Climbing a hill is never an easy task for anyone on two wheels or two feet. Add to that an elevation gain of nearly 3,000 feet, and several sections of 17 to 20 percent grades, and you have yourself one
Climbing a hill is never an easy task for anyone on two wheels or two feet. Add to that an elevation gain of nearly 3,000 feet, and several sections of 17 to 20 percent grades, and you have yourself one heck of a steep hill.
There’s something about climbing to the top of Kaloko that makes everyone feel like a true champion.
Maybe it’s the rapid change in climate that occurs during the ascent that is a constant reminder of your endeavor. Even with exhausted lungs and burning legs, it is quite difficult to ignore the lush green scenery, with wildly growing yellow ginger and blue hydrangea as you pass by.
Maybe, it is Kaloko’s beauty that helps cope with the rigors of such a race. For whatever reason it is, people in Kona will most certainly refer to you as being nuts for taking on this daunting challenge.
Nuts; maybe. But we prefer to be called Peas.
On Sunday, a field of Hawaii Island’s toughest cyclists and runners summoned their courage and gathered at the bottom of Kaloko Drive to take on this prestigious hill climb event known as “Pedal Till Ya Puke, Run Till Ya Ralph” — a very fitting title if you ask me. It is the most talked about hill climb on the island, and over the event’s 23-year history, people have traveled from near and far to make their imprint and earn bragging rights on this grueling 6.5-mile challenge.
Under clear blue skies, Frozen Pea Productions kicked off both events at 8:03 a.m., and immediately became a race for the cyclists to see who could be first to the top and claim the coveted King of the Mountain title. Quick to the front was defending champion and course record holder, Penn Henderson, followed by a strong chase pack made up of Hilo’s Robert Patey, Sean Maynard, Cycle Station’s John Howerton and Layne Howard. After the pedaling, pushing, and quad busting was complete, Henderson propelled himself up and over to claim his third King of the Mountain title in 38:18 — just 10 seconds shy of his course record of 38:08.
Next in was Hilo’s Patey who hammered his way to a very impressive 43:47, followed by Maynard in 45:19, Howerton in fourth at 48:06, and Howard rounding out the top five at 48:54.
Women’s course record holder Susan Dell watched along the sidelines on Sunday to see if any of the females would best her 2007 record-setting time of 45:15. First to finish was Kona’s Kym Kiser, who used her cycling strength to pedal herself to the top with a great time of 52:25. Coming in second with the added challenge of using a triathlon bike was Pam Harlow in 1:06:01. Lori Montgomery used her mountain bike skills to round out the podium at 1:26:19.
In the running race, Hilo’s Chris Gregory shot out to the front and quickly took command that seemed to put Karl Honma’s 1999 course record of 52:13 in jeopardy. Following close behind was defending champion Jason Braswell, and women’s leader, Rani Henderson. With every step pounding the pavement, Gregory powered himself over the finish line in 53:33, which kept Honma’s course record intact. Braswell followed in second at 58:44, Aaron Andrade at 1:10:24, Blake Dinger at 1:19:35, and Chico at 1:23:33 to round out the men’s top five.
Coming in first for the ladies and third overall, was Henderson who finished in 1:00:45. Linda Goeth was next in 1:27:45, and Julia Crawford at 1:38:44 for the women’s top three respectively.
In the canine division was the amazing Bailey, who made the event look easy in comparison to her two-footed competition. Bailey wagged her tail and used her four paws to trip the line at 51:15.
In 2004, two additional events were added for those wanting to challenge themselves on a shorter course. The 3.5 mile Papa Pea Pedal or Plod, named after Papa Pea of course, and the 1-mile Mad Dog Mile, in honor of Karl Honma, who was given the nickname Mad Dog by our very own Peaman.
Papa Pea saw no competition in his own event and covered the 3.5 mile race in 47:32. Amanda Schiff once again defended her title in the Mad Dog Mile, blazing over the finish line in 9:39. Schiff was closely followed by her brother, Henry Schiff at 10:13, and legendary runner Jon Kunitake cruised his way in at 10:24 to round out the podium.
Congratulations to all who participated — good news is — you have a year to recover until the next one! And a big mahalo goes out to Peaman — the brains behind all Frozen Pea Production events, the volunteer team of Doug Henbest and Dene Sturm, and Melissa Braswell for timing the event.
Coming up on Sunday is the Ali’i Challenge, a six-mile open water swim event that starts in Keauhou Bay and finishes at Kamakahonu Beach. Start time for this free event is at 7:30 a.m. and is open to both individual and relay swimmers.
On Aug. 17, the fourth annual Rain Forest Runs will take place in Volcano Village. There will be a half marathon, 10k and a 5k. The half marathon will begin at 7 a.m., and the other races will begin shortly after. To register for this race and for more information, go to volcanoartscenter.org.
On Aug. 18, Frozen Pea Productions will hold the Brown Bear Bash and Sunny Sprint, a 1/3-mile swim followed by a 3.1-mile run. Race start is 8:03 a.m. near Kailua Pier. This event is free and open to all.
Hope to see you all there!
