OMAO — The 65th annual Labor Day Hare &Hound race is Saturday in Omao. And if it rains, watch out. The course can be treacherous.
Riders who have competed in this one have said, “If you can ride in Omao, you can ride anywhere in the world.”
“It’s a serious race,” said Bertram Almeida, president of the Garden Island Motorcycle Club that organizes Hare &Hound.
“It’s been referred to as a survival race.”
About 125 riders are expected for the annual race that offers awards, but the main thing it offers is bragging rights for the winners.
Gates open at 6 a.m., with registration at 6:30 and the race starts at 8. There are two classes: A, which is expert, and B, which is intermediate.
Challenges await both.
Riders don’t learn of the length of the course (usually from 20 to 40 miles ) until that morning. As they ride, they must collect checks at every checkpoint. But they aren’t told how many checks there are, or even where they are.
What they do know is the mountainous course will have plenty of ups and downs, sharp turns, steep climbs, and wicked, twisting downhills. They could be out there for up to five or six hours.
“It’s kind of like the dog looking for the rabbit,” Almeida said.
It isn’t for novice riders, and it isn’t for the faint of heart. As a matter of fact, Almeida won’t let anyone register who isn’t ready for the demands of Hare &Hound.
“A successful race is a race where nobody gets hurt. So, be careful,” he said.
Those who enter train year-round. Even then, riders have been injured. They’ve been lost.
“There’s some crazy stuff,” Almeida said.
After the second hour of racing, “it’s not a physical thing anymore,” he said. “It’s a mental thing.”
“I don’t recommend people thinking just because they can ride a bike they can come out,” he said.
The route can change annually, or it could be the same as the year before. Work on it began about six months ago.
However weary they are, riders must stay alert. They must follow the course, and if they miss just one check, they are disqualified. While the checkpoints are clearly marked with ribbons, they are generally a few miles apart, and exhausted riders have missed them.
“If you go along the course, you should have all your checks,” Almeida said
As GIMC president, Almeida wants people to know Hare &Hound riders are top athletes who train hard.
Problem is, it’s not a great spectator sport. After the start, which is a spectacular swirl of mud and dust and colorful bikes, the riders disappear into the mountain and likely won’t be seen again until the finish.
“The starting line is the most exciting part,” Almeida said. “But once they go, they’re gone.”
Anyone who wants to watch should head out early Saturday and look for the signs and vehicles mauka of Kaumualii Highway in Omao.
A luau and awards ceremony is Sunday at the Kauai Veterans Center.
The GIMC does more than ride. It is involved in fundraisers and cleanups, and its course is used for the Ultimate Hawaiian Trail Run in mid-September.
This year’s Hare &Hound is in memory of Stanley Amorin Sr., who died April 10, 2019 at the age of 89. A top mechanic, Amorin was also an outstanding motorcycle racer and contributor to the sport.
“This race is dedicated to him and his family,” Almeida said. “He was a great racer, loved the sport, and always had a smile.”
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Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
