We FINISHED! Dennis' gouty toe aches. My knee is complaining, but we finished the darn 8.15 miles. Art is perfectly fine and is happy with his running time.
We got up early this morning, picked up Dennis and arrived with plenty of time to spare at the Aloha Stadium near Pearl Harbor.
My brother, Dennis and I were feeling OK. Art was raring to go.
We caught the shuttle to Honolulu's Aloha Tower.
There were a whole LOT of runners, walkers, strollers, etc. Everyone appeared happy and excited about participating in the race. (Almost 30,000 runners/walkers signed up for the race. Over 21,000 actually completed the race.)
The Great Aloha Run is a terrific charity race that supports various needy causes in Hawaii.
It was soon time for Art to leave us as he walked to the front of the pack where runners were gathered. Dennis and I stayed behind with the walkers.
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| Aloha Stadium Shuttle buses to Honolulu Aloha Tower |
We got up early this morning, picked up Dennis and arrived with plenty of time to spare at the Aloha Stadium near Pearl Harbor.
My brother, Dennis and I were feeling OK. Art was raring to go.
We caught the shuttle to Honolulu's Aloha Tower.
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| Aloha Tower lighted up |
There were a whole LOT of runners, walkers, strollers, etc. Everyone appeared happy and excited about participating in the race. (Almost 30,000 runners/walkers signed up for the race. Over 21,000 actually completed the race.)
The Great Aloha Run is a terrific charity race that supports various needy causes in Hawaii.
It was very dark, but we could see the military marching ahead to signal the start of the race.
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| Dennis and Art |
It was soon time for Art to leave us as he walked to the front of the pack where runners were gathered. Dennis and I stayed behind with the walkers.
We waited alongside these two gigantic Chinese dragon balloons.
They were very impressive, held aloft on poles by several walkers.
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| Starting gate |
These soldiers were carrying full packs!
Volunteers manned the watering stations along the way. I ran into a Zumba buddy at one of the water stations.
I was pretty darn astonished that we made it to the 5th mile mark.
At the 6th mile, Dennis' toe was starting to ache. The Motrin I took before the race and the knee brace that I borrowed from mom seemed to help. However, I could feel my knees getting ready to complain.
Taiko drummers encouraged us along.
There were lots of volunteers motivating us to stay the course.
It was unnerving to see a couple of people on the side of the road who were overcome by what appeared to be heat exhaustion.
Aides were calling for support.
Art finished the race in 1 hour 16 minutes. Dennis and I did it in 2 hours 46 minutes. (Don't forget that 20 minute bathroom break.)
My times in past were:
2009- 2:56:12
2010- 3:01:21
2011- 2:42:44
Art has been very consistent through out the years and came in 12th in his age group this year.
I can't believe it! We finished!
For TWO years they ran out of Medium t-shirts so I had to give away the Large size they gave me. This time, they had the Medium. Would you believe my brain went to sleep and I collected a Small size finisher t-shirt. Doggone it!
Art thinks I'll do this again next year to get the right size. (LOL)
After the race we stopped at Mapunapuna's Mini Garden and bought some plate lunches.
We were so hungry, everything was delicious!
And now that I've posted this, I'm taking a long nap....
Big congratulations to the three of you. I love Taiko drummers. They put a lot of effort into playing those drums. I can see Art is not going to let you stop so you might as well get out there and start training for next year. It's also possible your brother has caught the fever and won't let you stop either.
ReplyDeleteGee whiz! I thought for sure you and Dennis would be done at 2 miles. But, you actually finished. Wow! Congrats to all 3 of you! Did the knee brace help at all? I told David about your suggestion, but being stubborn, he doesn't think he needs it.
ReplyDeleteHooray for you! I KNEW you could do it.
ReplyDeleteVery impressive. I loved the photos and the colorful crowds. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! You did it, and now you have put your pictures and story up for all time! This is pretty darn wonderful, Kay! :-)
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Kay. Congratulations to all 3 of you. It sounds to me like this will become an annual event.
ReplyDeleteProud of you, Kay, and of Dennis too. I knew you'd do it. Now, I guess it is rest, and hopefully this does not mean you are also having to apply ice.
ReplyDeleteWow! Congrats! Try some ice on that knee. Loved the balloon dragons -- really impressive. Did the dragons make it too? DrumMajor
ReplyDeleteDrum Major: If you could blow up the stadium photo real big, you would be able to see three dragons in red, yellow and purple lined up on the seats.
ReplyDeleteWell done, Kay! I thought about you today, wondering how it was going. I'm so glad you and Dennis were able to finish and have that wonderful feeling of satisfaction!
ReplyDeleteapplauds. Most of the island weren't even awake by the time you finished the race.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to you all what a great accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteWow, Girl you are amazing . . . oh yeah Art too. Get a good rest and see you Thursday at Tai Chi.
ReplyDeleteEverybody: Thank you so much! I do feel good about having done it after all the moaning and groaning I did.
ReplyDeleteGigiHawaii: I can't be positive that the knee brace is what helped the most. I think it was a combination of the brace and the Motrin.
Ron of Waikiki: Ummm... Art just laughed when he saw your comment. Dennis and I came in close to 10:00. I think most people will already have been to Zippy's for their breakfast by then. On the other hand, they may have been sleeping when Art came it.
Lucky's Favorite: Perhaps you and Myra would like to do it with us next year? :-)
Kay- You will NEVER really 'get' how IMPRESSED I am with you and Dennis.
ReplyDeleteART? FORGETABOUTIT! He's Superman!
Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
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You all look in remarkable condition considering it was 8 miles!! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteL. from W.
Congratulations to you all, that's a great achievement. I hope you don't take too long to recover.
ReplyDeleteWell done to all of you!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing next year's tshirt :)
Who would have ever imagined we would get such a detailed report. You have every right to be proud. I can barely walk a mile without getting winded so perhaps this will inspire me. Congratulations to the three of you and the rest of the 21,000. Now I must comment on your picture of the balloons...were you really taking a picture of the balloons? LOL
ReplyDeleteOnnea teille. Aivan ihania kuvia täällä. Terveisiä suomesta:)
ReplyDeleteGranny Annie: Oh yes! I took a ton of pictures of the balloons since they happened to be right next to me when we were starting the race.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you, Art, & Dennis! Hope you're recuperating well.
ReplyDeleteYou make it sound like fun. Nice, starting with the anthems.
ReplyDeleteGood work, team!
I am so impressed how both you and your brother hung in there. Kudos to you both. Be proud.
ReplyDeleteThere was so much going on. Hawaii really knows how to run a race. I'm sure you slept well.
I am so impressed and glad nobody suffered any major ill effects.. Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete