VOLCANO – On the occasion of this third Hilo-to-Volcano 50K run, Billy Barnett decided the time was right to mix a little strategy into the effort, something he didn’t do the first two times.
VOLCANO – On the occasion of this third Hilo-to-Volcano 50K run, Billy Barnett decided the time was right to mix a little strategy into the effort, something he didn’t do the first two times.
It turned out to be the same old story — Barnett won his third men’s open title Saturday — with a beneficial twist.
Barnett, 31, a Waiakea Middle School social studies and special education teacher, established a course record of 3:46.41 — 12 minutes faster than the previous best, according to race officials — on the day he developed a plan for the first time.
“The first two times I just ran and it killed me, each time I told myself I wouldn’t do it again,” Barnett said, “but this time I thought it might help to go easy at first and then save something for a push at the end.”
It was a winning strategy against relatively unknown challenger, 23-year-old Jared Burris, a native of Indiana who graduated from Wabash College last spring and decided to move to the Big Island where several friends had already relocated.
Burris led most of the way, but Barnett started