Big Islanders Gearing Up for the Honolulu Marathon on Sunday

Davin Padilla

On Sunday morning than 200 Big Island residents will be getting up before the crack of dawn to run the Honolulu Marathon, many of them for the very first time.

The Honolulu Marathon has become the launching ground for many first time marathoners. More than 40 percent of the more than 22,000 people toeing the starting line will be doing their maiden 26.2 mile run, walk, jog or crawl in the pre dawn hours.

“My expectations for this first marathon is to essentially do my personal best, to perform as well as, if not better than on practice runs,” Hilo’s Davin Padilla.

Padilla is a math teacher at Hilo Intermediate School where he teaches 8^th grade pre-algebra.

“I was inspired by my principal, Esther Kanehailua, whose first marathon was in Honolulu a couple of years ago,” Padilla said.

Since July 2010 Padilla has logged a total of 804 miles over 129 activities.

“Of those 804 miles, 401 miles were done over 44 activities from my 33^rd birthday in June of this year till now leading up to Honolulu,” Padilla said.

Sleightholm

Padilla’s friend and training partner, Trudy Sleightholm, will be joining him in the race, but Sleightholm will be doing her second consecutive Honolulu.

“When I did the race last year I didn’t know what to expect, but now I’ll be better prepared,” she said.  “I really just love the time outside running, taking in all the awesome scenery and enjoying time with friends who share the same passion as I do.”

Sleightholm is anxious about doing her second marathon in Honolulu as she will be joined by numerous friends.

“I am so excited to run this year’s race, more friends are doing it and taking a liking to the runners high,” she said with a grin.

This year, with a little more experience under her belt, Sleightholm decided to train harder for the marathon challenge.

“I’ve been running six times a week and I did longer runs,” she said.  “I ran three 19 milers and I did a 20 miler and two 21 milers.  I kept my mileage higher to stay stronger.”

Padilla made his marathon announcement on Facebook for all of his friends to see.

“I’m not trying to boast,” he said.  “The announcement was a way to keep myself accountable.  I know I have the heart and drive to do it.”

Cheryl Kiefer

Dove George

Cheryl Kiefer of Keaau will also be trying a marathon for the first time.

“I’m doing the Honolulu Marathon because it’s been a goal of mine to do a marathon before I turn 60,” Kiefer said.  “I’ll be 60 the day after Christmas, so this is the year to fulfill my dream and my goal.”

Kiefer will be joined at the race by her daughter, Dove George.

“Dove and I plan to do the race together, as she is doing it for my birthday,” Kiefer said. “We are planning on just walking as neither of us has ever done a marathon.”

“I’m doing it because it is my mom’s birthday and it is hard to say NO to my mom,” George said.  “I am not excited about doing 26.2 miles, as I’m dreading it actually.  I’ll try to stay with her for as long as I can as this is the only reason for me to it.”

As for a goal George is just hoping to finish the race with no after effects.

“I’m just hoping that I won’t be super sore the next week,” George said.  “I’ll try to run part of it just to get it over with faster, but will stay with my mom no matter what.”

Joe & Veronica Wedemann

The marathon usually drains all the energy out of a runner by mile 22 and for those that didn’t properly train there will be a slow walk up Diamond Head on their way to the finish line at Kapiolani Park, according to Hawaiian Paradise Park Firefighter, Joe Wedemann.

Wedemann should know as he has finished 11 marathons with a personal best time of 3 hours and 24 minutes.

“To avoid hitting the wall runners would have needed to prepare properly by running a 20 or 22 miler four to five weeks prior to race day,” Wedemann said.

Wedemann will be joined by his wife Veronica who will be doing her fourth marathon with a personal best time of 4:10.

“I enjoy doing this race, primarily because my wife is in it,” Wedemann said.  “We did some long training runs together and we enjoy the time we spend running as quality time.”

Wedemann advises first time marathoners to relax during the opening miles of the race.

“Probably the most important advice to a first time marathoner is for them not to go out too fast in the first 6 miles, so that they can have some gas in the tank for the last 6 miles,” he said.

Veronica Wedemann prepared throughout the year to run the marathon.  She built up her mileage during the past six months to avoid the misery which is accompanied by hitting that invisible wall.

“My training throughout the year was 5 to 10 miles per week and I built up to 45 miles per week in the six months prior to race day,” she said.

“I like the Honolulu Marathon because with so many people doing it I can get distracted and forget how much pain I am in,” she said.  “This year I am hoping to finish around 4 hours 30 minutes.”

The race has generated more than $100 million in economic impact for Hawaii each of the last six years and is totally self-supporting, receiving no subsidy from the Hawaii Tourism Authority according to marathon media consultant Pat Bigold.

“We are the 10^th largest marathon in the world and last year we had 20,168 finishers,” Bigold said. 

This year’s race is expected to exceed 24,000 in registration and of that number 8,879 will be first time marathoners with nearly 6,000 of those coming from Japan, according to Bigold.

The Honolulu Marathon will provide a complete list of Honolulu Marathon finishers to the Tribune which will be published in a timely manner.

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