Sunday’s 12th annual Jingle Bell Beach Run will certainly go down as one of the most memorable days in the history of the event.
Oftentimes, races are remembered for record setting times and/or a record turnout in participants – both of which were possibilities – but neither happened on Sunday.
Heavy rain began early Saturday night and continued to pummel the entire island into the wee hours on race morning. In addition to the gloomy conditions, temperatures also dropped to a low 62 degrees that brought an unusual blanket of chill to the west side of the island.
To say the conditions were not ideal for the annual Christmas themed running event would be an understatement. It was downright ugly as the rain relentlessly roared on, and truth be told, no one – including the race organizing team – wanted to get out of their warm, cozy beds to set up the event site at 3:00 a.m.
However, there was never any doubt amongst the race staff that the event would happen. Somehow, someway, we decided to all hunker down and get things done.
Race organizers in Hilo get hit with bad weather all the time — like with the Hilo Marathon and this year’s Hilo Triathlon — when they actually had to cancel the swim portion of the event. But they braved through it and persevered, as it’s the one aspect of a race that you have absolutely no control over.
One by one, in the cold, rainy, pitch-black darkness, the volunteers appeared armed with raincoats, umbrellas, flashlights, and bright smiles – ready to go, ready to brave whatever may come their way.
As the event organizer, I was speechless. Having the volunteers show up truly felt like a ray of sunshine beamed through the stormy clouds and rumbles of thunder. Everyone knows that it is the volunteers who are the backbone to any successful event, and to have over fifty offering their help during a two-day period was simply mind-boggling.
The heavy rain continued and I cannot describe the herculean effort it took for the soaked volunteers to cone off the entire race course; set up the finish chute complete with flagging, delineators and overhead finish line banner; fill the refreshment area with 500 muffins and oat bars along with piping hot Starbucks coffee; and unload boxes after boxes of race T-shirts, hats, bib numbers, and over 100 award bags and prizes onto the registration tables.
And to all of the volunteers who signed up for traffic control along the race route, their toughness is pure admiration. Standing for two hours in miserable conditions and soggy shoes is not the way anyone wants to start off their Sunday morning. But they did it, and they did it with a smile.
Yes, it took a village of volunteers to kick off the 12th annual Jingle Bell Beach Run with a bang – and there are simply no words to express the gratitude I feel other than, thank you!
Out of a record 909 participants registered for this year’s event, 652 actually showed up to brave the ominous conditions and made their way down to the start line at Coconut Grove Marketplace dressed in their best holiday attire.
The rain and mud puddles didn’t seem to bother Pahoa’s Billy Barnett all that much as he blazed through the 3.1-mile course in a stellar time of 16 minutes and 51 seconds. The win marked Barnett’s first JBBR crown as he posted a few runner-up finishes in year’s past.
Portland’s Torrey Lindbo tried to keep it close with his second place finish in 17:21, with 2014 winner, Ziggy Bartholomy, rounding out the men’s top three with his time of 18:07.
In the women’s race, the drenched roads also didn’t seem to slow Canada’s Bridget Pyke as she claimed her third JBBR women’s crown in a time of 17:50. Pyke also owns the current women’s course record at 17:41 set in 2013.
Kona’s Bree Wee showed her holiday spirit wearing Christmas stockings and a green-striped tank to claim her fifth runner up women’s finish in a time of 19:18. And after a late decision to leave my two kids and double stroller at home with their Nana, I placed third in my first solo JBBR race at 19:26.
Eight-year old Brandon “Wild Man” Curry was the overall winner in the 1-Mile race, finishing with a blazing time of 7:52. And in the female division, Jaiden Basden easily defended the women’s crown with her time of 8:42.
A big Mahalo goes out to all of our volunteers, sponsors and race participants who helped to make the Jingle Bell Beach Run one to remember — and certainly one for the history books!
Mele Kalikimaka!