My only wish for Sunday’s Big Island International Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K running events was that it wouldn’t rain. ADVERTISING My only wish for Sunday’s Big Island International Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K running events was that it wouldn’t
My only wish for Sunday’s Big Island International Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K running events was that it wouldn’t rain.
It would be the first time for me in nearly ten years making the cross-island trip to participate in this nostalgic event and this time, I had my husband and two young sons in tow.
Now let me say, packing for any race in Hilo is never easy. Living on the drier leeward side of the island, we typically have a 90-percent chance of sunshine any day of the year. But when it comes to racing in Hilo, the mantra is always the same; “It wouldn’t be Hilo if it didn’t rain.”
One might have guessed just by looking at our family-sized suitcase that we were preparing for a hurricane. Sweatshirts, rain jackets, several pairs of long pants, and who knows how many pairs of socks, outnumbered the scant few shorts and tank tops that we brought just in case there were a few rays of sunshine. Yes, we went prepared and for good reasons.
As I drove over the new Saddle Road, enjoying views of a snow-powdered Mauna Loa, I thought of all the soggy races that I have done in Hilo -starting with some of the most recent.
The swim portion of last year’s Hilo Triathlon was canceled due to stormy weather that made for some unfavorable conditions. But that still was nothing compared to the inaugural race in 2014.
That year I remembered watching in awe as large swells crashed onto the shoreline saturated with heavy fog and rain that completely erased the turnaround swim buoys from sight. Believe me, no one wanted to get in the water. But the race went on and it ended up being one of the most memorable races of my life.
And then there was the Hilo 10.8-mile race in 2006. It poured so hard the night before the race and into the wee hours of the morning that when I peeked out from my hotel window, the entire parking lot was flooded with water deep enough to cover your shoes.
Back then there was no Hilo Half Marathon. The popular Hilo 10.8-mile race was part of the trio of events that included the Hilo Marathon and 5K, and the race courses were a lot different too.
Participants in the marathon and 10.8-mile races were bused out approximately ten miles to the quaint town of Pepeekeo. Those first ten miles were considered by many to be one of the most scenic routes on the island, as runners, joggers, and walkers ran along the coastline until reaching Hilo Bayfront. While the marathoners continued on, Hilo Bayfront marked the finish line for the 10.8-mile.
The morning of the 2006 race I remembered sitting on the bus watching flashes of lightening and thunder roaring through a downpour of rain. As race organizer, Wayne “Big Dog” Joseph boarded the bus, I thought for sure he was going to announce the cancellation of the race.
“The race is still on,” Joseph said with a bright, wide smile. “This is Hilo, it’s just a little rain.”
Yes, the race went on and we all certainly earned bragging rights for day. This got me to thinking about the history of the event, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, and wondered if anyone knew what year Joseph decided to replace the 10.8-mile race with a half marathon.
“That I wouldn’t be able to tell you,” said Bob Wedeman, race director of the Big Island International Marathon running events. “This is only my fourth year as race director so I wouldn’t know that far back. Wayne passed away in 2013 and that was the year I took over.”
Inquiries to other long-time runners, including Wedeman’s brother Joe Wedemann, who is president of BIIM, all had the same answer; “Hmm…I’m not sure.”
I knew that if anyone would know, it would be Wayne “Big Dog” Joseph who served as race director for BIIM from the beginning until he passed from cancer in 2013. And sure enough, the answer was waiting for me right there on Joseph’s blog, Running with the Big Dog.
“The 12th running of the Big Island International Marathon is only six days away as runners, walkers and joggers prepare to participate in what is considered by many to be one of the most scenic routes during the first half of the course,” wrote Joseph in his blog dated March 16, 2009.
“This year the BIIM has measured out a (new) 13.1-mile or half-marathon course to go along with their showcased full marathon as well as a 3.1-mile walk/run.
So there you have it. According to Joseph’s blog, the half marathon was created in 2009, which satisfied my curiosity. Sunday’s race would be my first Hilo Half Marathon as the last time I participated in this event was in 2008, the last year for the Hilo 10.8-Miler.
History of the Hilo Marathon and Half Marathon
Established back in 1997, the Big Island International Marathon was the brainchild of businessmen George Miyashiro of Jack’s Tours and Roland Higashi of Creative Arts.
Both men were looking at ways to attract more Japanese tourists to Hilo and thought that a major fitness activity might be the answer.
The Japanese love challenges – and running a full 26.2-mile marathon provides a major milestone that rewards its self-disciplined participants with a sense of accomplishment.
