11 Big Islanders finish Boston Marathon

Hrynevych, Neilsen, Fuentes, Perry & Ryan were among 11 Big Island residents to run in the 113th Boston Marathon

    Laupahoehoe’s Alan Ryan topped the list of eleven Big Island runners completing the Boston Marathon on Monday.

     Ryan, who had won the 2008 Kilauea Volcano Marathon, ran the Boston course in 2 hours 51 minutes and 41 seconds to finish in 552 overall out of 26,331 registered participants in the prestigious event.

    In December 2008 Ryan ran the Honolulu Marathon in 2:54:27 which qualified him to run in Boston.  This was only his second appearance in Bean Town where he ran in the 2007 race.

   Ryan’s trip was made possible through South Pacific Steel who sponsored the Laupahoehoe native’s appearance at Boston.

   “My sponsors have provided tremendous support in getting me to the races on my schedule.  The people at South Pacific Steel, Les, John and Nicole, have given me a golden opportunity to reach my full potential.  I would like to thank them and I feel that this avenue is a good way to do that,” Ryan said.

    Volcano’s Lyman Perry was second for Big Islanders clocking in at 2:50:01. “I had a really good day,” Perry said after the race.  “It was about 43 degrees at the start and it got windy as the day went on.  I thought it was a good day for running, although it was pretty cold.”

    Perry, who completed his sixth Boston Marathon, ran conservative during the first half of the race, clocking just under 1:30 at the mid-way point.  “I ran smart in the beginning and during the second half of the race was able to pass a lot of people,” he said.

    Originally from Boston, Perry was able to see his parents and sisters during the race, along with the more than 1.5 million spectators that lined the 26.2 mile course.

    “Running Boston is a wonderful experience that every runner should try at least once in their lifetime.  There is nothing like it as the crowds and the professional manner in which the race is organized is the best by far,” Perry said.

   The youngest Big Island finisher was Hilo’s Barret Schlegelmilch, age 19, who is a 2007 graduate of St. Joseph High School.

   Schlegelmilch, who attends UCLA, took the day off from school to run in Boston and he needed to fly out right after the race as not to miss classes on Tuesday.

   “I missed two lectures by being here today, but my professors were very supportive of my running Boston that they provided me with the notes from the classes I missed,” he said. 

   Schlegelmilch qualified to run Boston by doing the Seattle Marathon in November, finishing with a time of 3:10:52.  “I barely made the qualifying time by seven seconds,” he said.  “This was my eighth marathon and by far my favorite one.  The crowd was fantastic and running through Wellesley College was my favorite part.

   “I’d like to come back next year and every year thereafter as this as this is a fantastic event.  Next time I run Boston I’m going to stop and kiss one of the girls at Wellesley,” he said.

   Schlegelmilch did feel a little deceived by the Boston course map that was provided.  “I saw these little tiny bumps on the course map and they turned into huge hills,” he said.  “Next time I’ll know what to expect and I’m sure I’ll do better.”

    Hilo’s Cindy Fuke was impressed with running her first ever Boston and only her fifth total marathon.  “It was really nice doing this race.  The crowds were terrific and the city is absolutely beautiful,” she said.

   “I just wasn’t expecting it to be that cold and when we started running into the city there was a strong head wind.  It was a much tougher race than I thought it would be, but I think the cold and the wind had a lot to do with it being difficult,” Fuke said.

    Despite the wind and rain Fuke ran another Boston qualifying time by being under the required time for her gender and age of 3:50.

   “I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to come back as it is far from Hawaii and costly to travel, but we are certainly enjoying every bit of this trip,” Fuke said.

   Waimea’s Michael Hrynevych went into Boston with serious reservations about running the race as he had twisted his left knee in January which caused him to cut back on his training.

   “My expectation going into the race was not high as I had hoped to run under 3:30,” he said.  “During the race the knee didn’t hurt, but I still ran conservatively hitting the half-way point just under 1:32,” Hrynevych said.

   “I wasn’t as race prepared as I would have been and in some ways I feel I cheated on this marathon,” he said.  Despite his self-criticism Hrynevych was still able to finish in 3:13, just two minutes slower than his best time at Boston.

   “The knee is a little swollen right now,” and I’m taking some Ibuprofen for it, but all in all it’s been a good day with no blisters and no chaffing,” Hrynevych said.

    Hilo physicians Aaron Morita and Harvey Nakamura ran their first Boston Marathon using a Continuing Medical Education (CME) exemption to get into the race.

   “It was a great race with good community support and a tremendous way to see portions of Massachusetts,” Morita said.

   “I pushed myself too hard in the beginning and by the time I hit Heartbreak Hill, it lived up to its name,” he said.

    Morita wore a singlet over a long sleeve shirt during the race which had the word “HILO” on the back and he wrote “Aaron from Hawaii” on the front.  “Many people yelled my name and said aloha which was fun for me,” Morita said.

   “It was a great race and afterwards I got a finisher’s medal which made it even more special,” he said.  On Tuesday Morita flies out to Philadelphia where he will be taking another CME course on Wednesday before heading back to Hilo.

   The overall winners at Boston were Deriba Merga of Ethiopia for the men in 2:08:42 and Salina Kosgei of Kenya for the women in 2:32:16.  American Ryan Hall finished third overall in 2:09:40 while Kara Goucher of the US also claimed third for the women in 2:32:25.

Big Island Runners Completing the Boston Marathon

 

 

 

Broderick, Stacia

31

F

Kamuela    3:51:54

Fuentes, Carlos

55

M

Waikoloa   3:25:05

Fuke, Cindy

40

F

Hilo           3:48:37

Hrynevych, Michael

44

M

Kamuela    3:13:32

Morita, Aaron H.

54

M

Hilo      5:13:42

Nakamura, Harvey T.

60

M

Hilo      4:20:59

Neilsen, Eric

43

M

Kailua-Kona3:15:52

Pavao, Steven G.

52

M     Hilo 3:43:14

Perry, Lyman

42

M

Volcano 2:59:01

Ryan, Alan

38

M

Laupahoehoe

Schlegelmilch, Barret

19

M

Hilo 3:34:02

 

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Big Islanders Running Boston Marathon

Volcano resident, Lyman Perry, at mile 20 of the Boston Marathon

The following 12 Hawaii Island residents will be running in the 113th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20.

15691	Broderick, Stacia				31		F	Kamuela
9341	Fuentes, Carlos				55		M	Waikoloa
18045	Fuke, Cindy				40		F	Hilo
3282	Hrynevych, Michael				44		M	Kamuela
23653	Morita, Aaron H.				54		M	Hilo
23654	Nakamura, Harvey T.				60		M	Hilo
1685	Neilsen, Eric				43		M	Kailua-Kona
6688	Pappas, Benjamin J.				38		M	Hakalau
12519	Pavao, Steven G.		52		M		Hilo			HI
2717		Perry, Lyman		42		M			Volcano
1936		Ryan, Alan		38		M			Laupahoehoe
5692		Schlegelmilch, Barret W.		19		M			Hilo