Ho, ho, ho!
Get ready — Santa Claus and his reindeers will be parading around Kona a few days early this year starting from a new hot spot, Coconut Grove Marketplace.
Sunday’s 10th Annual Jingle Bell Beach Run promises yet another fun, family-oriented event — a perfect opportunity to find your inner Santa and shimmy down Alii Drive amidst a sea of green and red holiday attire.
The best part? There is something for everyone that will certainly fire up one’s holiday spirit no matter what age or fitness level, guaranteeing a soul-warming experience for all.
What began 10 years ago as a simple “fun thing to do” in December has now blossomed into one of the “must-do” events on the Big Island.
The 5K run/walk is the heart of the race. The short 3.1-mile course meanders along nostalgic Alii Drive — a Scenic Byway — that have long been known as “The Royal Footsteps along the Kona Coast.” You just can’t beat the picturesque views of Kailua Bay, Kailua Village, and the lush green scenery along the coastline.
The popular 1-Mile footrace and Santa’s Keiki Dash for children 6 years and under are back again to encourage participation and offer something fun for the whole family.
But wait, there’s more. What’s a Christmas-themed event without having a competitive costume contest? Over the years, participants from near and far have donned their best Christmas outfits in hopes of being selected as one of the top three best costumes. It always brings out tons of laughter and smiles for those present to witness these inspiring creative ensembles.
Charity recipients of this year’s Special Recognition Award — a monetary award given to local nonprofit organizations will go to two deserving groups — The Friends of the Children of West Hawaii and the Konawaena Triathlon Club.
In years past, Special Recognition Award honorees included The Sarah Rosenberg Scholarship Fund, Special Olympics, West Hawaii American Cancer Society, PATH, Kona Aquatics, AdvoCats, Kids Matter, Peaman and Team Mango Events.
And for the swift-footed, $100 awards will once again be presented to male and female record setters. Last year, Thomas Vonach (16:12) and Bridgette Pyke (17:41) both set out on a blazing pace to establish records and add their names to a prestigious list of past winners.
As of today, Pyke is registered on the women’s start list along with last year’s runner up, Kona professional triathlete, Bree Wee (18:36), who recently finished in an impressive sixth place at her sixth Ironman race of the year just three weeks ago.
The men’s race seems to be wide open for a new victor. Volcano’s Billy Barnett, who is noted to be one of the fastest runners on the island, is the favorite. Barnett placed second last year in a time of 16:28. In addition, awards will be presented to the top three in each 10-year age categories.
With live announcing from the popular Eddie-O, amazing swag and generous raffle prizes donated by community sponsors, you can bet this weekend’s 10th Annual Jingle Bell Beach Run will be a memorable experience for all.
So bring your holiday spirit to the Coconut Grove Marketplace as the fun will begin at 7:30 a.m. sharp on Sunday. Online registration is still available today until 2 p.m. — $35 for the 5K and $10 for the 1-Mile.
Paper applications may be dropped off at tomorrow’s packet and bib number pickup happening at Big Island Running Company’s Alii Drive store location at Coconut Grove Marketplace from 9 a.m. tol 3 p.m. There will be no race day registration, and the Santa’s Keiki Dash featuring 100- and 200-yard races are free. For more information, visit www.kona5k.com.
Honolulu Marathon
The 42nd Honolulu Marathon kicked off Sunday with a bang — and some rain.
Brilliant fireworks signaled the start of the popular event, as more than 20,000 runners made their way through downtown Honolulu filled with cheering spectators and a festive display of Christmas lights, Christmas trees and oversized holiday sculptures. Shortly thereafter, rain showers and strong cross winds began to challenge participants before they made it to the first climb of Diamond Head hill.
From there, the weather worsened on the 26.2-mile course as runners headed east to Hawaii Kai into a blustering swirl of wind, rain and chill. Racers were forced into survival mode as the wrath of Mother Nature endured.
Finding comfort in numbers, four Big Islanders hunkered down together for the initial 16 miles averaging a 7-minute mile pace — Konawaena’s triathlon coach and special education teacher, David Wild, Volcano’s Lyman Perry, Sal Salmi of Kailua-Kona, and myself.
By mile 18, Wild took off like a “wild man” leaving the rest us to fend for ourselves. Yet, once on the way back toward the final climb up Diamond Head Hill, the harsh conditions eased up allowing for some dramatic finishing kicks.
Kenyans Wilson Chebet and Joyce Chepkirui were crowned the men’s and women’s overall winners. Chebet, in his Honolulu marathon debut, finished strong with an impressive time of 2 hours 15 minutes and 35 seconds, while Chepkirui, made history as being the first woman from Kenya to win with her time of 2:30:23.
The Big Island was represented well with Alan Ryan of Laupahoehoe leading the way with a stellar time of 2:55:11. Captain Cook’s Wild completed his first Honolulu Marathon in 3:01:28, followed by Perry in 3:03:14, and Salmi smiling his way to a great time of 3:05:20 to top the men’s competitive 60-64 age group.
Most impressive of the day was Kailua-Kona’s Michael DeCarli who shaved 20 minutes and 44 seconds off last year’s marathon PR to finish strong in 3:08:37.
On the ladies side, after a three-year sabbatical from competing in the 26.2-mile endurance test, a late decision to make the trip to Oahu worked out in my favor as I finished with my best marathon time of 3:06:09. This earned me the prestigious Kama’aina award title — given to the first local who is born and raised on the islands to cross the finish line.
Hailing from Kilauea was Mary Castelanelli who sprinted to the line for a 3:14:29 time. Brooke Myer’s consistency and dedication to her marathon-training program paid off well as she earned a personal best of 3:21:52. Hilo’s Nikka Takane and Sally Marrack finished within minutes of one another in 3:41:47 and 3:45:35 respectively.
And so another Honolulu Marathon went down in the record books — a day of soggy conditions, smiles, and the event’s famous finish line malasadas.
