Runnin’ With Rani: Majestical Mana Road

Tucked away in the midst of old cattle ranch lands near the picturesque town of Waimea, lies one of the island’s most scenic getaways for outdoor enthusiasts.

Mana Road, as it is known, is one of the oldest and most well-known dirt roads on the Big Island — a mixture of red dirt and hard-packed gravel stretching 43 miles along the base of Mauna Kea.

The historical road offers anyone seeking a scenic adventure, panoramic views of grazing cattle and varying wildlife as it cuts through open and lush ranch lands with beautiful Mauna Kea and Kohala Mountains serving as the backdrop. And making for an equally refreshing experience is the cooler climate often highlighted by a dramatic contrast of colors – blue skies, luxuriant verdure and red earth.

On Saturday, the Big Island Road Runner’s Club continued in tradition hosting the Mana 10s that featured a 10K and a 10-mile footrace. Participants were treated to a changing weather pattern of sunshine, light drizzle and overcast skies which made for perfect running conditions.

In the 10-mile race, Maui’s Matt Holton took control of the lead after the first mile and never looked back, winning his first Mana 10-Mile event in a great time of 59 minutes and 47 seconds. The 41-year-old Kula resident is a three-time Honolulu Marathon Kamaaina Men’s Champion and also a seven-time member on Team Hawaii that competes in the prestigious “Chase Race” of Oahu’s Hapalua Half Marathon.

“I came out today after seeing this event online and it looked like something fun,” Holton said. “I saw that Patrick (Stover) and Bree (Brown) had done it before and all the people I know from Hapalua. It was a challenging course, beautiful, and so the scenery made it kind of enjoyable, but going out on that uphill was pretty tough.

Holton said he ran with the front pack for the first mile before deciding to break away.

“I just put my head down, got into a rhythm, focused, and tried not to worry about anyone until the turnaround,” he said. “Then at the turnaround, I saw I had a decent gap, but I was still running scared as even with the down hills, it was hard to find a rhythm. But I was pretty happy with the results and pretty happy with being part of the community here.”

Last year’s champion, Patrick Stover, finished in second place at 1:01:46, and Rylie Cabalse crossed in third with his time of 1:04:01.

The women’s race was equally as exciting as it started out fast and furious with last year’s champion, Bree Brown, and runner-up, Noe Waller, setting a hard pace and then breaking away from the women’s group made up of Laura Ankrum and myself after Mile 2.

However, it would be Puna’s Amy Young, who methodically worked her way up to the front, slowly picking off the top female front runners one by one until she finally took the lead from Brown with less than a ½-mile to the finish line.

The 35-year-old high school science teacher at Hawaii Academy of Arts &Science Public Charter School claimed her first 10-Mile crown in a time of 1:10:35.

“I feel really good and I’m really stoked,” Young said after the race. “The goal was to just go out and have fun. I really love this race, the Marrack’s put it on and they are super great, and the proceeds go to the Sunrise Athletics and Big Island Road Runners Club.

“Also if you win, you get a bottle of wine which is the best prize. This place is gorgeous – I just love it. I didn’t really know if I was going to push myself or just cruise today. But then the weather was nice and I was feeling good, so I just went with the strategy of staying steady on the hills and then opened up on the way down.”

Young said that at last year’s event, her race strategy backfired as she pushed hard for the first 5 miles going uphill thinking she could just roll back down to the finish line. But this time, she decided to pace herself and embrace a skillset she teaches in her classroom.

“I was really trying to steady my breath and keep my breathing under control and keep my heart rate under control,” Young said. “And I’ve been practicing positive mindsets recently because your mindset and what you tell yourself plays a really big role in how you feel, how you do, and how you perform. Being a teacher I try to encourage my kids to approach their challenges with a positive mindset so today, I was trying to practice that skill and it worked out.”

Brown finished in second place in a great time of 1:11:00, with Waller in third at 1:11:23.

The 10K crown went to Kailua-Kona’s Cody Ranfranz in a blazing time of 39:30, with Alec Ankrum and Fred Werstler securing the next two spots in 40:26 and 48:17 respectively.

Laura Ankrum took gold in the women’s division with her time of 44:41, Leann Hamilton was next in 47:28, and rounding out the women’s top three was Jessie McCree in 50:21.

Coming Up

Saturday: Volunteers are needed to help clear a new section of trail for the upcoming XTERRA Hawaii Island event on Aug. 25. Please join and meet staff from Aloha Sports Kona at the overflow parking of Hapuna Beach State Park at 7 a.m. for a fun morning of trail building from 7-9 a.m.. An XTERRA course preview and training clinic will follow at 9 a.m. For more information email alohasportskona@gmail.com.

Sunday: Frozen Pea Productions presents the Brown Bear Bash and Sunny Sprint at Kaiakeakua Beach. Start time is 8:08 a.m. for the free 1/3-mile swim in Kailua Bay and 3.1-mile run on Alii Drive. A shorter LavaKids Pea Wee course of a 200-yard swim and 1-mile run/walk is available for everyone. No sign-ups, just sign-out when finished. For more info contact Peaman at 938-2296.