Laupahoehoe’s Alan Ryan leads Big Islanders at Great Aloha Run – Results

Great Aloha Run held Feb 21, 2011

BIG ISLANDERS FINISH GREAT ALOHA RUN

Overall Place     FIRST NAME       LAST NAME        CITY       STATE    Finish Time

22 ALAN RYAN   LAUPAHOEHOE :48:03    144        TROY     SAKIHARA           HILO      HI :55:53

177 ROBYN DEBENEDET HILO :56:56    255              MATT BUONGIORNO     KAILUA-KONA   HI :58:48

261         KAVAR  ATOAS HONAUNAU      0:58:57 395          DANNY GUERPO KAMUELA         1:01:16

555         EDDIE    HERD     KAILUA KONA   1:03:27 595          JUSTIN  OKUYAMA          HILO      1:03:49 879          CHAD    DUNHOUR                KAMUELA           1:06:30 964          AINOA  NANIOLE HILO   1:07:21

981         BELINDA HERD  KAILUA KONA   1:07:30 1022       ERIN      KOJIMA KAILUA-KONA 1:07:55

1280       DAYSON ALIP     KAMUELA 1:09:53  1337 DEAN    ALIP       KAMUELA  1:10:23

1499       DYLAN  ALIP       KAMUELA 1:11:30 1514  DIANE NICOLE   LEWIS    AIEA      1:11:34

1601       CHRISTOPHE      CLERGEON          HILO      1:12:11 1636       DESIREE CARLOS KAILUA KONA 1:12:25

1670       KEVIN   OKUMURA         HILO      1:12:35 1778       ROY        YAMADA HILO   1:13:12

1928       ARSENIO              CASIL     PEPEEKEO           1:14:10 2039       JUSTIN  DORSER HILO     1:14:44

2086       STASON BARIDO KAILUA-KONA                1:15:00 2109       CHRISSY               CAPATI PAPAIKO             1:15:09

2110       NAIOMI               EVANS  HILO      1:15:10 2117       SAMUEL               CARLOS                KAILUA KONA   1:15:12

2302       CHRISTOPH         EIBL        HILO      1:16:08 2409       BIC         AKI         HILO      1:16:37

2456       MATTHEW          MATHER KAILUA KONA 1:16:502477        DONNA                WONG YUEN     HILO      1:16:59

2611       BRANDEN            PASCUAL HILO  1:17:39 2809       TANYA  ANDRADE            HILO      1:18:35

2873       GILBERT GUTIERREZ PAPAAL 1:18:56  3074            SANDRA               CONNICK             KEAAU  1:19:52

3193       KRISTIN                CHIBOUCAS        HILO      1:20:27 3227       KEVIN   KUET     NAALEHU            1:20:35

3895       SHAWN                ANDRADA           KEAAU  1:23:34 4175 AARON       MORITA HILO    1:24:56

4594       LISA       VOS       KAILUA KONA   1:26:59 4611       JUSTIN  KAWAMURA      KAILUA KONA   1:27:04

4918       BRENT   MEYER  HILO      1:28:22 4974       JOHNNELLE         CHUN    KAMUELA 1:28:34

5009       LOGAN SAUER  KAILUA KONA   1:28:45 5355       RACHEL                MASON HILO     1:30:11

5474       ROBIN   BAUMAN            KEAAU  1:30:39 5478       LAURIE KANETA               HILO      HI            1:30:40

