The Hana Relay is started in waves so as to avoid congestion along the narrow winding 52 mile road to Hana and to assure that even the slowest teams get to participate in the festivities at the end of the run. Each team is required to enter an estimated finish time. I guessed that we would be very slow. I was recovering from a recently sprained ankle. A couple of the guys told me they ran 10 minute miles, some had run no more than 3 miles in training and one is a mother of two toddlers who just moved and didn’t have much time for training. We each had to run 3 segments, each leg consisting of 2 ½ to 3 miles. I thought it would take us close to 9 hours. I thought I would be walking a lot. For some reason the race director missed my email containing that information and put us in for a late start. I envisioned us rolling across the finish at 4 p.m. after the food and drink were gone and the band was packed up, so on the morning of the race I bribed the director with a 6 pack of beer and he moved us back to a 5:30 a.m. start. Well, it turns out I needn’t have done that. We completely surprised ourselves by finishing in under 7 hours. The boys definitely didn’t do 10 minute miles. Turns out the mama is fiercely competitive and wouldn’t let anyone pass her and I didn’t even limp. I had to walk a very short uphill segment because the heat and humidity were overwhelming but my ankle was merely stiff, not painful. I iced it between segments and ended up running 8 minute miles. We had a perfect blend of personalities on the team making the ride in the support vehicle fun despite the sweat and grime that accumulated. We were very proud of ourselves and got to hear the band and eat the fruit and laugh at all the other teams arrayed in hilarious costumes. We’re all excited about next year and I’m excited about next Sunday. I’m ready for the Maui Half Marathon. I probably won’t be very fast but I know I can finish. And I know I’ll have fun which is what it’s all about.
The Hana Relay is started in waves so as to avoid congestion along the narrow winding 52 mile road to Hana and to assure that even the slowest teams get to participate in the festivities at the end of the run. Each team is required to enter an estimated finish time. I guessed that we would be very slow. I was recovering from a recently sprained ankle. A couple of the guys told me they ran 10 minute miles, some had run no more than 3 miles in training and one is a mother of two toddlers who just moved and didn’t have much time for training. We each had to run 3 segments, each leg consisting of 2 ½ to 3 miles. I thought it would take us close to 9 hours. I thought I would be walking a lot. For some reason the race director missed my email containing that information and put us in for a late start. I envisioned us rolling across the finish at 4 p.m. after the food and drink were gone and the band was packed up, so on the morning of the race I bribed the director with a 6 pack of beer and he moved us back to a 5:30 a.m. start. Well, it turns out I needn’t have done that. We completely surprised ourselves by finishing in under 7 hours. The boys definitely didn’t do 10 minute miles. Turns out the mama is fiercely competitive and wouldn’t let anyone pass her and I didn’t even limp. I had to walk a very short uphill segment because the heat and humidity were overwhelming but my ankle was merely stiff, not painful. I iced it between segments and ended up running 8 minute miles. We had a perfect blend of personalities on the team making the ride in the support vehicle fun despite the sweat and grime that accumulated. We were very proud of ourselves and got to hear the band and eat the fruit and laugh at all the other teams arrayed in hilarious costumes. We’re all excited about next year and I’m excited about next Sunday. I’m ready for the Maui Half Marathon. I probably won’t be very fast but I know I can finish. And I know I’ll have fun which is what it’s all about.
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