As the longest running hill climb event on the island, the prestigious Pedal Till Ya Puke, Run Till Ya Ralph race is considered to be a true testament of courage, strength, and mental tenacity.
For the last 26 years, cyclists and runners from near and far have gathered at the bottom of Kaloko Drive to take on this personal challenge of ascending 3,000 feet in elevation over 6.5-miles, with several sections showcasing a punishing 20- percent grade.
The scene at the top of the climb is always the same: cyclists and runners in agony, bent over and gasping for air, holding back urges to dispel that morning’s breakfast – hence the fitting name for this race.
According to event organizer, Sean “Peaman” Pagett, years ago there used to be a cycling and running club that would host the climbs. The Big Island Cycling Club organized the cycling race while the West Hawaii Road Runners Club put on the running event.
“When both clubs dissolved, we decided to combine it into one (race.),” Peaman said. “In the beginning we just had the Pedal Till Ya Puke race. Then there was a guy who lived at the bottom (of Kaloko Drive) who wanted to run it so we made a run division.”
The first event under Peaman’s organization was held on April 14, 1991. That year Jeff Castro won the road bike race in 43 minutes and 11 seconds, while Dano Savich and Alice Trumbly were the male and female winners in the mountain bike division with their times of 48:21 and 1:02:15. Pete Crackell – that guy who lived at the bottom of Kaloko Drive – won the run event in 1:27:44.
Peaman decided to move the event to August the following year to pay homage to the annual Le Tour de France that is traditionally held in July.
“My whole inspiration and motivation for putting it on was all because I loved Nick Rott,” Peaman said. “Nick loved the Tour de France, he loved riding hills, and this climb was our version of that. This is where I saw Nick the happiest. We even tried to make it very ‘French-like’ by having foods like croissants and baguettes at the top for everyone. He did it for several years before he passed.”
Rott, who was a well-known cyclist in the State and co-owner of the former B&L Bike &Sports shop with his wife, Gerry, was struck by a car and killed while on a training ride in 1994.
Peaman said that for the first couple of years, the turnout was huge and very competitive among the top cyclists in the State such as Mike French, Kenny Gross, and Garuda McCarthy.
In more recent years, it is Keauhou’s Penn Henderson who has set the bar high. Not only does Henderson hold the most wins – four titles in the road bike division – he is also the only individual to go under the 40-minute mark and also owns the current course record with his time of 38:08 set in 2012.
On the women’s side, Susan Dell holds the 2007 women’s course record with her time of 45:15.
Yet as more people got hooked with the triathlon bug, Peaman said there were fewer athletes doing the bike race and more who turned out for the run. One glance at the record page is certainly a Who’s Who of Big Island running.
Kamuela’s legendary Hall of Fame runner, Karl Honma, is the most prominent name that stands out. Honma is a 10-time Run Till Ya Ralph Champion and still owns the current course record of 52:13 that he set in 1999.
Other names on the men’s winning list include Peaman (1994, 56:55), Anders Samuelson (2008, 58:21) – son of 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in the women’s marathon, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Jason Braswell (2012, 59:01), Chris Gregory (2013, 53:33), Volcano’s Billy Barnett (2014, 56:04), and of course, teen speedster Cody Ranfranz (2015, 1:01:58).
Retired pro triathlete and two-time champion, Bree Wee, continues to hold the 2007 women’s record of 56:26. Other notables include another retired Kona pro triathlete, Tina Walter (2005, 1:00:33), Rachael Graybill (1999, 1:04:12), and myself, an 8-time winner with my best time being 59:46 in 2008.
On Sunday, participants were greeted with warm and sunny skies.
Finishing first in the race to the top on two wheels and claiming the coveted King of the Mountain title was the previous day’s Sea To Stars winner, Oahu’s Ray Brust. Brust crossed the finish line with a fabulous time of 47:51.
Holualoa’s Adam Ankrum was next with his time of 51:05, and rounding out the men’s top three was Kona’s Don Baldassari, who also completed the previous day’s Sea To Stars race, finishing the climb with his time of 52:27.
For the first time since 2011, no females participated in the bike race. However, not too far behind the lead cyclists was the Run Till Ya Ralph defending champion, Cody Ranfranz.
The 16-year old senior at Konawaena High School proved that his near month stay at a high altitude training camp in Colorado over the summer paid off as he eclipsed his previous year’s time of 1:01:58 with a new PR of 57:37.
The second runner to the top was Bree Wee, who like Brust and Baldassari decided to make it a weekend of hill climb events, winning her third women’s Run Till Ya Ralph crown with her time of 1:05:35.
In the newly created hill climb duathlon called the Howerton Hurl – featuring a 3-mile ride followed by a 3.5-mile run, John Howerton finished in a time of 1:01:40.
Son and mother duo, Alec and Laura Ankrum, dominated the 3.5-mile Papa Pea Plod with their times of 41:02 and 43:26 respectively. Alec’s younger brother, Aiden, easily won the Mad Dog Mile in a swift 7:14, and Layla Gagnon took the women’s division with her time of 9:53.
As for the prestigious Kaloko hill climb race, Peaman says that it’s special for many reasons and that it can often be compared to life.
“Sometimes life can be an uphill battle. It’s about strength, having heart, and enduring the challenges that come along – like life. But the best part is at the end of the day, or when you reach the top of the climb, no matter how fast or slow, you end up feeling like a winner.”
