LIHUE — Stephanie Prieto of Montreal said she really wanted to run through the colors Saturday at the North Vidinha fields. “I have a wedding to be in later today, so I can just volunteer,” the Canadian said while checking
LIHUE — Stephanie Prieto of Montreal said she really wanted to run through the colors Saturday at the North Vidinha fields.
“I have a wedding to be in later today, so I can just volunteer,” the Canadian said while checking in participants for Colors for Cancer that benefited the American Cancer Society. “But I really wanted to run in this.”
Heidi Herr, who organized the first Colors for Cancer event last year as part of her senior project at Kauai High School, revived the event during her summer break using materials remaining from the two events she did last year.
“I ran in a color event while in school at Utah,” said Herr, a former cross country and track standout. “I also did a few runs.”
About half of the field discovered the event while surfing the Internet.
“This something to do on Kauai,” said David Smith of Missouri. “We found this online and Suzannah Smith has run many kinds of different races, including marathons in South Africa and New York City. She’s running in this because it’s something different, and it helps the Cancer Society.”
Others who found the event online were Laurie Danahey of Denver and the Meinert ohana from California.
“We have the whole family running after my husband found it,” said Kate Meinert. “This should be a lot of fun.”
With music blaring throughout the complex from a mobile disc jockey, about a hundred runners took off on the course which covered approximately a half-mile on one lap, skirting Kauai Police Activities League flag football players and spectators.
“One complete loop around the field is half a mile,” Herr said. “Six laps is three miles. But it’s all for fun. Most of the color stations — four — are set up on the side where there are no football games. Just watch for the football players.”
Chey Fujii has run in several of the colorful events since last year. She inaugurated an excited Mayumi Fulgencio in Saturday’s experience.
“This is really fun,” Fujii said. “It doesn’t feel like you’ve run so much because you have so much fun.”
