State Number 13 - Honolulu Marathon

State Number 13 – Honolulu Marathon, Honolulu, HI

 

14 December 2014

 

I’ve been fortunate in my life to have visited some remarkable places in this country and engaged in what many would call once in a lifetime experiences.  While I’ve enjoyed just about every place I’ve visited in one way or another, I found that most haven’t really captured or stuck with me in the same sense as Hawaii has.

I don’t believe anyone visiting Hawaii expects to have a bad time.  After all, it’s paradise complete with its natural beauty, magical atmosphere, perfect weather, beaches, ocean, and the numerous microclimates.  The endless spirit of aloha exhibited by the kamaʻaina is something that can’t be matched anywhere.

Overall, I’ve visited three of the seven islands that make up our 50th state, and there is always the infectious desire to return.  Granted Hawaii is tucked far and away from most places, but there is always some unknown force that attracts me and I’m always looking for some way to return and to learn as much about the islands and its early Polynesian history and culture as I can.

For me, instead of lying on a crowded beach; I’d much rather be zip lining; snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of the Pacific among the coral reefs and tropical fish; studying, watching and exploring the Kilauea volcano; traveling the back roads; hiking the rain forest or climbing some peak and enjoying the fabulous view with the refreshing trade winds blowing in my face. 

Let’s not forget that every snorkeling experience isn’t complete until one spots the state fish of Hawaii, the Humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa.  This remarkable, yet funny looking fish with a mouth resembling a pig’s snout is something to feast your eyes on when snorkeling in the waters off any of the islands.  If you listen close enough, you may even hear the fish make grunting sounds similar to that of a pig.

My very first trip to Hawaii was spent on the island of Oahu and doing all the touristy things (Pearl Harbor, Waikiki, circumnavigating the island, and the Polynesian Cultural Center, to name a few).  The magical force of the Honolulu Marathon once again brought us to Oahu.  This excursion was not considered a vacation, but only a quick weekend marathon trip instead.

The skies over southern California turned to a pounding and relentless rain during the very early morning hours of Friday 12 December as we left for our flight to Honolulu (HNL) out of LAX.  The persistent rain, darkness and vehicle spray, particularly from big rigs, made driving U.S. 101 southbound treacherous and difficult.  Some southland highways were closed due to mud and rock slides affected by the recent SoCal wildfires.

The car radio was tuned to AM 640 KFI and our focus was directed to the continuous weather reports and updates about current highway conditions.  The approaching storm was considered a big event and acquired the media’s attention.  As long as the traffic reporter did not indicate any delays or closures on U.S. 101 or I-405, we were in the clear.

The heaviest rain had ended and turned to a steady, but light rain as we made our way down the Ventura Freeway through Calabasas and it became apparent that the weather front hadn’t yet pushed its way into the Los Angeles basin.  I felt somewhat relieved that we were going to make it to LAX in time to catch our flight.

As far as I know, most flights to the Hawaiian Islands include the “half-way to Hawaii” game which passengers are given the destination distance, air speed, wind velocity, time of wheels up, and wind vector.  The person with the closest time to exact half-way point wins a prize – usually a bottle of champagne or an island gift basket.

In the time leading up to our 5.5-hour flight, I calculated the exact half-way distance between LAX and HNL using spherical trigonometry.  All that was needed was the speed information.   Unfortunately, my time was close, but wasn’t the closest.  Computing the precise time without a computer accounting for the variable wind vectors and wind speeds is difficult at best.  The winning time was from some other passenger who offered nothing but a guess.  Too bad for me, but lucky for him/her.

The long Allegiant Air flight culminated at HNL.  The weather in Hawaii was a far cry from the ugly weather we happily left behind in California.  It was a beautiful day with warm tropical sunshine in Honolulu with the typical cloud cover shrouding the Koʻolau Mountains to the north.

We hailed a taxi outside the airport for the ten-mile ride to the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort adjacent to the Pink Palace of the Pacific officially known as the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.  I seriously believe that the driver calculatedly took the long way to Kalakaua Avenue for the additional fare.  The driver did, however, offer us her card specifying a flat rate of $35 for our return trip to the airport.

While in the taxi minivan, I kept hearing faint beeps which I ultimately found were emanating from my backpack.  All my gadgets and things, must have bumped the power button causing my Garmin to power up.  One serious question remained, would there be enough battery life to last me through the marathon?  I did not pack my charger.

The oceanfront resort is home to the famous Duke’s Waikiki known for its tiki vibe, good food and umbrella drinks.  The open air establishment overlooking the beachfront allows the small city dwelling zebra doves (Geopelia striata) to wander around the restaurant floor rummaging for food morsels while creating nuisances for both patrons and restaurant staff.  They were pretty much unfazed with all the human activity, but if they felt threatened, patrons ducked as they flew over their heads and tables to a safer place.

