Christopher Brennan and Chris Solarz ran and biked through the night, watching the night sky turn to day, finally arriving at Kailua Pier on Saturday afternoon to become the seventh and eighth members of the EPIC5 Challenge fraternity.
Brennan, a senior executive and attorney out of New York, crossed first. Brennan, a fixture on the ultra-endurance scene over the past decade, competes in many events while pushing his autistic 11-year-old son.
Solarz followed, motivated on the final Alii Drive stretch by the cheers of fans and even Brennan, who staved off fatigue for a few more hours to support his EPIC5 brother. Solarz has more than 50 ultramarathons under his belt and holds six Guinness World Records, including his latest, which involved running the furthest distance on a treadmill in 12 hours.
EPIC5 founder Jason Lester was unable to attend because of a prior engagement. However, Lester cheered on from afar via social media and video chats.
“I had a vision. That vision was to create an event that would bring communities together, while creating a platform for other athletes to stretch their minds and body to places they had never experienced,” Lester said in an email to West Hawaii Today.
“We are a small family that has a big heart, big mind and big dreams. We laugh, cry, suffer and drag each other to the finish line. This event is not possible without all the support from family, friends and volunteers — they are the true ‘epicness’ of this event.”