Mahalo for the Memories....

This past weekend I made my fifth trip to the Kona Marathon in Kona, Hawaii. Sure I was excited, but my excitement was no where near what I felt in 2008, the first year I went to Hawaii to run in a marathon. Including that maiden voyage to Kona, I have ran 7 marathons in Hawaii, so far I am undefeated in that state. In 2008 when making my original trip I had no clue that I would visit the islands so frequently, in fact I was certain that I was making my only trip to the Kona Marathon. Prior to deciding to run in the Kona Marathon that year I contacted several other runners to see what their thoughts were about the race. I was greeted with mixed reviews. Most of the complaints were focused on items the race directors could not control, such as the heat, wind, and humidity. Other runners told me not to waste my time with the Kona Marathon as according to them, "That race does not care about elite runners." Regardless of what negative opinions I was hearing I still wanted to experience the race for myself. My major draw to run the Kona Marathon was two-fold. I liked the challange of running on the Ironman Course and wanted to win one of the famous hats that winners are awarded.


$1,200 dollar truck bought in 2007.

In 2008 I was working fulltime on my fathers farm. Part of my responsibility was to make sure all of the bills got paid at the end of each month. Since I was going to be in Hawaii the last week of June, I paid these bills a week early. One of my stops was to Neal's Auto Parts store. This parts store was run by an older man, ironically named Neal, amazing how that works. Neal was a bit confused as to why I would be paying him early. I proudly explained that I was headed to Hawaii to run a marathon the following week. His response was, "Partner, I will make you a deal. You go to Hawaii, win that marathon, return with the newspaper, and I will erase your bill." Neal used the term Partner when addressing customers whose names he could not remember. I put the checkbook back into my pocket, shook his hand. We had an agreement.

Teaching Miles about farming.

That year I flew to Hawaii with trepidation. I was worried about how to handle the heat during the race. Once settled in my motel I had a chance encounter with Jim Lovell and Sharron Faff, two of the major cogs in the Kona Marathon organization wheel. I asked them tons of questions regarding the heat and the course. A year or two later Sharron admitted to me that she did not think I was a good runner. She stated that her first impression was of a farmer, who was wearing a dirty hat, and asking her a lot of questions. I guess that is not the stereotypical look of potential marathon winners. That years race went pretty well. I ran conservatively but was able to accomplish my goal of winning. Unfortunately that year the race failed to award winners the hat that I desired to win. The race directors stated the hats would be back for the 2009 race, that planted the seed of returning again. That seed was watered the morning after the race when a nice lady named Carol talked with me. She is a member of the Kunitake family, which are the founders of the Kona races. Carol makes the feather leis that adorn the hats. She told me, "I would like to see you win 5 straight Kona Marathons." Some pressure, but I told her I would try my best to achieve that goal for her.

I would be lying if I said I returned back to Michigan to a heros welcome. Farm work and finalizing my agreement with Neal awaited me. I took my newspaper into Neal's Auto Parts store and slapped it onto the counter. His eyes fluttered. He started back pedaling. Neal is one of the more respected people in the community, nobody ever took advantage of him. I was not trying to do that either, he is the one who opened his big yapper and offered up the deal. Finally after Neal nervously scratched out all the items on our bill, the deal was finalized. I had just won a nearly 800 dollar bet, but more importantly he now knows my name. No longer am I greeted as, Partner.

Frank Shorter, Melissa, Miles, Eddie-O and I at the 2010 awards.

In 2009, 2010, and 2011 I returned each summer to run, win the marathon, and see my Kona friends. These include Frank Shorter, the Kunitake Family, Eddie-O, Danny Jesser, Israel, and several others. Each year my wife and son were able to travel with me. That made the trips fun and exciting. In 2012 they stayed home and I nearly did too. I am certain Melissa would have won the marathon by no less than 15 minutes. Miles probably would have had fun experiencing all that Kona has to offer. It was selfish of me to travel such a long trip without my family. My main motivation was to win my 5th straight Kona Marathon for Carol, but that pales in comparison to the sadness of being away from home for a week.

The longer I was away from my family the lower my desire to run fast went. I woke up Sunday not feeling the strongest. I was homesick and struggling to sleep well at night while there. After talking with Jon Kunitake, the race founder, I was motivated to run whatever it takes to win, but not much more. I ran the first several miles with one of the strongest runners in the country, Gary Krugger. His creditials include running 61 marathons in a year, winning 14 marathons, and having a personal best of 2:38:02. He has truly turned what some people deem, awesome, into just an average race for him. I could not take him lightly. We ran roughly 4 miles together until I pulled away. My lead had grown to 90 seconds at the halfway point.



Getting informed I must win my 6th Marathon next year.

I barely expanded my lead prior to mile 20. The design of this course allowed me to see that Gary was not far behind at this point, so I acclerated for a few miles to seperate from him. Two hours, thirty seven minutes and fourteen seconds after starting the race I was able to break the finish line as a 5-time winner. Gary finished a few minutes later in 2nd place. Carol was happy for me fullfilling her goal. She is one of those nice, but pushy, older ladies. She stated to me, "Now that you have five in a row I want to see you get your sixth win next year." Some people like to keep the pressure on me.



My friend, Julia Deter, who ran her first marathon.

During the awards ceremony I paid tribute to my wife by wearing a pink Running Skirt. She likes to race in the Running Skirts, and as I stated earlier she was not at this race. My skirt drew lots of funny stares, looks, and comments, but nary a whistle. On the awards stage the presenter, Eddie-O, asked if I planned to return for try for a 6th straight title. I answered as honestly as possible. I stated, "I know Jim Lovell wants me back, Jon Kunitake wants me back, Kiyoshi from UCC Kona Coffee wants me back, but there are some people who do not want me to return. There were 385 runners in the marathon, so I can only assume the 384 people whom I beat do not want me to return." The crowd in front of the stage started yelling in support of me returning again in 2013. The support from my Hawaii friends might just be enough to get me back on the race course in 2013, only time will tell. Until then Mahalo to you all. Thanks for the memories and friendships. If I am fortunate enough to have a daughter I just might name her, Kona, as a way to always remember this marathon.