Karin Stanton/Hawaii247.com Contributing Editor
The Kona Marathon greeted the sunrise Sunday by sending at least 1,235 athletes off an a run.
Runners got a last minutes pep talk from Frank Shorter, an Olympic gold medal winner.
“Go out and have fun,” he said. “The weather makes it a no-excuses day. It’s awesome.”
With that, 258 runners took off for the full 26.2-mile marathon and 521 participated in the 1/2 marathon, while the 5K and 10K sported nearly 500 more.
Shorter, who is recovering from foot surgery, said he planned to jog the 5K and then get out on the course to provide cheerleading services via bicycle.
The marathon saw a repeat victor in Justin Gillette, of Michigan, while Gina Slaby of Aiea, Oahu, finished first in the women’s division.
Top Big Island marathon finishers were Billy Barnett, of Volcano, who came in third, and Kealakekua’s Rani Tanimoto.
A pair of Big Islanders took the top spots in the 1/2 marathon distance: Lyman Perry of Volcano and Bree Wee of Kailua-Kona.
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
About 200 runners were racing to raise funds for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. They topped $1 million and will accepting donations through July.
Julie Shobna Patel and Terry Love were waiting at the finish line for their children.
Terry’s daughter, Emilee Klaschus, is living with Crohn’s Disease and was joined by her friend and Julie’s son, Jason, in the 1/2 marathon.
Julie said even though it was Jason’s first race, she had confidence in her son.
“I know he can do it. He’s very strong and so is Emilee,” she said. “I’m just nervous for them, but I’m very very proud of them. He’s such a special kid.”
Terry, a former long distance runner, said she although she has joined in other fund raising events, she was fine waiting at the finish line.
“It was no sacrifice for me, but it’s so hard for me to just watch today,” she said. “I’m really glad for them. Jason has been such a great support and I’m so proud.”
Emilee and Jason finished the race together in just over 3 hours.Â
Frank’s back
Shorter said he keeps coming back to the Kona Marathon because he loves the race and especially its founder Jon Kunitake.
“It’s a special race because it’s the right size and the right people running it for this place,” he said. “It just takes me back to the real running boom of about 30 years ago.”
Kunitake is the critical piece, he said.
“It’s really personality driven. It’s about Jon as much as about anything else,” Shorter said. Â “That’s why I keep coming back.”
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For full results, check www.konamarathon.com
To donate to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, check wwsw.ccfa.org
Finisher photos by HawaiiPhotoman.com
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