PO‘IPU — “Sadly, we should be on Kaua‘i, right now,” said Jason Figura, the winner of the 2020 Stride for Kaua‘i full marathon.
Figura ran his 26.25-mile course in Pennsylvania, stopping the clock at 3 hours, 27 minutes, 51 seconds on a 7:52 pace.
“While we were not able to be together for the 12th Annual Kaua‘i Marathon and Half Marathon, the Garden Island was celebrated, and aloha shared around the world with a virtual race platform,” said Robin Jumper of the Kaua‘i Marathon. “Nearly 1,000 runners registered from 40 states and nine countries to enjoy the magic of the Garden Isle.”
Hawai‘i was well-represented with 450 local registrants of whom 331 were from Kaua‘i.
Forty-one registrants who took part in the Stride for Kaua‘i, the virtual Kaua‘i Marathon and Half Marathon, who participated in the full or half marathon for the 12th consecutive year. Runners had from Sept. 1 through 6 to complete their courses on a single day and have their times uploaded to raceentry.com by the end of day, Sept. 6.
Following Figura, Sonia Ho of Oakdale, California, finished as the top female after crossing the line, third overall on a time of 3:31:28 over a 26.23-mile course in California.
Brandon Jacinto of Lihu‘e was sandwiched in between, finishing second overall, but claiming the top Kaua‘i male finisher honor in the full marathon. He completed his 26.24-mile course that snaked from Puhi to the Hokuala Timbers Resort on a 3:30:47 run, just under two minutes below Figura.
Agnes Largo of Lihu‘e, crossing 26th overall, did her course in 5:27:46 as the top Kaua‘i female finisher in the full marathon.
“It is a family affair for the leaders in the half marathon,” Jumper said. “Multi-year Champion Tyler McCandless of Boulder, Colorado clocked in at 1:09:44 while his wife Kristin is in the third spot overall, and first for the female division with a time of 1:36:37.”
Kasey Ozaki of Lihu‘e ran her course that was a round-trip from Lihu‘e to Kapa‘a along Kuhio Highway for 13.10 miles in 1:44:18 to become the first Kaua‘i female in the Half Marathon.
“I crushed my goal, y’all,” said Landon McCaleb, of ‘Ele‘ele, who ran his 13.11 mile course in 1:51:00, finishing ninth overall and the first Kaua‘i male in the Half Marathon. “Whoo hoo! Super pumped!”
All participants received race swag and Kaua‘i themed goodies while having the opportunity to run, or walk their respective race in the safety of their home state or country.
“The virtual event could not have been a success without the support of our local sponsors,” Jumper said. “These include the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa, Kaua‘i Coffee, Hawai‘i Ford Dealers, Wilcox Health, Alaska Airlines, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, and the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau. We were fortunate to have partners along that way that provided photography, 12-year gifts, and race swag like Jo Evans of Dakine Images, Banana Patch Studios, and CG Custom Prints.”
The 2021 Kaua‘i Marathon and Half Marathon is scheduled for Sept. 5, 2021, and registration for the event is already taking place at www.kauaimarathon.com.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