The Outrigger is in the heart of Waikiki less than one mile from the marathon finish area in Kapiolani Park near the Honolulu Zoo at the foot of Diamond Head crater and nearly a two-mile walk to the starting corrals near the Ala Moana Beach Park.

The Hawaii Convention Center adjacent to the Ala Wai Promenade hosts the annual marathon expo.  The convention center consists of a beautiful glass design with roof-top gardens.  The interior incorporates historical Hawaiian quilt designs and nature based motifs throughout.

Although the expo was just a short one-mile walk from the hotel, we decided to catch the free expo shuttle at Waikiki’s Duke Kahanamoku statue in an effort to rest our legs and to escape the tropical heat and humidity (yes, I did wave to the statue’s web cam).  With all the stops the shuttle bus made combined with the traffic congestion, it would have been quicker to walk.  Oh well, it was an enjoyable little sight-seeing tour of Waikiki – and we found that out that the driver hailed from a city not far from our hometown.

Duke is always holding leis

The title sponsor of the marathon is Japan Airlines (JAL).  The expo was small given the stature of the marathon and the spaciousness of the center’s Kamehameha Hall and I didn’t think it was up to par for such a large race.  Most of the vendors seemed to cater to the very large contingent of Japanese runners who use this marathon as a destination event.  All-in-all, I thought I was in Tokyo.  Instead of hitching a ride on the shuttle bus, we decided to brave the elements and walk back to the hotel.

Our hotel room had a partial views of the ocean, the Pink Palace, the International Marketplace and all the commotion of Kalakaua Avenue, but only from the balcony.

The weather forecast for the weekend called for increasing cloudiness Saturday afternoon with a weather front moving across the island chain on Marathon Sunday.  A high probability of rain and strong winds on the windward side of the island was forecast beginning early Sunday morning.  Hearing that, I wasn’t too disappointed.  I would much rather run in the rain and wind than in the tropical sun and high humidity.  Yes, the discomfort of the nasty weather is well worth the effort.

The $64,000 question was, “What was for dinner?”  By not having any kind of personal motorized transportation, our options were limited to where we could venture out.  Just up Kalakaua Avenue was the Royal Hawaiian Center in front of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.  The upscale four-tiered open-air shopping mall alive with a tranquil setting of water fountains, beautiful native plant gardens, fine dining, surf shops, boutiques, jewelry and everything else conceivable to the mind.

Afterwards, it was across the street to the International Marketplace to browse through the maze of open-air souvenir stands and kiosks and Polynesian pop-era opulence.  As one walks in, the history and culture of the Hawaiian people is evident and are woven throughout the architecture with its flowing water features, lush landscaping under the canopy of the iconic and renowned banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) more than a century old.  With some good negotiating skills, great deals on merchandise may be had.

Saturday was considered beach day.  The pool and spa area were basically on the beach only separated by a railing.  Duke’s was contiguous to the pool area with many beach goers ordering tropical drinks.  Since I’m not a beach going person, I was content with people watching right from the chaise lounge chair near the pool.

As lunch time approached, it was off to the King’s Village, just a short walk from the hotel.  This unique village depicts how Honolulu may have looked at the turn of the century.  Right in front of the village’s entrance stands the Rock Island Café, once featured on the Food Network, where an Elvis Presley statue greets guests as the enter the café, thank you very much.  The 50s themed décor is dominated with Elvis and Marilyn Monroe memorabilia.  Other collectibles include Betty Boop dolls and caricatures, Coca Cola products and old porcelain advertising signs, among other items.  The first thing that caught my eye on the menu board was a Porky Pig’s Kailua pulled pork sandwich.

After a stroll around the village and a visit to one of the hundreds of ABC Stores so I could peruse the Aloha shirts, clouds were developing over Oahu in advance of the anticipated Sunday’s weather front.

We hit the sack early Saturday evening as the marathon start time was 0500 hours.  We left the room around 0400 for the nearly two-mile walk to the start.  We could have boarded a shuttle bus between the hours of 0200 and 0400 from the zoo, but from where we stayed, that would have been a futile effort and taken too much time.

It began to rain lightly as we were walking.  It was undeniably warm and humid in the pre-dawn hours, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from having a good time.

Nearly 22,000 runners congregated on Ala Moana Boulevard in front of the Ala Moana Center.  The energy was building as start time loomed.  The foremost feature of the Honolulu Marathon is that the course is open as long as there is a runner on the course – no matter how long he/she may take to finish.

