23/50 Hawaii Big Island International Marathon

Aloha Friends!

Who doesn't love a good come-from-behind victory? The Big Island International Marathon turned out to be that small race thousands of miles away and thousands of dollars spent (you're welcome Hawaii tourism industry) that provided me with my first marathon win.

This was our first trip to Hawaii so we planned to do it right with 10 days between the Big Island and Kauai - B&Bs, Kona coffee IVs, no tops on our rental cars (even in the rain), picturesque hikes and runs, and due to our utter lack of time to do much planning, we went holoholo. "Holoholo" is the Hawaiian word for traveling for fun without destination, leisurely gallivanting, taking in life's pleasures, joy riding, and having a good time.

Quintessential Hawaii rainbow photo - Mahaulepu Heritage Trail in Kauai

The Painted Church in Captain Hook, HI (Master of Puppets album cover?)

While waiting for The Wife's flight to arrive in Kona on the Big Island, I made friends with the locals at Kona Brewing Company (www.konabrewingco.com). We get some of their beers on the mainland but they have a smattering of brewery-only seasonal beers worth checking out. After a night in Kona, we drove north along the coast and down the Kahala Mountain Road, taking in the coastal scenery that soon carved through a mountain range dotted with cattle farms and great views of the snowcapped summits of Mauna Kea (one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observations) and Mauna Loa (the world's largest volcano). We stopped for lunch at Merriman's (www.merrimanshawaii.com/waimea) for the Hawaiian staple of pork saimin (their take on ramen) and fish tacos before making it to Hilo for the race expo and a luau for its participants. Note to anyone who runs this race: skip the luau.

I sampled every malasada (Portuguese donut) I could get my hands on.

Mauna Kea - Who knew Hawaii had snow? Note the observatories.

That brings us to race morning. It's a 6am start for what is historically a rainy and humid race, but not this year; the forecast called for a high of 80F and no rain. Correction, it was 27C - even Hawaii loathes the imperial system and for that reason (along with others, I'm sure) has been involved in a secessionist movement longer than any other state! With a field of about 200 runners starting 15 minutes before the half marathon, I was able to pick out the likely leaders. This is a game The Wife and I often play before a race. Even with a small field size, there is always a ringer looking for a marathon win (see my post on the Vermont marathon about a runner I run into often who holds the world record for most marathon wins). They, however, probably never expected their competition to come from a guy wearing only a pair of hot pink, women's shorts he just bought at the expo the night before.

And for that reason, we went out fast...

The first 16 miles of the course were rather hilly before the remainder flattened out. I knew that and I had a sensible plan going into the race but that all changed when The Ghost's disappearing act was becoming inevitable. Who is The Ghost you ask? I had that same question during and after the race. I was getting updates from the locals along the course about how far ahead Billy, The Ghost, was. When I finished, Billy was the only name on many lips, and I had several people congratulate me for just beating Billy. Billy Barnett happens to be a Big Island resident who is well-known in ultra running circles, not only for his nearly inhuman abilities on the running trails, but also his introduction to the world through his role in the book, Born to Run, known therein as Billy "Bonehead" Barnett. He later received the nickname "The Ghost" by winning the 2010 Big Island International Marathon and then disappearing before anyone could congratulate him.

If the first 6 miles were a challenge to keep up with Billy and one other runner, the miles that followed became downright depressing. I was well-trained (averaging 72 miles / week for 12 weeks and doing Crossfit two nights per week) and I had no psychosomatic injuries at the start line (this was a first). You would think I would have been faster having just shaved my one-and-a-half-year-old, 5+ inch beard. So why did I feel horrible? It's interesting how one's perspective changes when hope disappears and then reappears. I went into this race knowing I had a chance to win it, a chance that dissipated as I fell further behind with each mile until I could no longer see The Ghost. However, something incredible happened just as I was ready to give up at mile 23: I saw him and I was closing in on his 4-5 minute lead. At this point, I told myself it was still possible to win and that I didn't come here not to try. I took the lead just after mile 25 and held it to the finish. The photographs show an exhausted and slightly bewildered me while The Wife looked as if she had just won the race herself! Even she had written me off early and was floored that I pulled it off in the final stretch...she had just told Billy,  "you've got this, no problem"! You can see how my splits began to fade and then pick for the last few miles here: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/720570424

What did I win, you ask? Various products like BioAstin (www.itakebioastin.com) (this stuff appears to be all the rage in Hawaii and with endurance athletes but curiously is not approved by the FDA), Kona coffee, and gift certificates from various local businesses: the botanical gardens (www.worldbotanicalgardens.com), the local running store (owned by a Chicago guy!) (www.bigislandrunningcompany.com), and Hawaii's equivalent of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory (www.bigislandcandies.com/BIC). We were interviewed by the paper and decided to use the article as a means for announcing that we are expecting a son in August/September, our third child (three under the age of three) (http://westhawaiitoday.com/sports/local-sports/hilo-marathon-brunette-grabs-victory-out-thin-air). When the paper came out the next morning, our B&B brought it down for all the guests to see. The proprietor had joked when we checked in that I had better win the race so they could promote the B&B as a place that winners stay. Later at the beach, a woman recognized The Wife...and then me! 

The rather large photo and article that ran in the paper

There are two things you should take away from this post and our Hawaii visit: 1. Running, like everything else, really is an issue of mind over matter. With the right attitude, anything is possible. 2. Kona coffee is just coffee. It's good. But it does not, in any discernible way, justify the premium you'll pay for it. 

Getting lei'd at the awards ceremony