Race Day

It's hard to imagine what running beside 20,000 people feels like until you are literally IN a sea of runners, the size of a small city. Maybe it was the fact that this was our first marathon, not just a half marathon, that the enormity of it all seemed more profound, or that Honolulu 'felt' smaller than San Francisco. Either way, our bodies and will power were tested and pushed to the limits on this rainy Sunday as we overcame challenges large and small.

The 26-mile extravaganza had 20,302 people who started the race this year. And 20,058 of them finished. 60% of the participants were from Japan. A little more than an hour into the race along the midpoint at mile 14, a group of elite runners flew by on a whisper, barely making a sound as their shoes slapped the slick pavement.
Few supporters were out at that hour, and an army of volunteers waited with cups and sponges and medical supplies, while the rain pelted.

The top five male runners finished the marathon in under 2 hours and 30 minutes during the 26th annual event. Patrick Ivuti, of Kenya, finished first at 2:14:35.

The first female runner to finish was Kiyoko Shimahara, of Tokyo, at 2:32:36.

But the Honolulu Marathon, also known as the people's marathon, is not just about the elite runners. It's also about regular folks on personal quests.

Like Gladys Burrill, 90, a great-grandmother. She was on a record pace for her 90-94 age group through 24 miles, but became ill. Medical personnel advised her not to finish but when she felt better she went to the finish line to greet friends, family members and congratulate finishers. She dedicated her race to her husband of 69 years, who died just three days ago.

Or Darlene Heck, 70, of Haleiwa. She was aiming for a 6 hour finish and ran on pace with Clay and I probably the first 4 miles or so. During that time, we learned that she had successfully completed 18 previous marathons and had survived leukemia just a few years back. This was her second time training with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team-In-Training group and surprised even herself by raising over six thousand dollars for cancer research and patient services. Needless to say, Clay and I were blown away by her spirit and determination. She was truly an inspiration.

This people's marathon is one of the few in the country that does not close the course until every runner who is willing and able finishes the course. That means 90-year-old Gladys could have taken 16 hours if she needed it to finish and they would have let her. By comparison, in San Francisco, they close the course after 6 hours.

The start got off with a bang. Literally. A fireworks show and a the shot of Howitzer signified the official 'gun time' start. Clay and I were so far back in the crowd, we took 15 additional minutes to cross the start line after the gun went off. And, it was raining...which actually was a good thing.

It keep the race cool until around 8am when the clouds started to part....

As we were schlepping up Diamond Head around Mile 8, Patrick Ivuti, the first place finisher was blowing down the hill at 2:06:15 minutes on his Mile 24+.

All along the race course, supporters with bullhorns, signs, whistles and clackers spurred on the runners. Even when the rain pelted down they did so from under slickers and umbrellas. As the sun came out, their numbers grew.

Along the way, scores of characters could be seen traversing the course.

Couple other personal favorites that I couldn't get captured on camera were: 1) the guy doing the marathon in wooden japanese clogs or 'getta', 2) a guy doing the marathon barefoot, 3) a full guy in full leopard bodysuit including a lucha libra style full head mask and a j-pop blaring backpack, and 4) a guy in a full body chicken suit with not 1, but 2 heads.

At Mile 15, Clay's long time friend Joe Monoco, met up with us and ran the Hawai'i Kai loop. Words of encouragement can be a powerful thing. And, Joe pumped us up with the right dose of kudos to keep us going.

At Mile 18, Joe's brother Kamu Monoco, joined us to run with us to the finish. We passed two bands along the route including this one just before Mile 22.

Clay's parents waited patiently as thousands passed at Mile 22. They arrived at 7:45am, a good 2.5+ hours BEFORE we came through with Kamu.

The last set of baby hills before the finish proved to be real challenges. Though the were hardly speed bumps compared to SF's hilly landscape, they were tough after the previous 24 miles. At the finish line at Kapi'olani Park, runners raised their arms over their heads as they crossed the finish line. Some had smiles. Some grimaces. And some even cried. Hideki Okajima of Boston Red Sox fame, pumps a peace sign upon his finish of 6:08 (gun time).Clay and I proudly finished together. Yes, hands raised to celebrate a triumphant moment.

Officially, our stats were as follows:
Clayton Katsuyoshi
Gun time: 6:12:09
Pace time (start to finish): 5:56:54
Category: Men's 30-34
Category Place: 791/1197 (66%)
Gender Place: 6742/10624 (63%)
Split 10k: 1:13:26
Split 21.1K: 2:59:10
Split 30K: 4:06:35
Split 40K: 5:34:48

Kimiko Nishikawa
Gun time: 6:12:09
Pace time (start to finish): 5:56:54
Category: Women's 30-34
Category Place: 820/1719 (47%)
Gender Place: 4285/9665 (44%)
Split 10k: 1:13:26
Split 21.1K: 2:59:10
Split 30K: 4:06:35
Split 40K: 5:34:48