I turned on my Garmin Forerunner 205 and lucky for me I had enough battery life to last for the duration of the marathon.  Unfortunately, the watch was having trouble gathering satellite information, so I just had to wait. 

This marathon was by far the biggest I have ever participated in and I was excited to get this event underway.  It was something else being lumped in with the thousands of runners.

At last, the marathon began under an amazing display of fireworks exploding in the dark sky.  My Garmin was still unable to locate adequate satellite coverage at first, but managed to begin working about one-half mile into the race.

With all the congestion within the first mile or so, I had to be especially cognizant of the other runners and not clip someone’s heel or trip someone.  My pace was rather slow until the hoard of runners thinned out.



It all begins here!

Runners headed off through the Chinatown district before circling back toward downtown Honolulu near Marathon Mile 2 at Iolani Palace, the King Kamehameha Statue, and City Hall, while being cheered-on by a non-traditionally attired Santa Claus displaying the traditional Hawaiian shaka sign to all who passed by telling everyone to hang loose. 

Continuing through downtown, we later looped back around and returned to the place whence we came, our hotel, this time heading in the opposite direction along Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki’s version of the Las Vegas Strip, but with far less wattage, neon and candle power.

Runners began to thin out around Marathon Mile 6, at the entrance to Kapiolani Park.  Not long after, the ascent up Diamond Head Road began and it started to rain once again.  I opened up a dialog with a runner from Texas while climbing the gradient at a sustained pace of around 9:30 per mile while high-fiving spectators cheering and encouraging the runners making their way up the hill.  The conversation made the climb a little easier.  We discussed our careers, marathons and life in general for the next seven miles before he had to relax his pace because of the nasty weather.

The course narrowed down to one lane on Diamond Head Road, making it apparently difficult for runners who prefer to charge up hills rather than hang back to conserve energy.  The congestion cleared a bit upon reaching the summit as the roads opened up, and as daylight began to break, we rounded Diamond Head and entered the affluent community of Kāhala where we faced our second ascent at Marathon Mile 9.

This was at a point when runners were faced a stiff sustained head wind, and, when combined with the driving rain, running became somewhat of an uncomfortable task.  I wasn’t complaining though as it was a way to keep my body temperature in check.

The course wrapped around through the neighborhoods of Kāhala and by the Kāhala Mall before merging onto the Kalanianaole Highway at Marathon Mile 11.  We bucked the strong headwinds and driving rain for the next four miles and turning onto Hawaii Kai Drive in the community of Hawaii Kai circling the Hawaii Kai Marina while munching on assorted fresh fruits given out by kind residents who live on the street.

The flat sections of Hawaii Kai Drive afforded runners views of Koko Crater as we approached Keahole Street and back around to Maunalua Bay Beach Park and returned to the Kalanianaole Highway heading back toward Waikiki, which I considered a turning point in the marathon.  Now that runners were heading west back to Waikiki, the fierce headwinds we experienced were now a welcomed tailwind.  I felt for the runners behind me who were bucking the same winds I was just a half-hour before.

I felt my pace pick up considerably with the much applauded tailwind and was substantial enough to propel me faster than I would normally would.  The only downside of the return trip on the Kalanianaole Highway were the myriad of puddles on the pavement left by the relentless rain.  At times, I was running on the sidewalk just to avoid all the annoying puddles.

The rain continued all the way until around Marathon Mile 22 near the Waialae Country Club as runners veered off the Kalanianaole Highway onto Kealaolu Avenue in Kāhala.  The wind and clouds began to break and the temperatures began to slowly rise as the sun peered through the cloud breaks.  The wind-aided run for the last few miles was enough to get me through the dreaded 20-mile mark without much incident.  With that in mind, I only had around five to six kilometers of pain instead of ten kilometers.

After two miles of flat terrain in the pricy neighborhood of Kāhala, we began the final ascent of the course just before we began to retrace our steps onto Diamond Head Road, giving us one last spectacular view of the Pacific and the Diamond Head Lighthouse.  I began to slow down and walked a great deal of the ascent.  Endurance wise, I was feeling quite good, but the increased temperatures and humidity began to ravage my energy level.  

Near Black Point Road on Kūpikipiki ̒o Point, I saw a woman standing on her lanai proudly waving a Finnish flag.  I yelled out to her, “Rakastan Suomea – Sisu!”  She actually acknowledged and smiled at me.  I couldn’t quite hear what she said, but at least she understood my Finnish.

The peak of the course came just before Marathon Mile 25 then it was all downhill as we returned back into Kapiolani Park and the finish line, which I had a clear view of coming off the hill.  The sun was shining and the skies were turning blue once again as I neared the finish line.

