KEAAU — Louie Ondo’s father used to motivate him by following behind him in a car and honking if he wasn’t running fast enough.
Lately, all the elder Louie Ondo has had to do for his son is buy him a watch.
With a personal-record in mind, the Waiakea junior set the timer for 16 minutes Saturday at the start at Kamehameha. When the buzzer sounded, he was right where he wanted to be. He made one last push, setting a course record at a Big Island Interscholastic Federation 3-mile cross-country meet.
“I was racing against me, myself and the clock,” Ondo said after finishing in 16:13.53, also PR.
He’s in his first year of cross-country, but he owes his speed to his time on the basketball court and he grabbed gold in the 800 and 1,500 meters at the BIIF track and field championships last spring.
“It feels different because it’s not just running in a circle,” Ondo said. “It’s not knowing where you are, not knowing where you are going to finish. It’s fun because you don’t know where you are, running through bushes and not where people are watching you. Less pressure.”
He’s also getting used to running alone.
He said Hilo’s River Brown stayed with him for a bit before he separated on the second hill.
Coming off Ondo’s victory in the opener Aug. 30 at Hawaii Prep, Brown finished runner-up again but he was more than 40 seconds behind despite setting a PR.
Kealakehe’s Thunder Frost, the highest returner from BIIFs last year, didn’t race for the second consecutive week. Frost ran a 17:10.65 in finishing runner-up behind Waiakea graduate Ian MCQuate at the finals last year at Kamehameha.
“I don’t think anybody is running as fast as Louie,” Hilo coach Bill McMahon said. “We’re happy he’s here, that’s going to make River a better runner.”
The next time Ondo sets his watch he’s going to put 15:40 on the timer. He wants to break 16 minutes.
“I have high goals, but my dad always said to put your heart into it,” Ondo said.
With a group of runners from Redlands, Calif., the girls race was more competitive at the start. Hilo’s Mehana Sabado-Halpern (20:05.9) broke from the pack after a fast first mile and won for the second consecutive week.
“It was really intimidating because you really don’t know how fast they are,” the senior said. “I was thankful that the Redlands girls came and helped push me.”
Redlands runners occupied spots Nos. 2-7, and the next BIIF finisher was HPA’s Ada Benson (21:31.78).
Sabado-Halpern runs with the boys at practice, but she’s looking for girls competition to help lower a PR. Former running mates such as Hilo’s Carmen Garson-Shumway as well as HPA’s Zoe Sims (2012 BIIF champion) and Kristiana Van Pernis (2013) have graduated.
“She’s going to have to motivate herself if no one steps up, which we hope somebody does,” McMahon said. “She’s going to have to be internally motivated and run as close to her red line as possible.”
Sabado-Halpern can always draw upon her experience at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association track and field championships. She looked to be in good shape last spring after soaring 36 feet, 10 inches in the triple jump, but Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Casey Poe bested her by 2 inches.
“The lesson is that you never know what’s going to happen,” she said. “You have to give 110 percent each and every second. You can’t just assume with one time or one goal that you’re going to make it.”
Both Ondo and Sabado-Halpern say they enjoy running the hilly course at HPA, site of the BIIF championships Oct. 24.
“I have faith our program will close the gap some, but that’s a lot time to make up on Mehana,” HPA coach Kimo Higgins said. “She’s outstanding.”
Ka Makani might not be as strong at the top in recent years, but their depth makes them the favorite to add to their collection of multiple BIIF team titles.
“No one is going to touch them,” McMahon said.
Higgins said he has at least eight runners who can contribute to the team score (top five), including freshman Benson and Tove Fostvedt. HPA’s Sabrina Disney and Savannah Cochran finished third and fourth among BIIF finishers Saturday. He tabbed Zoe McGinnis as another runner to watch.
Defending BIIF boys champion Honokaa is looking to replace five runners, each of whom helped the Dragons finish second in the state last season among Division II schools.
“I think it’s really open this year,” coach Jeri Moniz said. “Seems like everybody has some good runners, it’s about who is the most consistent.”
Like most everybody else, her biggest takeaway of the day was watching Ondo burn up the course in the early afternoon sun.
“Phenomenal,” she said.
