Running News Daily

The Kaua‘i Marathon takes off on Sept. 3

The Kaua‘i Marathon and Half Marathon is back on Sept. 3, and deadline for online registration at www.thekauaimarathon.com is 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 30.

“This 14th Kaua‘i Marathon world-class event provides the perfect three-day adventure for residents and visitors to experience Kaua‘i’s aloha spirit,” said Jeff Sacchini, the Kaua‘i Marathon founder.

“Between the hundreds of volunteers who assist with race day duties to the Hawaiian blessing, Polynesian entertainment and cultural experiences along the course, The Kaua‘i Marathon and Half Marathon is a destination race to remember.”

The experience starts with the Wilcox Health Sports and Fitness Expo at the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort &Spa in Po‘ipu, where marathon participants pick up their race packets from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ahead of the Sunday run.

A sponsor reception rounds out Friday. The expo continues on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a Keiki Run starting at 9 a.m., and Family Fun Run chasing a very fast 6-foot chicken. The main races start Sunday morning at 6 a.m. at the front of Po‘ipu Shopping Village.

Traffic advisories, including various road closures, can be found in detail on the Kaua‘i Marathon website at www.kauaimarathon.com.

“We have some distinguished participants for this year’s marathon,” said Robin Jumper, the Kaua‘i event coordinator for The Kaua‘i Marathon. “Michael Wardian, a past champion and ultra runner from Delaware, will be doing the full marathon, and Tyler McCandless, a past champion and the spokesperson for the Kaua‘i Marathon Youth Running Program, will be doing the half marathon.”

Additionally, as COVID-19 conditions improve, at least two runners from Japan will be among this year’s Kaua‘i Marathon field.

Shinya Ohashi, who finished first in the 2018 version of the Kaua‘i Marathon with a run that stopped the clocks at 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 33 seconds, is from Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. He was the male winner of the Iwaki Sunshine Marathon 2023, which attracted runners from Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Thailand, Portugal and Vietnam in February.

Ohashi will be joined by Mirai Honma of Higashine City, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, who was the female winner at the Iwaki Sunshine Marathon.

Since the inaugural Kaua‘i Marathon and Half Marathon, the island has hosted 10,232 participants from the mainland, 1,342 international runners, 3,590 participants from the neighbor islands and 8,077 from Kaua‘i.

According to the County of Kaua‘i, the direct economic impact over 14 years has equated to nearly $40 million. The Kaua‘i Marathon has donated more than $160,000 to local charities and nonprofit entities.

(08/25/2023) Views: 399 ⚡AMP
by Dennis Fujimoto

Kaua‘i Marathon will go virtually

The 12th Annual Kaua‘i Marathon and Half Marathon, scheduled for Sept. 6, has been moved to virtual status, its name changed to Stride for Kaua‘i 2020, organizers said Tuesday.

“While our community and world face new challenges daily, we understand that there is a huge responsibility to the health and well-being of our participants, volunteers, staff, spectators, sponsors and island resources required to produce a safe race,” states the announcement from marathon organizers.

“We also realize that runners/walkers/skippers are in dire need of camaraderie, motivation and the aloha spirit, so we are announcing the shift to virtual with the help of professional runner Tyler McCandless, co-founder and CEO of Soul Focus Sports, JT Service and runner extraordinaire and virtual event host Bart Yasso.”

Details for the switch are simple — all registered participants for the 2020 Kaua‘i Marathon or Half Marathon will be contacted with the option to go virtual or defer their registration to the 2021 event.

“These last few months have brought many changes to all of our lives,” said Jeff and Liz Sacchini in a letter posted to the Kaua‘i Marathon website. “Liz and I are well aware that you have been training extremely hard on your journey to The Kaua‘i Marathon and Half Marathon start line, and we want to honor those efforts and commitments the best we can.”

Participants who opt for the virtual event and register for the 2021 event will receive an added bonus of a long- sleeve logo T-shirt in their swag bag.