5881       MARC   MALONEY           KAMUELA 1:32:37 5987  DONALD              LEOPOLDO JR     HILO      1:33:06

6231       CASSANDRA       VIGIL     KAILUA-KONA   1:34:24 6233 CRYSTAL MATHER KAILUA KONA     1:34:24

6357       RYAN     CHUN    KAMUELA 1:35:04 6417  WAIOLU PETERSON HILO 1:35:19

6532       PELEHONUAMEA HARMAN         KEAAU  1:35:51   6845     JOANN AURELLO HILO   1:37:27

7132       MAVERICK KAWAMOTO KAILUA-KONA                1:38:50  7254      DENNIS                IDA        HILO 1:39:28

7331       FRANK  RAMIL   HAWI    1:39:53   7377     DIANE   SULLIVAN-ISHIKI WAIKOLOA 1:40:09

7428       KIERSTEN             AKAHOSHI          HILO 1:40:20 7491 NICOLA CHING KAILUA KONA 1:40:45

7492       WILLIAM HARLAN KAILUA-KONA1:40:46 7890     KRISTI   CONNICK KAILUA KONA 1:42:54

7908       DUSTIN                AMARAL HILO   1:43:01   7991     RIINA ROACH     KAILAU KONA 1:43:22

8040       KAUILA WONG YUEN     HILO 1:43:41   8584           COWMAN A-MOO-HA KAILUA-KONA    1:46:50

8740       LIONEL  MEYER  HILO 1:47:46     8832         AMBER THOMPSON       KEALAKEKUA 1:48:18

8882       EARL      NAKASHIMA      HILO 1:48:36   9196           JEFFREY                LOO       HILO 1:50:18

9199       JEFF       LOO       HILO      1:50:19   9326     SAU-YIN YEUNG               HILO      1:51:12

9350       BRANDON SOONG WAIKOLOA 1:51:21  9445 JEANNETTE PARK   KAILUA-KONA   HI 1:52:00

9647       M C KEALOHA    CURNAN- MEDINA          KAILUA-KONA   HI            1:53:12

9817       LINDA   NAKO    HILO 1:54:11   9819           BARBARA SMITH HILO  1:54:12

9902       CHERYL KEAMO                HILO      1:54:41   9904     JULAINE H           KEAMO                HILO      1:54:42

9905       HEATHER K          KEAMO                HILO      1:54:42   10031   DEVAN PIIANAIA             HILO      1:55:27

10032    AUDREY TAKAMINE HILO 1:55:28  10385 JONATHAN        KUTSUNAI          KAILUA KONA   1:57:40

10851    JEANNIE KUTSUNAI KAILUA KONA          2:00:52  10882    CAROL  MEYER  HILO      2:01:08

10895    RICHARD              TSUNODA           HILO 2:01:11   10998        HEDWIG WARRINGTON                HILO      2:02:00

11093    IOKEPA MAHOE KAILUA KONA  2:02:45 11269     CLAUDIA WILCOX-BOUCHER       HILO 2:03:51

11298    KAM      LAM       HILO      2:04:05  11351    RODNEY               AURELLO             HILO      2:04:31

11487    ELISABETH           LANE     HILO      2:05:32  11540    LEO        CORTEZ                KEALEKEKUA      2:05:56

11810    LESLIE    HAYES-CULLINS                HAWI    2:07:36  11888    CHLOE   KUBO    MT VIEW 2:08:06

11896    DONNA                DODD    KEAAU  2:08:09  12070    ISAAC    KIPI        KAILUA-KONA   2:09:10

12075    EUNICE KAWAMOTO      KAILUA-KONA   2:09:11  12409    KAIPO   HONDA                PAAUILO  2:11:35

12415    LIANA   HONDA                PAAUILO 2:11:37  12720                DALE      SALES    PAHALA 2:13:48

12779    JUDY      FUJIMORI            HILO      2:14:15  12882    AVELINA              CABEL   HONOKAA          2:14:59

12907    LEAH      DUYAO KEAAU  2:15:06  13366    GEORGE               OKADA MT VIEW 2:18:07

13421    LINDA   MENDE HILO      2:18:31  13653    CIARA   LINDSEY               KAMUELA           2:20:00

13708    RENEE   ISHISAKA HILO  2:20:20 13769     MYRAJEAN         SUMIDA PAHALA 2:20:45

14179    EILA       ALGOOD              KAPAAU 2:23:36 14424  WILLIAM F JONES            KAILUA KONA   2:25:16

14586    CAROL  KANESHIGE        HILO      2:26:17 14847     JESSICA                TABILE  KEAAU  2:28:04

14942    HOLLY   ALGOOD KAPAAU 2:28:38  15119 PETER B SPARKS HONOKAA      2:29:40

15291    KAUIKEOLANI    NANIOLE HILO   2:31:05  15302    JAMES  NANIOLE             HILO      2:31:06

15669    LINDA   TSUNODA           HILO      2:33:37  16262    PUA       KAAIHUE             HILO      2:37:50

16946    ELAINE  HONMA               KAMUELA 2:43:13   17654             ISAAC    SOLOMON          HILO      2:51:05

17658    AUTUMN            KIPPEN HILO      2:51:09  18742    CAROL  NAKASHIMA      HILO      3:14:34

18751    VANCES CRUZ   MT VIEW 3:14:53   18857 PATRICIA KAOPUIKI      KAILUA-KONA   3:20:58

18858    STEPHANIE         KAOPUIKI KAILUA-KONA 3:21:00

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Hilo’s Dr. Z staying motivated despite serious ankle injuries

Dr. Z

The older we get the more we begin to realize the many lessons that life provides us and the more we appreciate the precious gift afforded to us.

