KAILUA-KONA — What began ten years ago as a simple gathering among a handful of Kahakai Elementary School teachers seeking camaraderie and fitness, has now blossomed into the school’s signature annual event known as the Rainbow Run.
Thursday’s 10th edition of the event certainly lived up to the hype — as more than 500 students ranging from grades Kindergarten to fifth took control of the big grassy field for a fast-paced, high-energy run to celebrate health, fitness, and multicultural unity.
Janet Hunter, who is more affectionately known as “Coach Hunter” and Kahakai Elementary School’s physical education and health teacher for the last 14-years, said ten years ago she saw the Color Run on the news and thought it was a great idea to get all the teachers at Kahakai together for some fun.
“So, I had as many teachers that could go, and we all did the Color Run down at the Old Airport,” Hunter said. “We had a blast! I immediately thought, if we had a blast, I know the kids at Kahakai would have a blast. I looked into it and I got ahold of a company called My School Color Run, and we started going with that 10 years ago. I since had to change the name from Color Run to Rainbow Run out of respect for the organization called Color Run. So, it’s named Rainbow Run as it represents the multicultural aspect of our school that shows we have various colors and various personalities.”
The Rainbow Run is a fitting name as Kahakai Elementary School is nestled within a diverse community and designated as a Title I school — a school that receives federal funds to support student academic achievement when the student population comes from families who meet low-income criteria. According to the Hawaii State Department of Education website for the 2023-24 school year, 58.18% of the students at Kahakai meet the eligibility criteria.
Nine-year old Kaimu La Plante could barely contain his excitement as he danced under the giant rainbow arch start line with his third-grade class.
“I just want to run already!” La Plante exclaimed. “I want to get sprayed with colors all over!”
After given the green light from Coach Hunter who counted down, “3, 2, 1…Go,” students charged out on the grassy field to navigate a semi-challenging course, maneuvering through sharp S-turns while dodging sprays of colored water by parent and student volunteers. Each grade level then huddled with their classes in the middle of the field for the “grand finale” of throwing handfuls of colored cornstarch into the air — clouds of rainbow swirls representing the many different cultures that make up Kahakai’s student body.
“That was the best!” beamed third-grade student, Kaileia Galdeira, who ended up covered head to toe in an array of colors. “I just love that we get to do this as a class and with our friends!”
The Rainbow Run isn’t merely about crossing the finish line — it’s about the shared student experience of overcoming obstacles, embracing diversity, and forging lasting friendships. It’s a reminder that despite our differences, we are all part of the same colorful spectrum.
Hunter felt appreciative to everyone who helped to make the 10th edition of the Kahakai’s Rainbow Run a success starting with staff, parent and student volunteers, to Joel Masunaga — the West Hawaii Complex Health and PE resource teacher, Principal Kori Takaki, and event sponsors Ironman, Pepsi and Hilo Products, Inc.
“The big takeaway for me is the multicultural aspect but at the very end they get together as a whole grade level and get to work as a team to throw in the air the colored cornstarch all at once,” Hunter said. “It brings so much joy to watch, as something so simple can bring kids so much joy. It also shows that exercise can be fun too.”