Runnin’ with Rani: A cycling rite of passage

Many, many moons ago, local cyclist and triathlete, Gary Shields, ran to the summit of Mauna Kea with longtime friend and legendary runner, Robert Standard.

With lungs painfully gasping for air and legs feeling like bricks due to the lack of oxygen at over 13,000 feet in elevation, Shields still found himself enjoying the beauty unraveling before him: Mauna Loa, nearby Haleakala, and a panoramic view of the world below.

Shields, who is one of the most accomplished triathletes in the state, often traveled inter-island to compete in various cycling hill climb events like Oahu’s Tantalus Time Trial, Kauai’s Pedal to the Meadow, and Maui’s Cycle to the Sun. Shields dreamt that someday, he would create a signature cycling hill climb race here on the Big Island that would be the toughest of them all.

“I’ve always loved to climb and whether it was running or biking it didn’t matter, it’s always been a passion of mine,” Shields said.

His passion for riding eventually evolved into organizing Kona’s first cycling group — the Hawaii Cycling Club in 1997.

“I was 42 years old when I started the club,” Shields said. “That year I had won Dick Evans over in Oahu and after seeing how many cycling clubs there were, I knew it would be great to have our own club here.”

But his passion didn’t stop there. Nearly a decade later, Shields vision of creating an epic hill climb event would come to fruition in 2006.

“I knew going up Mauna Kea would be a hard and challenging climb since I’ve done it either running or riding many times before,” he said. “The last six miles is a grind at 18-22 percent grade which makes it hard. I wanted to create something equivalent to the distance and climb of Maui’s Haleakala race. People go up to Mauna Kea to look at the stars, so I thought it was appropriate to start it at sea level to add to the difficulty.”

And so he named it – Sea To Stars.

The Sea To Stars Race

It is considered to be one of the hardest cycling hill climb races in the world and judging by its name, “epic” is written all over it.

After a four-year hiatus, Big Island’s prestigious hill climb race has been revitalized – offering cyclists an endurance challenge like no other: 48 grueling miles, 10,100 feet of climbing, gradients upwards of 22 percent, and an opportunity to ascend one of Hawaii’s most magnificent natural attractions — Mauna Kea.

From its base at the sea floor, Mauna Kea rises an astounding 33,000 feet to the summit and earns the distinction of being the tallest mountain in the world — even higher than Mount Everest which measures at just over 29,000 feet.

Luckily, participants get to forego the initial 20,000-feet and will be starting at sea level amidst the stark, rust-brown lava fields surrounding Waikoloa Beach Resort.

Upon turning up Waikoloa Road after a short neutral rollout from the resort, it will be game on with every man and woman fighting for position as they endure Waikoloa’s typical hot and windy conditions while ascending the initial 12-mile climb.

A quick left turn onto Mamalahoa Highway will welcome riders with cooler temperatures and a 5-mile respite on flat terrain before they tackle the undulating hills and curvy route of the Old Saddle Road.

This 11-mile stretch up the Old Saddle Road is like taking a deep breath back in time, to the vast open space and country living of the Big Island.

Cyclists will enjoy picturesque views of expansive lush green ranchlands dotted with cattle, ancient volcanic cinder cones covered with yellow-green prairie grass, and the feeling of being “saddled” between two massive volcanoes provides the perfect mental distraction from the inevitable pain and suffering that lies ahead.

Once riders take their final turn at the Mauna Kea Access road, an unrelenting, punishing, six-mile rite-of-passage towards the atmosphere begins.

Life-changing, mesmerizing, and “pure quad-burning hell,” have been used to describe this massive climb by those gutsy enough to make it to the Mauna Kea Visitor’s Information Center’s finish line. Yet once at the top, it becomes clear why this race is so much more than just a finish line.

It is truly a goose-bump feeling to conquer such a challenge, an adventure packed with a myriad of emotions that is impossible to fully describe. Simply put, it is Sea To Stars, an unforgettable life experience.

And for those who have yet to cross it off their bucket list, there is still time to register online as it will be open through Sunday via hawaiicyclingclub.com.

“There’s a lot of things to entice people to come out,” said race director Tom Solis. “We are starting it at 9 a.m. to help those flying in from Oahu, we have extended the cutoff time to complete the race to 6 1/2-hours, there will be five aid stations plus a ‘talk story’ station at the top, a taco dinner at Mauna Kea Park, and lots of awards and swag to give away.”

Top male and female finishers will each receive $200 in cash, with the winner of each category, of 24 possible categories, to receive $75 each.

While a mountain bike category has been added to this year’s race, the main field using their road bikes looks to be a nice mix of Big Island talent.

Keauhou’s Penn Henderson, who placed second overall the last time it was held in 2012, along with Kailua-Kona’s David Wild, Malik Mariano, Mike Medina, and David Furtado will be familiar names at the start line.

On the women’s side, Kailua-Kona’s Tawnie McDonald, winner of two individual time trials held earlier in the year, and Hilo’s Jennifer Real are the favorites.

Current race record belongs to Oahu’s Eric Lau set in 2011 with his time of 3 hours, 23 minutes and 20 seconds.

“It’s going to be a difficult race, but safety is our number one goal,” said Solis. “There are three left hand turns on the course, and we are using signage from Roadway Solutions and cones from IRONMAN. We will have police directing traffic, volunteers helping out at aid stations, and everyone gets a blinking reflector light for their bikes. We are looking forward to it.”

For more information email race director Tom Solis at hawaiiclub@outlook.com, or to register visit hawaiicyclingclub.com.