The eternal final half mile was difficult for me.  I saw the finish line banner, but it was so far away coming down the homestretch on Kalakaua Avenue.  I followed a young girl running her first marathon who was extremely fatigued and wanted to stop, but her dad kept encouraging her to keep at it.  I knew what she was going through and I found enough energy to overtake her.  I finished 5785 out of 21,815 runners with a time of 4:57:33 for an 11:21 per mile pace.

Age graded score: 46.69%

Age graded time: 4:31:40

 

Shell leis awaited each runner after finishing one of the largest U.S. marathons.  A rather daunting walk from the finish line to the festivities at the park awaited runners as they crossed.  I guess it is a way to cool down from the long and strenuous run, but I really didn’t need a long walk.  I just wanted to sit down, relax with a cold beer and a slice of pizza.

Naturally, the finish line area was chock full of runners.  Instead of receiving your finisher’s medal at the finish line, one has to first find the finisher’s tent and wait in line before receiving your medal and finisher’s shirt.

I was disappointed in the shirt design.  Usually made of a polyester or a blend of fabrics, event shirts can be used for running that also wicks away moisture.  I’m not sure about this event’s standard shirt, but this year’s design was a cotton shirt that I can only use for running around in.

I was also disappointed in the small-sized medal considering this is a popular, large and expensive marathon.  A little more bling would have been nice, and it looked as if the medals and ribbons were recycled from years past. 

Malasadas, Hawaiian doughnuts, were being cooked and served at one of the kitchen tents.  They were going as faster than staff was able to cook them.  As I waited my turn, many of the Japanese runners were cutting into line causing some terse words from other runners.  They didn’t pay attention to the displeasure of others in line, so I moved ahead and cut in front of them.  I wasn’t going to be polite and wait my turn – it would have never come otherwise.  It was utter chaos and, in essence, a free-for-all.  I thought the Japanese were taught etiquette and manners.  None of that turmoil would be found if I was in charge of the kitchen.  I don’t know if the disorder was worth it, but those hot doughnuts were delicious.

The walk back to the hotel wasn’t as tough as I had imagined.  Sure, I was a little stiff, but felt pretty good.  The numerous runners proliferating up and down Kalakaua Avenue along Waikiki’s strand seemed to cause traffic problems as they slowly crossed the road.  Some were in noticeable pain as demonstrated by the marathon shuffle’s slow gait while others enjoyed themselves as if they had never run 26.2 miles.

We arrived back to the room to remove the wet stinky running gear, take a hot shower and have some lunch.  One problem with Hawaii – wet clothes do not dry very well in the state’s humid climate.

Teddy’s Burgers on Kapahulu Avenue inside the Waikiki Grand Hotel was our lunch destination, across the street from the zoo.  The burger joint is a cool 50s-style décor diner popular with tourists and locals alike.  Although I wanted to sample some of the contemporary soul cuisine of Hawaii, the loco moco (i.e., rice covered with fried Spam, fried eggs and gravy), I spared my wife of the dish and ordered a Kailua pig burger instead.  On a side note, I once ordered a loco moco from an eatery while traveling through Hilo on the Big Island, so I know how delicious they are.

As we finished with our meals, runners were still finishing the marathon.  I had imagined that the marathon would last into the night.  I was right, the last place finisher jogged in just over 14 hours after the start.

We closed out our final day with dinner at Duke’s while dodging those annoying doves inside the restaurant and finishing with some spa time to relax our muscles from a hard day’s work.  It began to rain lightly while we were in the spa, but I didn’t mind, and neither did the beachgoers and surfers.  I just had to get out and move our shoes and towels out of the rain.

We were early risers Monday morning for our flight back to LAX.  My wife called the taxi driver who drove us from the airport to arrange for a pick up time.  She was punctual and honored the $35 flat fare to HNL.  This time she took the quickest and more direct route.  Makes me wonder.

The Honolulu Marathon is popular for its exotic location in Hawaii and is a huge attraction for first timers from all over the world, especially Japan.  The average completion time for the 2014 marathon was 6:04:40 with a standard deviation of 1:33:53 and a median time of 5:52:01.  I know of no other marathon finisher who could celebrate 21,815^th place with a finishing time of 14:21:16.  I can only imagine if that person celebrated with as much joy and enthusiasm as the 2:15:35 winner from Kenya.

I was pleased to run this marathon.  Just about everyone who runs Honolulu can see the aloha spirit demonstrated by the organizers, volunteers and spectators no matter if they are from the United States, Japan or any other country.  Nearly everyone was hanging loose and enjoying the kindred aloha spirit, even if it was raining and windy for a part of the day.  Aloha!

Mahalo nui loa, Honolulu.  Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou.  I ke kapuaʻi o ke kūkini.