Laupahoehoe’s Alan Ryan leads Big Islanders at Great Aloha Run – Results
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
Hilo’s Dr. Z staying motivated despite serious ankle injuries
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.
“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.
“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 40th 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.