The old adage “third time’s the charm” certainly rang true for Laupahoehoe’s Alan Ryan at Saturday’s 24th annual Hilo to Volcano 50K Ultra Marathon and Relay Race.
The old adage “third time’s the charm” certainly rang true for Laupahoehoe’s Alan Ryan at Saturday’s 24th annual Hilo to Volcano 50K Ultra Marathon and Relay Race.
In his third attempt, Ryan captured the men’s crown in a thrilling race for first place, adding his name to the record books and another medal to his collection.
“The first time I did it I didn’t know what I was getting into,” Ryan said. “The second one I did more mileage to train for it and went into the race tired. This one was by far the most painful. I actually ended up walking and almost didn’t make it.”
With the race starting at 6 a.m. for individuals and 6:30 a.m. for teams, the small field was treated to a starlit sky, followed by a picturesque sunrise, blue sky and cool temperatures — perfect racing conditions.
The arduous course began at Hilo’s Coconut Island, and finished after 31.1 miles and a 4,000-foot elevation climb, in Volcano.
Fifteen miles into the race, Ryan found himself in the lead ahead of Keaau’s Joe Barcia, a mere three minutes back. It was also the point where the majority of the hill ascending began, and Ryan started to suffer from fatigue. The fight to finish became a battle with himself, and according to Ryan, it was downright ugly.
“I was bonking big time,” Ryan said. “My legs were cramping and I thought about dropping out. But, I was still in the lead and I had to try.”
With every race check, Ryan’s lead diminished. Barcia was closing in and Ryan found himself walking, his body begging to stop.
After receiving a can of Pepsi from his support crew, Ryan started to feel better and regained his stride toward the finish line. With a quarter of a mile left and the finish line in sight, Ryan took a last glance back at Barcia.
“Everything seized and cramped up from looking back at him,” Ryan said. “People always say to never look back, but I needed to know.”
Ryan shuffled across the finish line to claim his first victory at the event in 4 hours, 12 minutes and 38 seconds. Barcia followed close behind, sprinting through the finish only 29 seconds back in 4:13:07. Derrick Ledesma of Koloa, Kauai, finished third at 4:42:08.
In the women’s division, Victoria Daniel of Honolulu and Kailua-Kona’s Brooke Myers were having quite a race of their own.
Myers, who finished both the Kona and Honolulu marathons last year, decided it was time to set the bar higher.
“I wanted to challenge myself at something I’ve never done before,” Myers said. “I needed something more, something new and different. I wanted to see if my body could go further than 26.2 miles.”
Myers found herself battling for the lead with the 52-year-old Daniel near the halfway point.
“We went back and forth for a while,” Myers said. “But with 11 miles to go I started to feel sick and it started to become a battle. I began to walk.”
Daniel took the lead and went on to claim her first victory, finishing the 50K in 5:23:51.
Myers caught a second wind and credits her husband, Nick, and son, Whistler, for giving her the support she needed to finish second in 5:44:42.
Hilo’s Amy Ray rounded out the podium in third place with 6:02:15.
In the three-person team relay division, Sunrise Athletics (high school students Axl Aricayos, Ian McQuate and Stephen Hunter) finished first with a phenomenal time of 3:17:39. Into Thin Air was the first Open Men’s team (William McMahon, Jonathan Peralto and Todd Marohnic) coming in at 3:27:04.
Off on a Run was the first Open Women’s team (Noe Waller, Carmen Garson-Shumway and Mehana Sabado-Halpern) with a solid time of 3:58:46. And the first Open Mixed team, Turtle Tactics II (Heather Scarbrough, Tai Like Scarbrough and Kerstin Busse), finished in a speedy time of 3:45:17.
Guinness world record holder Larry Macon, the 69-year-old from San Antonio kept his marathon streak alive by finishing in a well-paced 9:23:58.
Most would agree running a 50K is enough punishment to one’s mind and body. However, last weekend saw another Big Islander who decided to redefine pain and take things to a whole new level of “hurt.”
36-year-old Sylvia Ravaglia of Waimea conquered the HURT (Hawaii Ultra Running Team) 100 Mile Endurance Trail Run on Oahu. Described as one of the most grueling and gnarly single-track trails in Hawaii, the 5-lap course navigated through the mountainous rain forest of Manoa, Makiki and Nuuanu valleys.
With elevation ranging from 300 to 1,900 feet for a cumulative gain of 25,000 feet, muddy and rocky terrain, having to climb over boulders and cross numerous streams — all within a cut off time of 36 hours — it’s no wonder only 53 people finished out of the 125 who started.
“I severely underestimated the difficulty of that course,” Ravaglia said. “It hurt a lot and it truly lived up to its name.”
Ravaglia said she began training for the event in July.
“I would run back to back runs on the weekends,” Ravaglia said. “Basically it would be three hours late Saturday night followed by an early seven hour morning run on Sunday.”
With Ravaglia’s longest run being 38 miles, and using last month’s Honolulu Marathon as a training run, Ravaglia felt she did her best to prepare herself for the event. And despite the pain, she felt rewarded by just completing the race.
“I truly enjoyed getting the chance to experience what a day really is and how it made me feel to go through it,” Ravaglia said. “Seeing the stars at night, then the sun rising, the different sounds around me, made me so much more aware of the world and how it changes through time.”
Ravaglia’s herculean efforts placed her as the 10th female with a mind-boggling finishing time of 34 hours and 35 minutes.
Would she do it again?
“Absolutely,” she said.
Team Mango kicked off its season Sunday with the Wintertime Super Sprint Triathlon.
The 200-yard swim in Kailua Bay, 6-mile bike loop on Hualalai Road and Kuakini Highway, and 1.5-mile sprint on Alii Drive attracted more than 50 competitors.
Kailua-Kona’s Don Baldassari was first to run up the beach, clocking 3:36 for his speedy efforts. Next was Dan Gampon (3:43), Mike DeCarli and Forrest Noble (3:52), and women’s leader, Winona Chen (3:56), all charging into the swim-to-bike transition area.
Out on the hilly bike course, DeCarli used his bike strength to take the lead and maintained his position out front during the run to finish first in a blazing 30:10. Second to finish was Adam Ankram in 31:35, with Jeremy Withrow a few minutes back in third at 33:22.
In the women’s race, Kate Lewis swapped places with Chen during the bike segment and sprinted over the 1.5-mile run to claim the women’s title in 34:34. Kym Kiser finished strong in second place at 35:31, with Chen a few strides back in third at 35:46.
The relay team of Dave Pratt and Franz Weber finished first with their combined time of 37:52. Second went to Chen and Janet Higa-Miller with a great time of 40:07. DeCarli and Peaman secured third place with their combined efforts of 54:56.
Coming up
On Sunday, Frozen Pea Productions will host Peaman’s Splish-Splash and Superbowl Shuffle Biathlon at Kaiakeakua Beach. Start time is 8:08 a.m. for the half-mile swim and 3.1-mile run. A short Pea Wea course — 200-yard swim, 1-mile run — is available. There is no registration; racers sign out when they finish.