LIHU‘E — More than 30 years before the first Kaua‘i Marathon was held in 2009, there was the Garden Island Marathon. On the heels of the 4th Kaua‘i Marathon this Sunday, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and the Kaua‘i County Council
LIHU‘E — More than 30 years before the first Kaua‘i Marathon was held in 2009, there was the Garden Island Marathon.
On the heels of the 4th Kaua‘i Marathon this Sunday, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and the Kaua‘i County Council recognized Wednesday those who promoted Kaua‘i’s first ever marathon decades ago, in a time when there were very few runners on the island.
“The 1st Annual Garden Island Marathon held on Oct. 8, 1978, was sponsored by the Garden Island Roadrunners Association and drew about 240 runners from around the State of Hawai‘i,” Carvalho read from his mayoral proclamation honoring those pioneers and setting Aug. 29, 2012 as the Garden Isle Roadrunners Day.
The proclamation specifically pinpoints Sherwood Hara, who organized the 1978 marathon and led a weekly running clinic at Lihu‘e Stadium; and also honors Donna Schulze, a well-known celebrity from Kilauea, Kaua‘i’s North.
“Today we reminisce with community enthusiast Donna Schulze, and former Kaua‘i YMCA Director, who participated in the first marathon and over the years has finished a total of nine marathons and 218 races,” Carvalho read from the proclamation.
Carvalho also praised in the proclamation the Garden Island Roadrunners Association and other nonprofit groups for their contribution to the sport and to health and fitness throughout the years.
But the day wasn’t just about a mayoral proclamation. After all, the mayor read his proclamation at the council’s home, the Historic County Building. So the council also had their own kudos for the marathon pioneers on Kaua‘i, offering a council certificate to the Garden Island Roadrunners Association.
“The Kaua‘i County Council hereby congratulates the Garden Island Roadrunners Association for organizing the 1st Annual Garden Island Marathon in 1978 and extends its heartfelt appreciation to all who volunteered and participated in the race. It will always be remembered that their efforts laid the groundwork for future Kaua‘i races to follow,” states the council certificate.
This Sunday, when more than 1,500 participants take the road in the 4th Kaua‘i Marathon, it will be a much more different scenario than it was 34 years ago.
In 1978 the sport wasn’t so popular, and most runners were “closet runners,” said Hara, adding that no one was used to run in the streets, they didn’t even have those fancy running outfits readily available today.
But none of this matters. As Schulze said, and no one could probably have said it better, everyone who crosses the finish line is a winner.
