Emily Wedeman Memorial 5 miler results

Joe & Veronica Wedemann

Joe and Veronica Wedemann were on hand for the Emily Wedeman Memorial race.  The 5 mile run/walk was established after the death of Joe’s mother five years ago.

Emily was a super volunteer at the Big Island Road Runners Club events and the club holds the race in her honor.

This year the BIRR raised $372 for the American Cancer Society in Emily’s memory.

Following are the results of the race in which 41 people participated by either running or walking the 5 miles:

1	Zach Johnson	29:32
2	Alan Ryan	29:42
3	Todd Marohnic	31:22
4	Louie Perry	31:30
5	Stewart Miyashiro	34:06
6	Alex Vu	34:49
7	Ferdinand Babas	34:59
8	Joe Wedemann	36:28
9	Nick Ah Yo	36:51
10	Dan Brodhag	37:11
11	DJ Blinn	38:28
12	Lyle Balingit	38:32
13	Krita Andrew	38:55
14	Milton Crutchfield	39:30
15	Wendy Yamada	41:35
16	James Hank	41:35
17	Andrew Langtry	42:48
18	Esther Kanehailua	42:57
19	Donna Wong Yuen	43:00
20	Daria Cunningham	43:22
21	Charlie Bostwick	45:12
22	Bob Erickson	45:14
23	Lynne Brauher	45:45
24	Veronica Wedemann	46:33
25	Eva Naniole	46:44
26	Ashley Hahm	49:00
27	Kim Furumo	49:13
28	Leroy Ridgeway	49:58
29	Rick Otani	51:32
30	Aaron Morita	53:22
31	Big Dog	53:22
32	Marie Kurimoto	53:22
33	Lee Otani	53:54
34	Kym Tagawa	54:12
35	Michael Gordon	56:06
36	Richard Alderson	58:26
37	Zeny Eakins	1:00:00
38	Jyson Breitbarth	1:01:23
39	Lori Breitbarth	1:01:27
40	Kelly Heaukulani	1:03:39
41	Charlie Heaukulani	1:03:39

Furumo Family Running Honolulu Marathon on Sunday

The Furumo Family, L to R, John, Paul, Norbert and Kim in the center

One of the biggest moments in my running life was when I decided to train for and run my first marathon, 26.2-miles, in Honolulu.

In the weeks leading up to the race I began having feelings of self-doubt as I questioned my training and ability to be able to go the entire twenty-six miles.

 The biggest moment came with the exhilaration at the finish line, with tears streaming down my face, as I conquered the marathon distance for the very first time.

Running my first marathon is something that I will always cherish and for Hilo’s Kim Furumo running her first Honolulu Marathon on December 13 will become even more memorable.

Furumo first began running after she had her first son in 1985.  “I only ran about 2 or 3 miles at a time and I was inconsistent about going out on a regular basis,” she said. “I would go months without running and then go back to it for a while, but eventually taper off again.”

Furumo, who is an assistant professor in the College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Hilo had a colleague (David Hammes) suggest that she should give running another try.

In October 2008 Furumo began running with a Sunday group and found herself coming back each week.  “The people in the group were so friendly and supportive that I kept coming back for Sunday runs,” she said.  “I probably would not have stuck with it if it had not been for Marie Kuramoto.  She has been a wonderful mentor and helped prepare me for my first half-marathon that I ran in Hilo this past March.”

Furumo’s success in finishing her half-marathon (13.1-miles) gave her the necessary confidence to set her sights higher, on wanting to complete a full marathon.

“When I first started out with this group I never thought I would run the marathon,” Furumo said.  “But each week as we went to coffee after running, I learned more and more about the process.  Marie (Kuramoto) kept telling me to drink more water.  Others told me to slow down and pace myself.  I started getting stronger and stronger and realized that maybe I could do it.”

Furumo’s confidence and excitement over running her first marathon spread to her family and soon her husband, Norbert, and two older sons, Paul and John, committed to joining her as all four will make their Honolulu Marathon debut this coming Sunday.

Furumo’s eldest son, John, 24, had thought about running a marathon in the past but didn’t seriously consider it until his mother got into running.  “Mom said she wanted to run the Honolulu Marathon in December and she asked if I wanted to give it a shot,” he said.  “I didn’t want to be outdone by my mom so I said I would.”

To prepare, John a student at UH Manoa, runs between 8 to 9 miles on most days and has logged a 14-miler as a long run.  “Since this is the first time for all of us to try a marathon I think it’s good that we are doing it as a family,” he said. 

“When I first started training I didn’t think I could even finish the race,” John Furumo said.  “My main goal was just to be able to run the whole thing without stopping.  Now that I’ve gotten in better shape I would like to be able to maintain a 10 minute per mile pace which amounts to 4 hours and 22 minutes race finish time.”

Paul Furumo is also studying at UH Manoa and the 22 year old has done a 20 miler as his long run.  “My brother and I live together so we kind of help each other stay motivated,” he said.  “We don’t really run together though because we are at different paces.  I also text my mom when I do long runs too and she tells me about some of her long runs.”

Paul has set four goals for his upcoming marathon, “I would like to get under 4 hours, even if its 3 hours 59 minutes,” he said.  “I’d also like to be able to run the whole race without stopping.  I want to sprint across the finish line and I want to beat my friend’s time.  He ran the Chicago Marathon in 4:21 and I told him about my first three goals and then said I was adding one more, beating him.”

“My husband Norbert cross trains and is a paddler with Keaukaha and plays in several basketball leagues,” Kim Furumo said.

“The four of us plan to start together but then we will split up as time goes on.  Whoever finishes first will be waiting at the finish line for the others.  That will give me incentive to finish as fast as I can,” she said.

Kim Furumo has prepared well for her first marathon as she has done a 20-miler on Sunday and on Tuesday and Thursdays she runs 10-miles.  Added to those three days is an occasional 3 miles worth of speed work on Wednesday or Friday.

“I would love to finish the race in 5 hours, but I’ve been told to not get my hopes up because anything can happen on race day – cramps, nausea, etc.,” she said.  “So I’m hoping the longest would be 5.5 hours.”

As with most sports running is primarily a mental game and a marathon can take its toll on those that aren’t prepared.  “Physically most people can do more than they ever expected if they start out slow and train consistently,” Kim Furumo said.  “But it gets hard to train when life gets crazy or when the rains come or when you get injured.  That’s when you really discover what you’re made of.  Running teaches you to persist in your goals.”

Perhaps the most memorable part of this experience for the Furumo family will come at the finish line.  “My husband and I are trying to set a good example of a healthy lifestyle for our children,” Kim Furumo said.