LIHU‘E — A $15,000 Kaua‘i Marathon Challenge is piquing interest of runners around the world to the Po‘ipu competition set for Sunday morning.
This new feature is one of the largest speed-challenge purses offered in a U.S. running event, states a release from the Kaua‘i Marathon.
All 2010 Kaua‘i Marathon participants officially registered in the race are eligible for the $15,000 Kaua‘i Marathon Challenge prize, with men needing a sub-2:30:00 time and women needing a sub-2:45:00 time, states the Kaua‘i Marathon website.
Michael Wardian of Arlington, Va., who placed third at the world 50-kilometer championships last week, leads the pack of challengers.
Wardian has competed in more than 100 marathon events as well as a number of ultra marathons and triathlons worldwide. In March 2010, he won the National Marathon in Washington, D.C. on a run of 2 hours, 21 minutes and 58 seconds.
Two Kenyan athletes from the Duma Runners’ Club in Minnesota are also in the running (pun intended).
Richard Kandie and Moninda Marube are world-class runners that have been competing in marathons around the country for the past three years, Kandie placing second in the Bayshore Half Marathon in May on a 1:06:01 run while Marube captured the Christy Clinic Illinois Marathon on May 1.
JT Service, winner of the inaugural Kaua‘i Marathon, is a local contender for the purse. He is joined by Japeth Ng’Joy from Kenya, who will be making his marathon debut Sunday, and Masanori Hagitani, winner of the Iwaki City Sunshine Marathon in Japan.
The first participant of each sex under the time standards will be awarded with a $2,500 bonus. Additionally, all runners, both male and female, under the standard receive an equal amount of the remaining speed-challenge money.
The top available prize is $15,000 only if one athlete of either gender reaches the standard.
The Kaua‘i Marathon gets underway starting today with the Sports and Fitness Expo at the Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort in Po‘ipu from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A Morning Fun Run starting at 8 a.m. Saturday will be followed by the Sports and Fitness Expo, a panel discussion and the carbohydrate-loading lu‘au Saturday night before the marathon starts at 6 a.m. Sunday.
A 2010 Kaua‘i Marathon after-party will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. at Kalapaki Joe’s in Po‘ipu.
Kaua‘i Marathon offers marathon and half-marathon distances which are certified by USA Track & Field and Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.
Visit www.thekauaimarathon.com for more information, and see a related story in today’s sports section about vehicular traffic during Sunday’s event.
