There were no classrooms in sight, but two high school educators taught Running 101 at Saturday’s fifth annual Volcano Rainforest Runs, proving that patience and preparation are keys to a great race.
Volcano’s Billy Barnett, who teaches English and social studies at Pahoa High School, and a three-time winner of the half-marathon event, said pacing himself from the beginning helped him capture his fourth title — winning the race in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 41 seconds.
“What I’ve learned most from teaching is learning to be patient,” Barnett said. “I’m constantly learning in the classroom from kids. That’s the great thing about teaching: Learning never ends.”
Barnett holds the course record in a steamy 1:16 and said he wore a watch for the first time so he wouldn’t go out too hard — though it didn’t help him run any faster. That hardly bothered Barnett as he did what he knows best: turning anything inside or outside the classroom into a fun adventure.
Barnett whistled and hollered encouragement to other participants as he cruised to victory. What he enjoyed most about the race was the crisp air and incredible views of Mauna Loa.
“I’ve been running for 11 years,” the 30-year-old said. “I love running, it keeps me sane, helps me to decompress, and I love being outside.”
Barnett added that his name was also recently drawn from the lottery to compete at the grueling Hawaii Ultra Running Team’s 100-mile endurance run scheduled for January, an event he ran 10 years ago but ended with a disappointing DNF.
“I bonked hard after 27 hours,” he said. “I got disoriented and I definitely went out way too fast. But I feel that after 10 years of running since that last one, I’m better prepared now.”
In preparation for the ultra-endurance event, Barnett has been trying to run on the steepest hills on the island. With wins at Kaloko’s Run Till Ya Ralph 6.5-mile climb earlier this month and Saturday’s Volcano half-marathon, Barnett is feeling confident and looking forward to a better performance come Jan. 17.
“It would be awesome just to finish,” he said. “It’s a crazy course with 27,000 feet of climbing. Although I feel more prepared, knowing it and doing it are two different things and I feel pretty excited.”
In the women’s race, Oahu’s Kathleen O’Neil, who teaches science at Mid-Pacific Institute and coaches the girls and boys cross-country teams, was second overall and the first female to cross the finish line in a fabulous time of 1:25:09.
“It was awesome,” O’Neil said. “I wasn’t sure how I would feel due to the elevation change but the weather was perfect. And the finish line was perfect being lined with all of the ginger (flowers). I’m glad I came, it did not disappoint.”
Like Barnett, O’Neil’s ability to transition from the classroom to running has led her to great performances starting with wins at the Johnny Faerber 10K in February, and the Hilo half-marathon in March.
O’Neil said she is also preparing for this year’s New York City Marathon slated for Nov. 2, and Oahu’s Waikiki Rough Water swim in two weeks.
“I like swimming and I think it helps me with my running,” O’Neil said. “But I enjoy running in these kinds of races especially living in Hawaii. You can’t beat the weather.”
Following Barnett in the men’s race was Pahoa’s Jon-Erik Jardine in 1:26:21, and Honolulu’s Mackenzie Lau in 1:28:04.
I finished second to O’Neil in 1:28:13, with Oahu’s Molly Ashkenas in third at 1:41:44.
The Volcano Rainforest half-marathon capped off the third event in the Triple Crown half-marathon series — the other two races being the Hilo half-marathon in March and the Kona half-marathon in June. Sixty-five participants completed all three and were awarded beautiful medals, a certificate of completion, and a BioAstin bag filled with goodies for their efforts.
In the 10K race, Hilo’s Stephen Hunter quickly separated himself from the field to win in 38:57, the only sub-40 minute of the race. Volcano’s Greg Hatch was second in 40:13, with Hilo’s Zah Mermel third in 42:03.
For a second weekend in a row, Hilo’s Carmen Garson-Shumway took the women’s division with her stellar time of 44:43. Kailua-Kona’s Maria Oka outsprinted Cecilia Viljoen for second place, 48:59 to 49:07 respectively.
The 5K event drew the largest field — 227 participants — and witnessed an exciting battle for first between Keaau’s Louie Ondo and River Brown of Mountain View. With the finish line made up of yellow ginger flowers well in sight, Ondo outpaced Brown to win in a speedy time of 17:51 to Brown’s 17:59. Third place went to Volcano’s Todd Marohnic in 19:58.
Oahu’s Eri Macdonald, a former Hawaii high school cross-country and track standout with 13 state championships to her name, easily claimed victory in the women’s division with a time of 19:34. In second was Marissa Kunsch of Virginia in 21:05, and third was Hilo’s Crystal-Lynn Baysa in 23:24.
With the Volcano Rainforest Runs celebrating its fifth year, race director Sharron Faff can feel proud to know that participants enjoyed the well-organized event from prerace registration to postrace festivities and will certainly fuel the event for many years to come.
Peaman’s Brown Bear and Sunny Sprint
From running up the slope of a volcano on Saturday, racers shifted gears to participate in Peaman’s Brown Bear and Sunny Sprint on Sunday in beautiful Kailua Bay.
The short 1/3-mile swim and 3.1-mile run honored Derek “Brown Bear” Haspe and the memory of his wife Sunny, who bravely faced her trials with cancer with a bright smile, an optimistic outlook and a courageous spirit. This event will always have a special and emotional feel attached to it, as no one will ever forget Sunny.
In the competition for first overall, it was the student’s turn to take center stage as it became an exciting race between two Konawaena sophomores, Cody Ranfranz and Rama Barrett.
Last month, Ranfranz became the youngest victor in Peaman biathlon history at just 14 years of age and stated then that he looked forward to “keeping his streak going” at future Peaman events.
After the arm thrashing and splashing were over and done with, Ranfranz exited the water at Kaiakeakua beach with top relay swimmer Jim McCleery and started the run on Alii Drive nearly a minute ahead of Barrett. While the duo battled it out on the run course, suspense filled the air among family and friends awaiting the winner.
With 100 yards to go, Barrett had made up a lot of time on Ranfranz as the twosome began a hard sprint to the finish. Ranfranz hung tough and blazed through the finish line first to keep his winning streak alive with a time of 27:06. Just 5 seconds back was Barrett in 27:11. Kona’s Adam Ankrum followed in third at 29:10.
Katie Elliott topped the women’s field with a time of 34:57. Susannah Roy was the next female to run under the finish banner in 35:56, and a finned Lori Montgomery rounded out the women’s top three in 37:51.
Two amazing swimmers, McCleery (swim) and Karlyn Pipes (run) teamed up to take the Split Pea relay title in 29:30. Rob Van Geen continued to impress all with his athletic versatility by topping the 1/3-mile swim race in 9:10. Lianne Ichishita won the 3.1-mile running race in 26:40.
In the Pea Wee race featuring a 200-yard swim and 1-mile run, Barrett’s younger brother, Jared, proved that fast twitch muscles run in the family as he took the overall title in a speedy time of 10:54. Last year’s Pea Wee series champion, Kanaipono Eckart, was next in 12:07, followed by Chris Prater in third at 14:52.
In the female division, Keakoa Pintor won in a great time of 12:11. Next was Lainey Eckart in 13:58, and Robyn Thompson in third place at 15:57.
Brandon Lacuesta and Sheryl Cobb took the Split Pea Wee Pea’s title with their combined time of 21:55. Lilo Fyrileiv won the 200-yard swim in 14:19, with Nophia Pintor winning the 1-mile run in 7:52.
With teachers and students sweeping weekend events, it’s a welcome reminder that school’s the place to learn how to excel in the classroom — and beyond.