have impacted them.  Needless to say, there were some wonderful entries.  Mercedes DeCarli compiled the comments and photos and put them together as a gift/virtual card for Peaman.  Here's to another 50 years, Sean!

At the actual race, the distance was a 1/2 mile swim and a 3.9 mile run.  However, the swim may have ended up being a little longer for some and shorter for others as the buoy broke free and sprinted away right as the lead pack was approaching.  After a little chaos and confusion, everyone eventually made it back to shore!

For the Peas, Tommy Vonach came in first place with a time of 36:50, followed closely by Jenson Button in 36:57. Jano Soto took third place with a nice round time of 40:00. For the ladies, the top three finished within 13 seconds of each other! Elsa Palmer finished first with a time of 41:53, followed by Kathy Winkler in 42:01 and Jeni Winegarner in 42:06.

The Split Pea relays were taken by Kevin and Karl Moats in 37:21, followed by Frank and Greg Ferren in 41:40. Lexi DeCarli claimed the Swim Pea title in 13:39 and Jamie Geissler was the top Run Pea in 25:32, although she was bested by two Skate Peas.

For the Peawees, it was Silas Wiley sprinting to the top in 10:12, with Raka Barrett (10:47) and Kanaipono Eckart (11:07) taking second and third. The top Peawee Split Pea team was Aiden and Alec Ankrum in 11:37.  Charles Janjigian was the first Swim Peawee with a time of 6:01 and Nicole Morgan was the top Run Peawee in 7:04.


Results for the race are available here. Some pictures of the race are below, but more are available here. Thanks to Makena Becker for taking most of these pictures!

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.