KAILUA-KONA — A star studded field competed in the inaugural 100 Percent Pure Kona Coffee Half Marathon on Saturday morning. The race, which coincided with the 45th annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, started in front of the Coconut Grove Marketplace and headed south down the scenic coastline of Alii Drive befure runners made the turnaround in the “pit” at the End of the World.
KAILUA-KONA — A star studded field competed in the inaugural 100 Percent Pure Kona Coffee Half Marathon on Saturday morning. The race, which coincided with the 45th annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, started in front of the Coconut Grove Marketplace and headed south down the scenic coastline of Alii Drive befure runners made the turnaround in the “pit” at the End of the World.
The race featured some to top talent from around the Big Island.
“We had a lot of fast racers,” said race director Melissa Braswell, who added that the finisher medals were pretty special and unique to the race, and included coffee mugs on lanyards which helped tie in the overall theme.
Volcano’s Billy Barnett had the pleasure of taking home the first coffee mug of the race after making his way down the final hill alone. He crossed the finish line in a time of 1 hour 17 minutes and 13 seconds.
Barnett was excited about his finish and running in a brand new race.
“It was fun and it was nice to have the ocean view. Luckily it started early so it wasn’t too hot,” Barnett said. “The competition was definitely motivation to run harder.”
Kealakekua’s David Wild (1:21:45) was the next runner to cross the finish line, followed by Kenneth Stover (1:22:25) to round up the top three male athletes.
Kailua Kona’s Kristen Old took first in the female division, finishing in a time of 1:37:20. Old was happy with her time but said the course was a tough one because of the hills.
“I am not a very strong hill runner so those were very punishing,” Old said. “But the hills are what kept it interesting and the view made it a little less painful.”
Keauhou’s Rani Henderson, six weeks removed from the birth of her second child, finished second in the half marathon with a time of 1:41.11. Colorado runner Dawn King rounded out the female podium with a time of 1:42.46.