Brutal. Torture. Painful.
These words were uttered in sheer agony and express how most felt after crossing the finish line at Sunday’s inaugural C2 Mauna Loa cycling race. And the instant it was over, it became apparent that this race now tops the list as “Hawaii’s toughest hill climb.”
“I enjoy these kinds of challenges that you just don’t think you can do,” said race director Robert Patey. “As soon as I found out Sea to Stars wasn’t happening, I decided I had to create a race. I wanted to keep the tradition alive.”
For many years, Sea to Stars was the state’s premier hill climb, beginning at sea level and finishing 50 miles later at the Mauna Kea ranger station. After race director Gary Shields took an overseas sabbatical for a job opportunity in 2012, Sea to Stars was put on hold indefinitely — leaving a void on the cycling race calendar.
“I decided to switch mountains and end the race at the top of Mauna Loa, primarily because it’s more scenic and challenging,” Patey said. “And, because it’s a longer climb for a total of 12,000 feet in elevation gained, it definitely moved up the difficulty of the challenge by several notches.”
As one of the largest volcanoes in the world, Mauna Loa stands 13,679 feet above sea level, just 120 feet shy of its sister, Mauna Kea. Although it may not be the tallest volcano, it is the longest — as its name implies — and covers half of the Big Island with it’s gentle, shallow slopes.
Intense black lava fields span as far as the eye can see on either side of the stunning single-lane, 17-mile windy road that takes one from the base of Mauna Loa to the observatory. From the top, Mauna Loa offers some of the most amazing panoramic views amid the barren terrain. With virtually no green vegetation in sight, it’s like riding your bike on the moon.
Anticipation ran high for the field that amassed at Queens’ Shops in Waikoloa as many wondered how their day would unfold during the near 60-mile climb to the top, and for the shorter 40-mile ride to the base of Mauna Loa. The possibility of bad weather conditions also posed an additional challenge, but light winds and sunny skies set the stage for what turned out to be a gorgeous day.
Racers rode together during the 2-mile neutral zone to Waikoloa Drive, and with the sound of the start horn, 11 riders quickly broke away and formed the lead pack.
At 7 miles, the men decided to make it a race with Oahu’s Ray Brust, Tim Marr and Aaron Sundberg, Hilo’s Patey and Todd Marohnic, and Kona’s Arturo Morales and Thomas Vonach — pushing a hard pace to see who would claim the “King of the Mountain” title.
Excitement continued on Saddle Road as the group dwindled down to three, and for the next three hours, Brust, Marr and Morales rode together until the 9,000-foot elevation marker on Mauna Loa.
Oxygen deprivation, dehydration and the unrelenting climb took its toll on Brust as he was the first to drop back. From there, Marr decided to attack and left Morales behind, but the race was far from over. The strong effort caused Marr to cramp in both legs forcing him to stop twice, and the high altitude began to play tricks on his mind.
“I kept thinking that I was hearing another cyclist,” Marr said, though no one was within sight. “I thought it probably had something to do with the altitude, but I felt so sure that someone was there. I began to think it was more spiritual since Mauna Loa is such a spiritual place.”
Marr said he was finally able to gather himself and grind out the remaining miles to claim victory in an amazing time of 4 hours, 37 minutes and 33 seconds.
“I love challenges and adventure,” he said. “And I love competing and winning inaugural races. I think today’s event is one of the ultimate challenges. It was definitely brutal.”
Marr, who is Hawaii’s top professional triathlete, also won the inaugural Sea to Stars in 2004. Marr said winning that race ignited his passion for endurance challenges.
Second to crest the volcano in a time of 4:43:31 was Brust, who is one of the state’s top cyclists and a seven-time winner of the Dick Evans Memorial Road Race. Just under two minutes back was Morales in third with a stellar time of 4:45:19.
The women’s race turned out equally exciting between Kailua-Kona’s Kym Kiser and myself. Kiser, who has become one of the stronger female cyclists on the island, rode with me until mile 9 of Waikoloa Drive. From there, I decided to push the pace and took the lead for the next 34 miles until the base of Mauna Loa.
Once on the single-lane switchback road leading up to the summit, Kiser had caught back up and we began the punishing 17-mile climb together. As the elevation crept higher and higher, the suffering began as leg cramps forced me to slow to a snail’s pace or risk not being able to finish the climb.
Kiser took the lead, but with the encouragement of my husband I remained optimistic that the cramping would subside.
With 2 miles to go to the 11,200-foot finish line, leg cramps hit Kiser — placing me back in the lead to finish as the first female in a time of 5:27:59. Kiser was next to cross the line in 5:41:53 with Waimea’s Sylvia Ravaglia rounding out the women’s top three with her time of 6:09:38.
Other notable mentions go to 15-year-old Malik Mariano, who was the youngest to conquer the volcano in 6:51:48, and 16-year-old Chris Prater who finished in 7:00:36.
In the shorter 40-mile course that ended at the base of Mauna Loa, Kona’s Adam Ankrum saw no competition as he took the overall title in a swift 3:58:05. In a distant second place was Dean Beldwin in 4:31:16, with Garry Swan in third at 4:33:31. Jean Oriowski was the only female in the race and finished with a great time of 4:46:55.
It certainly turned out to be an exciting and epic day of racing for everyone who took on the grueling challenge. Perseverance reigned supreme as suffering seemed to be the theme of the day — reminding us all that anything can happen in a race of such magnitude, and nothing is over until you reach the finish line.