Miyashiro and Higashi recruited the efforts of Karl Kunz and Big Dog to help establish a course and to set into motion the beginnings of what has become an evolving event.
Initially the BIIM was to host their event every October starting with the 1997 race, and along with the marathon there was to be an Ekiden Relay. But the numbers never materialized from Japan and the event never grew past a total of 200 runners during its first five years.
In 2002, the Ekiden was dropped and replaced with a 10.8-mile run and a 3.1-mile run/walk that saw the numbers of participants increase.
With this years race only days away the half-marathon has already established itself as the most popular distance, attracting 300 participants, with 240 in the marathon and another 200 in the 3.1-mile run/walk.”
The Races
It turned out to be an absolute gorgeous day for Sunday’s Big Island International Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K running events.
Excitement and sounds of Taiko drummers filled the air as Sunday for the events 20th anniversary.
“I was excited all year because it was the 20th year and it was my fourth year as race director,” Bob Wedeman said. “I take a lot of pride – this is my baby. You have to be respectful, being that it’s the 20th year. A lot of people were asking what the medal was going to be like, what the shirts going to be like, are you going to do respect to it? So a lot of thought went into the souvenir shirts and the Kokua Ohana shirts and the medals.”
As the marathoners charged out to conquer the 26.2-mile distance at 6 a.m., the Half Marathon race, which had the most participants at 288, began fifteen minutes later.
Laupahoehoe’s Alan Ryan, who recently won the Run For Hops 10K, said that he was a bit surprised to be in the lead from the beginning. Yet regardless of who showed, or who didn’t show, Ryan said he never wavered from his plan which was to run conservatively by holding a solid 6 minute and 30 second pace per mile, then run hard in the end.
“It makes you nervous because all of the pressure is on me to do something,” Ryan said of being in the lead. “But I still need to get training in for Boston so today’s race was very important for me to get in a good effort.”
The 46-year old who is training for his eighth showing at April’s Boston Marathon, said that once he got to the last turnaround, he knew there was no way that anyone would catch him.
“I wanted to push harder but I didn’t want to overdo it so it’s always a balancing game when you are training,” he said. “My goal was 1 hour and 25 minutes, but I did 1:23. I’m happy, but it hurt a lot. So I think for the effort and time, I think I’m where I’m at for a sub-three hour at Boston.”
Ryan won his first Hilo Half marathon in a time of 1:23:38. In a distant second place, I too, claimed my first Hilo Half Marathon victory in the women’s division in a time of 1:28:17.
Following Ryan in the men’s race were Florida’s Rick Brown and Pahoa’s Patrick Baker with their times of 1:33:36 and 1:37:36 respectively.
Rounding out the women’s podium spots were Volcano’s Marta Caproni in 1:33:39 and Holualoa’s Laura Ankrum in 1:39:43.
In the 26.2-mile trek for first, Kona’s Patrick Stover claimed his first Hilo Marathon victory in an amazing time of 2:55:16, while Canadian Barb Adams won the women’s division in 3:31:52
Stover said that it wasn’t until mile 19 that he was able to take the lead from veteran marathoner, Kengo Yoshimoto, of Honolulu.
“When we got to the roads at Keaukaha, I just started slowly realing him in,” Stover said. “Once I took the lead I just kept on going. The last few miles I started to pick up the pace. I was running 6:30’s, then dropped it down to 6:20’s, then at one point I surprised myself that I was running a 6:15 pace.
“I was just really happy that I was able to continue to tell my body to keep going and to hang in there. It got pretty tough – the last 5K was really mentally rough and I had to keep telling myself to keep moving. It felt like my body didn’t want to go anymore. I had to use every ounce of energy to keep moving forward.”
In the shorter 5K race for first, Quebec’s Francis Fournier won in a swift time of 17:29. Just 37-seconds back was Holualoa’s Alec Ankrum in a fabulous time of 18:06, with Hilo’s Kederang Udea in third at 19:46.
On the women’s side, Hilo’s Anna Baker Mikkelsen won with her time of 20:30. The next two spots went to Kona’s Jessie Krause in 21:30 and Hilo’s Phoebe Wyatt in 22:54.
Wedeman summed up the sunny morning to what he described as the highlight of BIIM’s 20th anniversary.
“For me, it’s about seeing everyone’s smiling faces when they cross the finish line. When I see someone come through and get a medal put around their chest, and then they come to me and say ‘thank you,’ then I know I did a good job when they do that. We try very hard to make everyone’s day a good day, and that’s important.”
