WAIMEA — Few in Saturday’s 37th annual Captain Cook Caper Run were smiling as big as Priscilla Kua when they crossed the finish line. With her walking stick in her right hand, race number in her left, the Lihue woman was
WAIMEA — Few in Saturday’s 37th annual Captain Cook Caper Run were smiling as big as Priscilla Kua when they crossed the finish line.
With her walking stick in her right hand, race number in her left, the Lihue woman was beaming as she completed her first 5k fun run on Kauai in a little over an hour.
And she did this at age 76.
“I’m glad. That’s what I came for, to see if I could make it,” she said. “I did it.”
Kua decided to take on the popular Waimea race because her children and a grandchild were participating.
“I’d thought I’d join them,” she said.
Kua was among an enthusiastic crowd of runners and walkers — 137 in the 5k, 52 in the 10k and 16 in a 2k — who competed in the annual event on a cool morning.
The 6:15 a.m. start for the 10k had many off and running in the darkness and caught a few by surprise who didn’t hear about a late change from its usual 7 a.m. starting gun to accommodate timing at the finish and keep the field from spreading out too far.
Derrick Ledesman was sitting in his car with his wife waiting for the race to start on Highway 50 fronting Kekaha Neighborhood Center when “all of the sudden it looked like everyone took off.”
“What the heck?” he said. “No, no, no, this can’t be happening. I missed the start.”
Because he had been training specifically for the 10k with a goal to win it, he wasn’t too happy.
“You can just imagine the anticipation,” he said.
The 25-year-old from Koloa initially returned to the organizer’s table near the finish line at Waimea Plantation Cottages and didn’t plan to race.
“They were going to give me my money back, but then they said, ‘You can make the 5k.”
How much time do I have, he asked.
Ten minutes.
OK. No problem.
Ledesman’s wife zipped three miles along the highway and he arrived at the 5k start in time — barely.
“I put on my bib, no time for warm up, and they said, ‘Go,’” he said.
And go Ledesman did, winning easily in 17 minutes, 52 seconds, with Micah Nobriga-Ferris in second in 18:24.
“It felt good once I was running,” he said.
Chelsea Smith-Wishard defended her title in the women’s field of the 10k, winning in 39:48.
“I’m pretty out of shape, but that’s OK,” she said. “It’s a fun run.”
Joe Kali took the men’s 10k title in 38:07. The Kauai man ran strong but didn’t push the pace, instead using the run to sharpen for next weekend’s Ironman New Zealand.
“The last mile I kind of fell off because I didn’t want to race this race,” he said.
Jenelle Timmons of Kekaha claimed the women’s 5k in 21:22
“I did want to do well and win,” she said. “I just came out with low expectations and high rewards today.”
Everyone, it seemed, enjoyed the Captain Cook Caper Run that was a benefit for the Waimea High School track team.
Medals went to age division winners like Walt McConnell of New York.
The retired physician won the men’s 80 and older category, finishing in 37:21 and than posing for pictures with friends.
“I probably had my fastest time of the year,” he said. “I felt pretty good today.”
McConnell, 82, bikes and runs back home and visits Kauai often. The Captain Cook Caper Run is among his favorites.
“I love this run,” he said.
Nuelma Rull of Lihue was pleased to finish the 10k in 1:16:39, and even more pleased with the bright pink shoes on her feet.
“I just got my new Nike shoes,” she said proudly. “Hopefully I did better than the year before. I’m not sure.”
What about the shoes?
“The shoes felt great,” she said.
37th annual Captain Cook Caper Run top finishers
10K
Top 10 men
1. Joe Kali, 38:07
2. Michael Helppie, 43:26
3. Edmon Battulayan, 44:52
4. Daniel Duggan, 46:21
5. James Largo, 46:50
6. Jordan Shea, 46:59
7. Aaron Nakamura, 48:56
8. Keith Miller, 50:29
9. Hamilton Florendo, 51:20
10. Jeff Koch, 54:03
Top 10 women
1. Chelsea Smith-Wishard, 39:48
2. Almond Betners, 46:42
3. Tracy Capman, 47:04
4. Tialei Agader, 48:30
5. Emily Laroque, 49:18
6. Ashley Mier, 50:06
7. Kasey Ozaki, 50:09
8. Agnes Largo, 51:21
9. Tammie Quinlan, 52:32
10. Michelle Ramiro, 52:34
5K
Top 10 men
1. Derrick Ledesma, 17:52
2. Micah Nobriga-Ferris, 18:24
3. Jacob Pemhook, 18:29
4. Warren Isfan, 18:41
5. Basil Scott, 18:47
6. Bill Buley, 20:43
7. Kekoa Kimata-Lopez, 21:21
8. Kyle Morimoto, 22:22
9. Brian Jaime, 23:10
10. Matt Stevenson, 23:43
Top 10 women
1. Jenelle Timmons, 21:22
2. Pascale Chatigny, 22:58
3. Lynn Young, 24:36
4. Taryn Dixon, 25:24
5. Kari Corren, 25:24
6. Kristi Owen, 26:08
7. Shannon Mock, 26:25
8. Samantha Bostick, 26:31
9. Pilialoha Youkman, 28:24
10. Mei Sim Chang, 28:32