Good mental, physical and spiritual health, along with productive longevity is recognized as the key components in a happy life.

For Dr. Michelle Zalenski, also known as Dr. Z, doing something she had done many time before became the catalyst of what was to become a challenging endeavor.

“I used to jump off a wall into the ocean, something I had done many times before,” Dr. Z said. “The last time I tried it I must have hit at a bad angle or likely hit one of the few rocks on the mostly sandy bottom.”

Dr. Z learned that day, some three years ago, that sometimes injuries can occur when you least expect them.

“It was not a particularly high jump, but the angle and impact resulted in multiple fractures/dislocation,” she said.  “My foot was dangling from my ankle/leg.”

The result was that Dr. Z required a plate and nine screws which were necessary for all the parts to stay together and heal.  The healing process took over a year with the aid of crutches and later a walking cane followed by a year of limping due to the lack of not have full flexibility.

“This certainly helped me to realize that life can change in an instant,” she said.

Dr. Zalenski is a Hilo psychologist who works from what she calls a positive, strengths-based approach.

“I believe that teaching people how to reach goals is great, but one of the best ways to learn is through example,” she said.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Dr. Z was active on the swim, soccer, bowling, track and basketball teams.

Ankle x-ray of Dr. Z

“I also golfed and we played many pick-up sports in the neighborhood,” the Steeler fan said.

Dr. Zalenski started coming to Oahu during the 1990’s to visit her best friend from college and later took a job working for Hale Kipa in Honolulu as a summer counselor and later became a school counselor with the Department of Education.

“I moved to the Big Island in 2003 after completing my doctoral program and was given a job offer,” she said.

What is remarkable about this 39 year old is that despite having a plate and screws placed into her ankle she decided last year to tackle the Honolulu Marathon, a distance of 26.2 miles.

Marathons in itself are not easy for anyone to accomplish, but add together the physical handicap that Dr. Z deals with plus her build of 5’ 10” and 243 pounds and you have a mighty task at hand.

“I think the real appeal for running a marathon was to push myself,” Dr. Z explained.  “When people think of marathons, they think big.”

After shattering her ankle in 2007 walking had even become a struggle and that accident brought all of her activities to a screeching halt as she knew she had to slow down.

It wasn’t’ until 18 months ago that Dr. Z started taking steps without having to limp due to the lack of full movement in her ankle.

“I knew that the Honolulu Marathon would be a walking/jogging event for me,” she said.  “The challenge motivated me to push myself and I believed it to be an excellent way to improve my fitness and overall health.”

Six months before this past December’s marathon Dr. Z began making a conscious effort to increase her daily steps as she scheduled regular walks with friends.

Dr. Z #6098 finishes Honolulu Marathon with friends

“We began increasing our walking time and distance over those six months until I felt confident enough to know I could do this,” she said.

Dr. Z also had to overcome that additional burden of having a sedentary job so she would park the farthest distance from the building, always use the stairs, and take every opportunity to walk between her appointments.

“I also incorporated the elliptical for at least an hour several days a week and stayed active with yard work and activities on the weekend,” she said.

Adding a pedometer helped her stay focused on her steps as she tried to increase her daily activities.

“I started focusing on footwear and I tried four different shoes before finding the one that would best work for the marathon and have the necessary features for my related foot issues,” she said.

Dr. Zalenski looked for comfort, support and motion control to help her through her upcoming goal and eventually made the right choice that suited her needs best.

By Thanksgiving weekend Dr. Z had accepted an invitation from a friend to join him on an 18 mile course with included a 1000 foot elevation climb. Completing it provided her with the additional boost in confidence.

Needless to say Dr. Z completed the Honolulu Marathon finishing in a time of 8 hours 17 minutes and 25 seconds.

Dr. Zalenski provides a great example of someone in the medical profession that practices what they preach in health and fitness.  She wants to remain in an active lifestyle as she will look for other community events to participate in.

“One of my next goals is a 40 by 40,” she said.  “I would like to lose 40 pounds by my 40^th birthday.  I have a little over three months to accomplish that goal, so it would be realistic and attainable.”

Good luck Dr. Z in setting the bar higher in your life.  As Richard Monckton Milnes wrote, “The virtue lies in the struggle, not in the prize.”

And someday should you happen to see a struggling jogger come passing through the back streets of Paradise Park remember to smile, say “woof” and never shy away from “Running with the Big Dog.”

Email the Big Dog at waiakeabigdog@aol.com.