• Rayno like the Energizer Bunny Rayno like the Energizer Bunny By Duane Shimogawa Jr. — The Garden Island He’s coached or officiated your child in at least one sport. He’s also the person you can count on running throughout
• Rayno like the Energizer Bunny
Rayno like the Energizer Bunny
By Duane Shimogawa Jr. — The Garden Island
He’s coached or officiated your child in at least one sport.
He’s also the person you can count on running throughout the island, or biking for that matter, until you get tired just watching his tireless efforts.
You see, Peter Rayno Jr. was born to run, or just maybe born to be active.
From the time he coached me in youth basketball, I always knew that if I listened to his advice, I’d come out a winner.
Most of his players still talk about him today, and even though you might not like some of his calls as an official, you still wave at him when he’s running near you on Kuhio Highway.
Rayno’s latest endeavor, the 51-mile hike, which encompassed the trail from the County Building to Pakala, then back to the Wailua Golf Course, was conquered by the ageless wonder.
“I only heard that he stopped for a bathroom break, but other than that, he made it all the way, non-stop,” race fan Ernie Johnston said.
No one really knows his exact age, but if you make an educated guess, you’ll probably come out with a ridiculously low number, because of how youthful he acts.
Rayno is a ball of jokes, and his greatest attribute is probably the fact that he could even make Norman Holt Sr. laugh. If you know the “Wolf,” then you know that it’s hard to get him to chuckle once in awhile.
Both Rayno and Holt play in the Kaua’i Senior Softball League on different teams. In that league, Rayno is the light on his Lihu’e team, which seems to feed off of his energy. It’s hard not to stop and talk to the Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest fan. He loves sports, and can’t get enough of participating in everything from marathons to slowpitch.
The 51-mile hike, which was popularized by President John F. Kennedy, was also done by Rayno’s good friend, Charlie Young. Both he and Young finished together at the Wailua Golf Course. Young, who has epilepsy, was determined to finish the run.
“Pete knew that it was going to be hard for him (Young), but he was so determined, and they had a great time,” Mrs. Rayno said.
And according to her, Pete’s always been the type to take on all kinds of challenges. “He’s still in great shape. He was 24 when he made the 51- mile hike (the first time),” she said. Rayno’s remarkable performance isn’t something that he likes to talk about, because he’d rather have the spotlight be shone on youths around the island. I remember when he used to take our basketball team to a sports card shop and he’d buy each of us a pack of cards. Rayno stressed team bonding, and by taking us as a team to enjoy each other off the court, we realized that the things we accomplished while on the court were pretty trivial.
The 51-mile hike is just another one of Rayno’s many accomplishments that’s not really an accomplishment in his book. Instead, it’s a sign that he’s still “got it,” after all these years and if there’s just one thing you could learn from Rayno, it’s that nothing is too difficult to accomplish — even if it means out running the Energizer Bunny!
