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Big Island International Marathon, 10.8 Mile, and 5K runs 2007  Record
numbers turned out for this years Big Island International Marathon
which was held in Hilo. Over 200 runners competed in the marathon
distance. There were two other runs that were held in conjunction with
this race. In the odd distance of 10.8 miles, 260 participated, and
over 200 took part in the 5K race walk.
The
night before, the skies were clear and starry, which was a good omen
for those that participated in last years rainy event. However, the
unpredictability of East Hawaii’s weather won out and there
was a
downpour in the middle of night, making for wet roads, and slightly
humid conditions.
It was a relatively
cool start at the community center in Pepeekeo. The course began along
the famous 4 mile scenic route on the beautiful Hamakua coastline. It
went past tropical foliage, and small streams. Continuing over some
hilly terrain it crisscrossed the main highway several times and made
its way past old coast houses with the occasional spectators out to
greet us, as we ran by. The leaders of the 10.8 mile run were well out
in front at this point.
Overall, the
first part of the marathon is net 500 ft. downhill, making for some
speedy times, but the short uphills would take their effect later on in
the race. We went past downtown Hilo and the 10.8 milers finished near
the beach park with all the canoes. The 5K runners and walkers had also
started their race and were finishing at the same location. So, plenty
of spectators were on hand to cheer us on.
The
last half of the marathon winds thru the airport area, along the beach
parks, and remained fairly flat. There are a lot of turns, and we run
along some of the more busy roads around the airport, but traffic
control and the volunteers were helpful. The stretch along the beach
parks is nice, but seems rather long because it is an out an back, and
it is at the end of the race.
I
had been leading the marathon up until the 8 mile point, where Jason
Thorpe of Hilo passed me up. And, at the half way point was followed
closely by Ken O’Donnell of Virginia, where we all went thru
at a
fairly decent time of 1:27 - 1:28. The sun tried to pop out several
times during the second half trying to heat things up, but never
remained out for very long. Therefore, the temperature remained
reasonable. Ken passed me up at mile 23, and we finished in that order,
having slowed down to 3:06, and 3:09. The first woman came in at 3:12
with an impressive 4
th overall finish. Yang Sun Carpenter, from Honolulu, who
is back in top running shape after a couple of years off.
The
very consistant, and former multiple time overall champion, Michael
Georgi from Honolulu, rounded out the top 5 with a strong 3:16, and was
this years masters champ, edging out Larry Lichnovsky from Texas and
Daniel Hodel from Kailua-Kona. The second place woman was Kate
Woodliff, who was visiting with Ken from Virginia. Not a bad vacation
for the pair, with two overall silver medals to show for it. She was
followed by third place Jonatha Giddens, the first female from the Big
Island. A new course record in the 10.8 mile run was set by Vancouver
triathlete Michael Simpson with a fast 58:42. The first woman came in
at 1:08:08. Dan Goltz was the overall winner in the 5K, coming in at
16:50.
A great job was done by Big Dog
Wayne Joseph, the Big Island Road Runners, and all of the volunteers.
Aid stations were well stocked with water and Gatorade, and the food
and massages at the finish were great. I especially enjoyed the home
made bread - guava, taro, and banana. Yum. I wasn’t able to
make the
awards ceremony as I had a flight back to Honolulu, but a thanks goes
out to David Ross, who placed 10
th overall, and picked up my plaque. It won’t be
long before he is receiving his own top awards.
Results
can be found on both the Big Island International Marathon and JLT
Timing’s websites. Also there was an article in the Hawaii
Tribune-Herald newspaper. Here are the links:
Last Updated: March 18, 2007 |
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