For those already registered for the 2020 Kaua‘i Marathon or Half Marathon, there is no need to do anything. Organizers will switch the runner to the virtual event. For new participants, there is accommodation for registering on thekauaimarathon.com website.

From Sept. 1 to 6, virtual-race participants can complete the marathon or half-marathon mileage continuously, on the same day and on the route and time of their choosing.

Once executed, they can upload their time to raceentry.com by the end of day Sept. 6.

“With the virtual option, you will be able to choose your own path, record your time, receive a race bib, finisher’s certificate, and earn a fabulous swag bag of goodies in the mail, including a logo-ed race bag, logo-ed performance T-shirt, slippah finisher’s medal as well as Kaua‘i-themed products from our sponsors like Kaua‘i Coffee, the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i and Wilcox Health,” the Sacchinis said. “We also plan to offer Zoom training meetings as well as clever social-media giveaways.”

“By supporting our race, you are helping our island community heal, one stride at a time, and helping to ensure we can all be together at the start line in 2021,” the Sacchini’s said.

(06/10/2020) Views: 1,375 ⚡AMP
by Dennis Fujimoto

Patrick Bruno has competed in all 9 Kauai Marathons and is running again on Sunday

Patrick Bruno has competed in all nine Kauai Marathons, and next Sunday will be number 10. But there is one Kauai Marathon that keeps him from saying he’s officially completed them all — even though he did, albeit a day late. “I was killing it,” he said of that second year he ran the full marathon in 2010. At the 24-mile marker, his time was about 3 hours, 30 minutes. He was on pace to shatter the four-hour barrier. And then, he wasn’t. “I hit that proverbial wall kind of thing,” he said. Bruno reached that point, no matter how much he tried to will his body to keep pushing toward the finish line, it wanted to stop. He dropped out. “I just couldn’t keep going,” he said. But the Lihue man wasn’t at peace with it. The next morning, at 5, he returned to that spot where he dropped out, and ran the last 2.2 miles. Twenty-four hours later, he finished that marathon as his daughter, Cinzia, cheered him on. “It was good but it was a let-down,” he said. “You know how we kick ourselves so badly for that kind of stuff.” Patrick Bruno does not let disappointments and setbacks keep him down. He has since finished each marathon, and at 53 years old he vows to keep finishing them just as long as his legs will carry him the daunting distance. “I’m just trying not to get old,” he said. “We only have so many good years left, so I just need to make sure to do what I can to stay as mobile and able to do things as I can.” (08/27/2018) Views: 1,685 ⚡AMP

The 10th Annual Kauai Marathon offers a world class race along with world class scenery

The 10th annual Kauai Marathon and Half Marathon set for Sept. 2 is a little more than six weeks away. While you still have time to whip yourself into shape for the half marathon, 13.1 miles, forget about it if you haven’t been in training for the full 26.2 miles. That’s an entirely different beast, particularly with this Kauai Marathon course of so many hills, long and short, as the course winds through Lawai and Kalaheo. The hills can suck the life out of your legs and can turn a long day into an even longer day, however the course is one of the most beautiful of any half or full.  Registration is up nearly 20 percent for this year’s races, with 315 signed on for the full, and 1,504 registered for the half.  Jeff Sacchini, who also co-owns and operates Living Foods Market and The Lanai restaurant at The Shops at Kukuiula is the founder and owner of the event.  The aid on the course, the support, the finisher medals, the aloha, and the food and drink afterward, are top-notch. It really is a commitment to creating the best experience for runners and walkers. And, perhaps best of all since that first marathon 2009, more than $100,000 of the proceeds have gone to nonprofit groups and charities on Kauai. Kauai is fortunate to have a marathon of such caliber. As Sacchini has said, Kauai residents don’t have to leave the island to compete in what really is a world-class race.  Registration is still open. (07/22/2018) Views: 1,436 ⚡AMP